How do you demonstrate safety as core value?

Establishing Safety as a Core Value – How do you establish safety as a core value? The good news is that if your company has a well written safety program, you’re already on the right path to building a good safety culture. But to bring your program one step closer to thinking of safety as a value, you have to be willing to empower your employees to put themselves and their safety before production and sales.

This means empowering employees to do the right things and not penalizing them for it when they do. Another way to establish safety as a core value is to view it just like you view every other department. Sales, quality, production, engineering, etc., they all have a seat at the table—and so should safety.

In an organization with a world class safety program, safety is as much a part of the conversation as any other department. This is only effective if you can get everyone to share in the mentality that for safety to be a core value, it has to be built into every process, every program and every decision.

Is safety a priority or a value?

Safety Is A Value, Not a Priority Would it surprise you if I told you that safety shouldn’t be a priority for you? That seems like a shocking statement. In some ways, it is. It is true, though. Safety should not be a priority. It must be a value. We think of the word, “priority” and we associate it with things that are important to us.

In fact, the definition of priority is “a thing that is regarded as more important than another.”A value is more of a core belief that guides our priorities. It is unusual for values to change. Yet your priorities can shift daily. For example, it may be a priority for you to make sure that your children always get a healthy, home-cooked dinner.

On Tuesday, though, they have dentist’s appointments and you run out of time. So, you buy pizza on the way home. On Tuesday, their dental health became your priority and a homecooked meal shifted to a position of lesser importance. At work each day, as a multitude of operational, supply, or people issues arise, your priorities will shift and change.

What started out as the most important item to address in the morning may not be the most important item on your desk by 11 AM. Perhaps when you arrived at work, it seemed critical that you finish the schedule for next week before lunch, but then you got a knock at your door. An employee needed your help with a product line that had suddenly gone off-spec and was down, putting production at a standstill.

Your priorities changed. Thus, employee safety cannot be a priority. It can never get shifted lower in the pile of concerns to be addressed after something else more pressing. There is nothing else more pressing. That is because safety must be a value that does not change.

Values are embedded in our personal belief system. Values are embedded in our company culture. Company values are the internal beliefs, ethics, and guiding morals upon which a business bases its objectives and business practices. Companies must consciously place the safety of workers into their values system.

By establishing safety as a core value, your company will be on its way to establishing a safety culture that you need to avoid workplace incidents, boost worker morale, retain experienced workers, and maintain affordable insurance premiums. to lay the building blocks of a healthy safety culture where safety is a value.

What is an example of a safety value statement?

To make tomorrow safer and healthier than today by exceeding and not just meeting expectations. We hold safety and health as our highest value and it is never compromised. Teamwork is embraced and we value the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the individuals in those teams.

We stand up for what we believe in and lead by example. Everyone is a safety role model and leader. Open communication promotes fairness and portrays a high level of integrity while ensuring continuous improvement. We hold ourselves accountable for making a difference and exceeding expectations. The mission of Safety/Risk Management is to collaboratively assist educators, parents, students, emergency responders and community organizations to create a safer school environment for all Hemet Unified students, staff and guests by assisting our schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations.

Safety/Risk Management will provide the following services: Assessments, Resources, Training, and Technical Assistance.

Why should safety be a value?

For months I have been contemplating, and the same thoughts keeps coming back to me as to why we have the incidents we have on our job-sites, and the following is what I have pieced together, I know it looks long, but it is just the tip of the iceberg.

1. To me, in my observation, education, and experience, we can set back and watch, get a numbers game going of statistics, and try to see trends, or we can really make a strong culture of safety in our company and profession, by making Safety a Core Value.
2. What I have learned is policies, procedures, and good equipment do not make a strong safety culture, it is the people that do! – Ryan L.

Rinehart Culture is described as the beliefs and behaviors handed down from one generation to the next. In the workplace each new employee and contractor represents the next generation of a company. This can be an opportunity or a continuing challenge, because these new people will adopt the safety behaviors of their coworkers.

• One of the findings from a major industrial incident was “hazard training was largely passed down by experience from others.
• Sometimes this guidance was poor, perhaps due to an element of complacency” Managers need to constantly ask themselves “whose behaviors are our new people adopting and are these behaviors we want being passed along to the next generation of employees?” There is a significant difference in a safety culture and a culture of safety.

A safety culture simply describes the beliefs and behaviors that are demonstrated within an organization. Therefore, a safety culture may be good, focused on reducing incidents and injuries, or it might be poor, tolerating at-risk behaviors that put people at unnecessary risk.

Thinking of incidents, past or even recent, it makes us ask, “What do we need to do different?” and “What can we do better to ensure that people are safe?” And the usual response has been, getting policies created and approved, and a presence in the field and shop locations, along with some training changes.

Which is a great step towards a safety culture, yet we do not have the buy in at the personal level that we desire, which would lead towards a culture of safety. For us to say safety is a priority isn’t actually putting our safety priorities at work. Why? Priorities are the first to change when dealing with say the bottom line, the cost cutting-get it done mentality, operational performance, deadlines, or even customer demands.

To clarify my point, when money becomes tight on a project or operations fall behind schedule the focus becomes getting the job done, no matter what risks or short cuts you have to take. It is sort of a “Mission First” mentality. So since priorities change, safety just took a nose dive to dead last or not even considered anymore.

When Safety is a core value, the only time it becomes ” the priority” is when it comes into conflict with anything else, meaning we as a company commit to putting human life above all other demands. We can agree that Priorities change, Core Values remain constant,

• Safety as a Core Value is how we can instill a culture of safety in a personal level as well as add moral value in each and every employee.
• Safety shouldn’t be a policy that people read, remember for a few days and then forget.
• Safety is something people practice at work and in their personal lives, the safety core value essentially means, every person is responsible for their own safety, as well as the people around them.

Training to this Safety Core Value would include at-risk-behavior identification. Workshops for leaders, managers, supervisors, foreman, and leads across all divisions and departments. If any of those in leadership positions do not support the safety of their personnel, you have to ask, are these people desired to be kept on our team? If someone in a leadership role is turning a blind eye to at-risk-behavior and rewarding short-cuts, then they are not doing the job they were hired to do.

In order to build and maintain a strong culture of safety, management must not only buy-in, but consistently exemplify this standard by supporting it and making sure it stays relevant as the company evolves. Safety as a priority must be avoided when building a culture of safety. In a strong safety culture, safety is elevated to be a core value within the organization.

Too often, people still rely on ‘compliance with’ safety policies, procedures and equipment in everyday operations rather than a ‘belief in’ safety. In order to create a culture of safety, safety must become a personal value where each employee takes responsibility for recognizing and reducing unnecessary at-risk behaviors.

1. A person’s attitude toward safety is a choice and it is your choice to believe in safety for you, your family and your teammates.
2. In a culture of safety, you are the key to creating an incident-free environment.
3. When we are building a culture of safety, management must create the environment that enables safety to be a core value of the company and, more importantly, within the hearts or even the souls of the individuals who work there.

It should be something everyone practices both at work and in their personal lives. In order to help instill a strong culture of safety in day-to-day operations, management should consider adopting the Core Value of Safety.

What is your top priority at work?

Top 3 Priorities in a New Job – The top 3 priorities in a new job are learning the ropes, building relationships, and delivering results should be your top priorities. By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to a successful career. Related:

What is safety as a value?

How Does Safety Become a Culture? – If a culture is held together by common values and beliefs, then surely safety must be one of those values? Or is it? Some argue that safety is not a value, but the result of values such as love, honesty, and trust.

• This would imply that we act safely because we don’t want to cause our loved ones pain, that we are honest about our limitations out of self preservation or fear, and that we trust that our employers and colleagues have our best intentions at heart.
• The problem with that is that everyone has a different set of values that drives them to want to be safe or want to keep others safe.

But there is one common denominator among people in safety culture environments: everyone sees the value in safety. In a safety culture, it doesn’t so much matter why workers want to be safe. What matters is that everyone is willing to work together to make sure everyone stays safe.

1. If any one person is more focused on productivity and efficiency than in working safely, the system cannot work.
2. Dominic Cooper explained this concept in 2001 in his paper Treating Safety as a Value,
3. The concept that safety is a value can simply be viewed as an ethic that guides the way an individual views safety and safety-related behaviour.

In the workplace, it means that safety is not simply viewed as a top priority on par with productivity; rather it is an ethic that guides everything employees do. Safety is never compromised. Instead of telling workers why they should want to be safe, safety cultures allows them to use their own values as their motivation, which will then become a collective goal and value that unites employers and employees.

What is a good safety observation example?

What are some examples of safety observations: – Safety observations can be conducted in a variety of settings and situations, and may focus on a wide range of potential hazards and risks, Some examples of safety observations include:

Observing workers to ensure that they are using Personal Pprotective Equipment (PPE) such as hard hats, gloves, and safety glasses Checking for trip hazards, such as loose cables or uneven flooring, in walkways and other areas where employees may be walking Observing the use of machinery and equipment to ensure that it is being operated safely and in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions Checking for potential fire hazards, such as blocked exits or overloaded electrical outlets Observing workers to ensure that they are following safe lifting techniques when handling heavy objects.

Overall, the specific types of safety observations will depend on the specific workplace and the potential hazards and risks present.

What is the value of safety in the workplace?

The Recommended Practices are designed to be used in a wide variety of small and medium-sized business settings. The Recommended Practices present a step-by-step approach to implementing a safety and health program, built around seven core elements that make up a successful program.

The main goal of safety and health programs is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers. The recommended practices use a proactive approach to managing workplace safety and health.

Traditional approaches are often reactive –that is, problems are addressed only after a worker is injured or becomes sick, a new standard or regulation is published, or an outside inspection finds a problem that must be fixed. These recommended practices recognize that finding and fixing hazards before they cause injury or illness is a far more effective approach.

• The idea is to begin with a basic program and simple goals and grow from there.
• If you focus on achieving goals, monitoring performance, and evaluating outcomes, your workplace can progress along the path to higher levels of safety and health achievement.
• Employers will find that implementing these recommended practices also brings other benefits.

Safety and health programs help businesses:

Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses Improve compliance with laws and regulations Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums Engage workers Enhance their social responsibility goals Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations

What is value based safety?

Behavior-based safety is not simply having a checklist and observing behavior. To have a system that is effective over the long term and that can continuously improve and adapt to changing organizational needs, your organization needs a comprehensive solution.

1. Values-Based Safety ® incorporates knowledge gained from decades of experience into that comprehensive solution.
2. Values-Based Safety ® creates a partnership between employees and management that encourages all levels of employees to conduct safety observations and have meaningful conversations about safety.

Safety Observation Conversations raise awareness of safety for both the observer and the person observed. The result is a safety culture where everyone is actively engaged in creating a safe workplace. Furthermore, information obtained during observations helps identify processes, procedures, and environmental factors that get in the way of people being able to do their job safely.

• enhance the meaningful involvement of all employees and leaders in important safety activities;
• improve the ability of leaders to manage employee safety effectively and in alignment with corporate values;
• build on existing safety improvement initiatives and integrate with existing processes;
• establish a formal safety observation and feedback process involving all employees and leaders;
• create a positive work environment that builds pride in safety process and accomplishment.
• Regular follow-up and education during the first year helps keep your process on track, enhances skills of leadership and steering committee members, and protects your investment in Values-Based Safety ®, Sustaining your process with annual health assessments allows your process to continue to thrive over the long term.

Jack Gloop