Safety Culture

Kaizen is not a procedure, not a document that describes step by step actions of those workers that have been selected to implement it, not just a paper which becomes approved and becomes an official paper. Kaizen is not a methodology or theory like for example a “Strategy Manual” that a lot of companies have.

Kaizen As A Successful Business Management Tool | www.jaijar.com

In the electrical utility business I am in, we have our 4 core safety beliefs. One of these core safety beliefs is “All hazards can be controlled”. Often times it is common within our company’s safety culture to misinterpret the word “controlled” for eliminated. And right off the bat you have the beginning assumption of an unreachable goal in the safety plan. I now have the practice of adding “controlled, not always eliminated”, during my many safety discussions to new employees. Of course we are referring to working with electricity which is a hazard – not of itself - but in an out of control state – yes, it is a hazard. But electricity can be controlled and we have so many methods of controlling its unwanted exposure to us that work on it, that the methods are laid out systematically, step by step through numerous procedures and processes – a constant JHA of our product.

This is a difficult question to answer, much less ask top management. Most people in top management as “alpha” types – intelligent and results driven. They also know their source of power and frequently use it to get what they want, and usually these are not bad things. And yet, if top management cannot, or will not, become actively involved with your safety program, as viewed by your employees, this “leadership void” will translate in to a “management fad.”

Reynolds Blog - How Visible Is Your Top Management?

A continuing activity is to analyze the operational risk and prioritize by risk and hazards.    You should  have a copy of and have read ANSI Z10-2005.   In the US, this provides a framework for the structuring of the Occupational Health and Safety Management Process.  Content include:

This is a series from Safety Culture Excellence.  This is a great series that you must list to.

Greetings this week from Manchester, England. In the audio podcast this week, I will close out this three-part series by discussing the importance of identifying both some balanced and key indicators that need to be measured and most importantly, communicated.

Safety Culture Excellence » Balanced Indicators for Safety – BBS KPIs Part 3 of 3

“What are you most afraid of?” A team of market researches asked 3,000 U.S. inhabitants. Many named more than one fear.