Saturday, July 21, 2018

Compulsory Questions For Safety Culture Assessments To Answer

By Daniel Hall


A safe working environment is healthier and more productive. It will also provide excellent return on investment because there are fewer disruptions and compensation claims. It is impossible to achieve absolute safety in any environment. This is why experts recommend continuous safety culture assessments. What are the parameters and expectations from such exercises?

Management commitment is at the center of every assessment. The tests seek to establish where the safety of employees and the entire environment is placed. Is it at the senior level or at the lowest level? This determines the actions taken and how fast such actions are taken. A firm that is committed places it as a priority because everything else will be disrupted in its absence.

Is there free communication? The channels of communication must be open between senior managers and the intern hired yesterday. With no barriers, everyone feels part of the challenge of keeping the workplace safe. Employees can pass information to managers and vice versa without the feeling of authority. Everyone takes responsibility of keeping the place and people within it safe. All concerns are also addressed with the veracity they require.

Employee involvement is crucial in keeping people and the environment safe. Are all people in the organization involved in keeping the environment and work place safe? Are they free to report unsafe situations and does the organization seek to continually improve the conditions? Who is perceived to be in charge of keeping everyone safe?

Assessment must determine the type of training provided to workers and the information they have about safety. Workers must be trained on the risks they are exposed to and the best actions or procedures in case of a mishap. How do employees perceive the information that is provided and do they feel that it is sufficient to keep them safe? Do they feel prepared in case something happens?

What is the motivation for people in the organization to maintain a safe environment? People must not take action because the information is coming from an authority. Everyone must take responsibility and own the urge to maintain a safe environment. People will enjoy reporting to work and making the organization more productive.

What efforts have been made towards achieving compliance? The procedures in case of a mishap should be written down professionally. A lot of discipline must also be applied when fulfilling these requirements. These procedures should be standardized and understood by all. They must also be relevant to the risks that the people are exposed to. They must be reasonable in number and also actionable.

Does the organization display a learning culture from the disasters that have happened in the past? This comes with documentation. If an issue was identified as the cause of a fire or a disaster, are there any steps taken to eliminate the possibility of such an occurrence in future or reduce the damage. Assessment will be futile if the situation does not change for the better.




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