How To Create A Proactive Safety Culture

One of the most unfortunate parts of the evolution of safety provisions and trade workwear is that the vast majority of them are developed as a reaction to tragedy.

In most official places this is known as a reactive approach to safety, but another older expression is that safety rules are “written in blood”, as they were a consequence of a tragedy that simply should not have happened.

This can be traced back to the first pieces of safety legislation in the UK such as the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802, drafted and enforced as a response to the harrowing conditions facing workers in cotton mills, which was causing many to fall ill.

This mindset can unfortunately still be seen in recent years, and to better protect the safety of workers, there needs to be a fundamental shift away from ensuring a tragedy does not happen again to working proactively to stop it from happening in the first place.

Is this new, bold way of working possible? Yes, but it requires the building of a culture that encourages and rewards safety, even if it comes at the perceived expense of productivity.

Reinforce Stop Work Authority

The concept of stop work authority is the idea that a worker has the right and indeed the duty to stop working when they perceive an unsafe condition or behaviour that could result in damage, injury or death.

These typically are the result of a near miss, but can also occur when equipment is used improperly, if there is a change in working conditions compared to normal or if someone does not feel they have the knowledge and understanding of the safety protocols.

They are advised to stop working immediately, intervene with the person or people at risk, and notify supervisory staff so they can start an investigation.

It is not enough to give workers that permission though, as it must be aggressively and positively reinforced, as workers may feel they are disincentivised to engage a stop work order out of fear of getting in trouble for it.

Ask Rather Than Tell

Safety is a dialogue between management and staff and one that is fundamentally built on trust and understanding, rather than a set of commands to be followed.

Because of this, asking questions when you can instead of giving instructions, engaging in conversations about safety and seeking feedback about what can be done better will help to build that trust and emphasise that the worker has the power and stake in making their day safer.

Actively Engage And Positively Reinforce

Being proactive involves more rewards for following the protocols, engaging with safety subjects and being a part of dialogues with workers and leadership alike, and whilst this is exceptionally difficult with all of the pressures people at every stage have, it is also an essential step.

If rules are only negatively reinforced (i.e. with punishments for non-compliance), following the rules will be inconsistent, as some people will feel they need to cut corners to keep to deadlines and quotas, as well as assume this is an exercise in regulatory compliance.

Positive reinforcement helps people to understand that these rules are truly about keeping people safe and that leadership are listening when it matters.