| Reinforce actively-caring behaviors |
A
behavior-based safety program strives to reduce lost- time injuries
by providing positive reinforcement for safe attitudes and behaviors
Ingar Rasmussen of General Electric in New Mexico, described the
effect of his company's commitment to a Total Safety Culture:
"When Thomas gently corrects co-worker Suzi who is using a
grinder while wearing safety goggles with a slightly damaged side
protector, that is actively caring.
"When Mario, on his way to the shipping department, sees a
spill in an unfrequented passageway, and stops long enough to clean
it up, that is actively caring."
In these examples of exemplary safety attitudes and behaviors, workers
feel responsible for their associates' as well as their own safety.
Ingar explains this as part of a Total Safety Culture: "All
workers monitor safety continuously; they go beyond the 'call of
duty' to identify and correct workplace hazards and at-risk behaviors
wherever these occur."
Actively-caring behaviors reduce injuries
Rasmussen’s plant embarked on a behavior based model for safety—the
"Total Safety Culture"— five years ago, and lost-time
injuries have been consistently lower over this period, Ingar reports.
The facility recently completed a year without a lost-time injury—the
longest injury-free period in its history.
Total Safety Culture requires constant feeding and nurturing by
a caring management committed to continuous improvement,
he explains.
"One of the most important elements is consistent respect for
safety by everyone with the power to make a difference," Ingar
notes. "Unless there is a group of people within the company
who are concerned about the rate of injuries and who want to do
everything in their power to reduce it to zero, unsafe work practices
have a way of creeping in.
"Safety is not a priority that can be bumped up or down a notch
or two in response to job pressures. It has to be a value linked
to every work procedure.
"Safety is nonetheless a value easy to compromise, by management
as much as by individual workers," Ingar continues. "We
ask workers to keep us on our toes as much as we try to keep them
on their toes." |
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