IMPROVING SAFETY COMMUNICATION AND

MOTIVATIONSAFETY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2014

NOVEMBER 27, 2014DINO VARAS

MY STORYAs a health and safety (H&S) professional in the workplace I know am appreciated, respected, and supported by the workforce. I also understand that I have to be the one to lead safety. However, the one thing I have learned is that I have historically felt it was my job to ensure the workplace was compliant and that I was the one to educate everyone about safety.

I carried this burden on my shoulders, and felt I was doing it alone.

Today I would like to present to you a few simple methods that have helped me not only ensure safety is communicated to our workforce, but how I used these techniques to motivate leaders for better participation with greater results.

OBJECTIVE▪ To highlight how communication of safety with behaviour-based

techniques can be applied to motivate workers thus improving workplace safety.

▪ To share simple techniques that have proven results for driving safety performance in the workplace.

Techniques that result in improved:▪ Motivation▪ Leadership Involvement▪ Participation▪ Communication of Safety

AGENDA▪ Safety Today

- Our Perspective as H&S Leaders

▪ Shifting Our Focus

▪ Making the Transition- Moving Towards More Communicative and Motivational Methods

▪ How We Get There- 3 Tools to Motivate and Improve Communication and performance

SAFETY TODAYOur Perspective as H&S Leaders

Our role as H&S leaders is to constantly remind our workforce of our health and safety commitment, targets, and mentor them in support for their work. Unfortunately we mostly see worker interest for safety peak when we are present.

Have you ever seen the worker who puts their safety glasses on their face properly when the H&S leader enters the area?

So, we need to ask… ▪ Why are behaviours so inconsistent?▪ Are workers self-motivated for safety? ▪ What is their interpretation of their responsibility for safety?

SAFETY TODAY OUR PERSPECTIVE AS H&S LEADERS

SAFETY TODAY OUR PERSPECTIVE AS H&S LEADERS

We can begin transitioning our culture by providing a system through coaching methods that will assist in curbing risky behaviours. Consideration to reinforcing safe behaviours will also be needed.

The focus shifts to better preparing the workers and leaders of our organizations by building a safety culture that is more engaged in ‘doing the right thing’.

This would be best implemented through a system that promotes the routine practical exercises of health and safety.

SHIFTING OUR FOCUS

SHIFTING OUR FOCUS▪ Focus over the past 150 years has

been on the technical aspects of engineering systems to improve safety (Lee, 1998).

▪ We have come a long way with improved hardware and design and through improved safety management systems. More and more we see less technological failures in the workplace.

▪ We are now seeing how it benefits us to look at ‘human factors’ (social and organizational) for better safety.

Fatality

Medical Aid

First-Aid

Near Miss

Lost Time

UNSAFE ACT AND CONDITIONS

SHIFTING OUR FOCUSPer The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) we are required to protect the worker from injury.

We can support the argument that the root cause of injuries are behaviours or conditions in the workplace. Today we can understand that incidents resulting in injury to a worker are occurring because of a failure to act, or unsafe behaviour. Furthermore, when reviewing what created an unsafe condition it is the failure to act, or unsafe behaviour (exception, cases involving natural phenomenon).

Influencing and motivating the correct behaviour is key.

MOTIVATION

SAFE BEHAVIOUR

What promotes safe behaviour?

How do we motivate the workforce?

How do we get the workers to work safely?How can we improve safety communication and increase motivation?

SHIFTING OUR FOCUS

WHAT INFLUENCES SAFE BEHAVIOUR?▪ Recognition of good behaviour▪ Positive reinforcement▪ Targets to achievable goals (promoting success)▪ Employee involvement▪ Awareness and education for safety▪ Listening to suggestions▪ (Leaders, Supervisors) Always being available for safety ▪ Regular and proactive coaching▪ Regular safety communication

WHAT INFLUENCES MOTIVATION?▪ Purpose – having work problems to solve ▪ Caring for their interests and being fair▪ Keeping them in the loop, understanding the challenges▪ Trust and support from the leader, leadership▪ Worker engagement (giving them specific assignments, sense

of belonging)▪ Leadership exposure (management is on the floor)▪ Realistic and achievable job expectations or goals▪ Evidence of a continuous improvement culture

SHIFT OUR FOCUSIdeally the objectives of this system that will be part our health and safety program should be achievable, non-punitive and positive.

To get to this point we need autonomy,…. a workforce built on self-reliance, self-regulation, and self-motivation.

MAKING THE TRANSITIONMoving Towards More Communicative and Motivational Methods

MAKING THE TRANSITIONTraditionally it is the health and safety professional who has the responsibility to guide company health and safety and compliance. This is OK.

Typically we see that health and safety professionals have to motivate leaders and facilitate the communication for safety. Although not intentional, our leaders do not a priority on ‘day-to-day’ safety interactions.

Our top managers are saying they want safety to be a priority, but what is their role in safety?

MAKING THE TRANSITIONAs H&S professionals we should be focusing on making H&S leaders out of our workforce.

Our focus should be on driving this from the top – down.

“Our leadership team members need to lead, always”

MAKING THE TRANSITIONWe know that among our leadership teams we have experts who demand results – in cost, quality, delivery, and inventory – so to lure their interest we must drive a system that gives immediate information (communication for safety) and motivates the organization for safety performance.

Focus our efforts on using:

▪ Value-add methods

▪ Integrating systems provide for an autonomous H&S process

WHAT WE NEEDAS WORKERS▪ Use safe behaviours

▪ Be engaged

▪ Build self-reliance

▪ Support an autonomous workforce

▪ Pursue continuous improvement

AS LEADERS (MANAGERS)▪ Be leaders, by example

▪ Communicate regularly

▪ Be a coach/mentor

▪ Participate in H&S activities

▪ Empower the workers

HOW WE GET THEREEFFECTIVE TOOLS TO MOTIVATE AND IMPROVE COMMUNICATION

HOW WE GET THERE▪ The methods that can get us to a more practical H&S program are

many. Effective tools I am sharing will include an element of:▪ Leader participation with objectives;▪ Regular safety communication; and▪ Continuous improvement through worker involvement

You only want to add systems that will promote continual improvement in a non-punitive forum.

HOW WE GET THERE▪ Visibility of H&S performance or safety communication (posting

results – a Scorecard, success stories, real-time data) will help drive accountability.▪ What are the standards, or the expectations of workers and leaders?▪ How are leaders committed?▪ What is in place to drive us?

The Challenge

Put restrictions or conditions to promote the sense of urgency for the initiative (time sensitive, level of quality). Think about what will motivate leaders.

TOOLS - SHARING

Safety Messages

H&S Performance Scorecard (For Leader Behaviours)

Continuous Improvement (Through Go-Do Exercises)

1] ‘SAFETY MESSAGES’Use daily, weekly, or monthly ‘Messages’ to promote awareness. These should be conducted in a face-to-face forum and they should be posted within the work area. Use these ‘Messages’ to communicate:▪ Policy expectations▪ Reinforcing positive behaviours▪ New H&S information / developments

▪ The ‘Message’ tool will give provide for regular communication, delivered by the leader(s), the reiteration of expectations through a form of awareness session, and will be relevant in raising awareness among all workers.

EXAMPLE – ‘SAFETY MESSAGE’

▪ Make the point in a simple statement.

▪ Reiterate expectations in accordance to Policy or The OHSA.

▪ Remind behaviour.

2] H&S PERFORMANCE SCORECARD▪ Drive accountability by creating a ‘monthly’ H&S Performance

Scorecard to shows results of desire objectives for safety.

▪ Make the leaders accountable▪ Add the expectation of ‘timely execution’ (as a starting point)▪ Target a few areas that can help bring value-add results

Keep in mind that what you add should be realistic.Is it a value-add activity?Will it improve the communication of safety?Will it empower our Leaders (Supervisor/Managers)?Will it promote behaviour / motivate employees?

.

▪ Target “On-time” completion of activities such as: Safety Talks (monthly Communication), Self-Audits (monthly Audits), Root Cause Investigations (3 day turnaround)

2] EXAMPLE – H&S SCORECARD

3] GO-DO ACTIVITIES▪ Involve the workers by giving them a “GO-DO!” exercise.

▪ Structure the standard by requiring the number of implemented “GO-DO!” within a timeframe, with documented evidence showing before/after.▪ If activities value-add and can be standardized – Make a standard.

▪ By requiring ‘Go-Do’ exercises we will empower the workers and improve workplace awareness for safety.

3] EXAMPLE – “GO-DO” EXERCISE▪ 3 implemented ergonomic “Go-

Do” improvements within the week.

▪ Add element of ‘sharing’. Group, peer-to-peer, sharing to promote and raise awareness.▪ Empower the worker as a coach▪ Reinforce positives

▪ Advertise successful “Go-Do” implementations throughout the organization.

“We need attitude to drive our behaviour to achieve our success.Everyone should understand why we do what we do, and what it takes to be a leader in safety.”

SUMMARY

By establishing a structure for regular activities that are promoting the repetition of behaviours we want to promote (regular communication, regular audits, regular interaction, and continuous improvement) we will be in line for success with safety.

Keep our systems simple to allow for participation without intimidation – to promote a learning environment.

Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc.

DINO VARAS

THANK YOU!