Safety in Short Newsletter December 2008

Safety.... when someone mentions this word, you are guaranteed to get a reaction. Many times the reaction is not a positive one. Reactions may include a simple shrug, frustration or a glassy-eyed stare. Some may take the opportunity to get a short nap if you "talk safety" long enough.

Talking safety... if you want a positive reaction when you talk to your workers about safety, use positive opportunities. Don't limit your safety talks to training lectures or "corrections". Take time to find someone doing something right and give some recognition for good safety performance. Letting your workers know you notice and recognize their effort is a powerful management tool. Short, frequent safety reminders, given in a positive tone will ensure your people know your safety expectations.

Safety is... basically, safety is two things - getting people to do things right and eliminating workplace hazards. Safety is also seen by many as an endless series of rules and regulations that just slow down production efforts... until there is an accident that could have been prevented by simply following the rules. The term for this is "operation to the point of failure." Accidents and injuries are failures on our part, specifically failure to properly train, monitor, inspect, correct and supervise every hour of every day.

Doing things right... getting people to do things right - the safe way - is made more difficult if we assume that the safe way is obvious to everyone. The truth is that your workers carry with them old behaviors from past jobs and other experiences that may make them unsafe from the first day on the job. Experienced workers often develop short-cuts that save time at the expense of safety - until their shortcut damages equipment or injures themselves or someone else.

Controlling hazards... creating and maintaining a safe work area is your job as a supervisor. A safe supervisor checks the work area each day before workers arrive to make sure there are no hazardous conditions. Because nothing stays the same, a safe supervisor monitors the work area conditions continuously throughout the workday and immediately corrects unsafe condition.

Safety walk... if you talk the talk you had better walk the walk. Your workers watch your every action and hear every thing you say. You will not be very effective if you talk safety and don't follow all the rules yourself. Show an honest concern for your people by setting a good safety example - it's one of the purposes of having supervisors - to guide and lead by example.