Superior Performance

How can senior managers improve health and safety on the job?

by Sandra Araujo, B.A.Sc., CRSP, Field Consultant, CSAO

 

“Senior managers” in construction companies may be owners, chief executive officers, presidents and vice-presidents, or principal partners. This is the case whether the firm is large or small. In a nation-wide company or a mom-and-pop operation, there’s always someone who makes the big decisions and has the final say. What you as a senior manager may not realize, however, is your role in workplace health and safety.

 
“Your actions
involve not only you,
but your workers as well.”

Safety Culture

Many employers develop detailed health and safety policies and programs. But a key ingredient for superior health and safety performance is often missing. That’s a positive safety culture. This is the motivator that drives the written information in any policy and program.

Safety culture refers to senior management values and beliefs about workplace health and safety. That includes the decisions and actions you take as a senior manager to prevent injury and illness on the job.

For instance, if you don’t wear eye protection where it’s required, you send a message to everyone on site that eye protection isn’t important. Your action involves not only you but your workers as well.

In other words you contribute to a negative safety culture that has a direct impact on employee behaviour. With you as their example, employees can dismiss rules and regulations. In these and other ways safety culture can strongly influence your company’s prevention performance.

Commitment

As a senior manager, you can do a number of things to create a positive safety culture:

Demonstrating commitment is absolutely essential. There are four actions a senior manager must consistently take:

  1. ensure that established safe work practices are followed
  2. allow time and money to implement these practices
  3. integrate health and safety into the daily operations of your company
  4. give accident prevention the same priority as production, quality, and cost-effectiveness.

As a senior manager, you must actively participate in the health and safety program. This is essential to foster a positive safety culture. Each of your actions must back the company program not only in principle but in practice too.

For example, you should

These activities visibly demonstrate management commitment. By your example and through your authority, you become the role model for your employees to follow. The benefits for your company’s safety culture will soon become apparent.


Training

Training is a vital part of your responsibility. Employees must be trained to work in accordance with company health and safety procedures. This includes instruction in operating a specific machine, tool, or vehicle, and properly using and maintaining personal protective equipment.

Supervisors in turn must be trained to recognize hazards and establish controls. In addition, senior managers should participate in training, implement the company’s health and safety program, and enforce health and safety consistently throughout the organization.

Training is not a one-shot deal. Ongoing communication is necessary to remind all employees of existing hazards and controls and to advise them of any new ones. Training sessions also allow workers to provide input regarding hazards, incidents, and ways of improving the health and safety program.


Communications

From senior managers through supervisors to workers and back, communication must be open. This fosters a sense of teamwork and pride. Through active, two-way communication, employees take a growing interest in health and safety. Eventually they assume ownership of the company program and make better performance a personal goal.

None of this is possible, however, without a positive safety culture. Remember—safety success is culture driven. Contributing to that culture—and improving your company’s prevention performance—is one of your prime duties as a senior manager.

How well you succeed will depend on