Saskatchewan is experiencing an era of prosperity and positive growth. With growth comes challenges, like hiring and retaining employees who match your workplace needs.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan, a partnership between the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations & Workplace Safety and the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board is focused on eliminating workplace injuries in our province.
The primary goal of WorkSafe is Mission: Zero. We believe all injuries are predictable and, therefore, are preventable. Through WorkSafe we provide injury prevention programs, information and support to workers and employers in Saskatchewan.
Our ambitious goal is zero injuries, zero fatalities and zero suffering. We believe that achieving excellence in anything requires the pursuit of perfection. Vince Lombardi said “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
Over 350 Saskatchewan business leaders have publicly declared they are in pursuit of Mission: Zero perfection, and are achieving safety excellence.
So how do we achieve safety excellence? You need three basic ingredients:
- a rigorous safety management system,
- good technical information, and
- a supportive culture.
A safety management system and solid technical information allows you to effectively identify and control your workplace hazards to achieve safety excellence. Safety programs include training, audits, investigations and inspections) and sound technical information (i.e. noise level testing, ventilation, and ergonomics) but it’s not the whole picture.
The best equipment and information won’t be put to use if they aren’t provided within a supportive culture. Companies can invest thousands and thousands of dollars in training and sophisticated programs to manage health and safety; however the information and programs will not be effective if there is no motivation to use them properly and consistently.
A corporate culture that truly values health and safety as much as it values productivity, quality and profitability will generate world-class safety results. Creating a safety culture in your workplace is similar to creating a safe home and healthy habits. It starts with where you place your value. You may need new safety equipment – a new car seat when a baby joins the family or a bike helmet. You may need practice to use the equipment. But it is the value you place on the outcome that determines whether you use the equipment or adopt the practice. It is your sheer desire that helps you make smart decisions to keep your family healthy and safe. The root secret to building a safety culture and keeping workers safe is just as simple. It starts with you.
Leading edge research from the Institute for Work & Health, the Centre for Management Development at the University of Regina, and the CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety at Saint Mary’s University shows that culture has a significant effect on preventing injuries. We also know from this research that one of the leading indicators of both safety culture and injury rates is leadership. When it comes to the health and safety of workers – leadership matters.
Leaders who engage managers, supervisors and workers on a regular basis regarding health and safety have better safety records. While research has shown this to be true, we have also seen this within Saskatchewan. The business leaders who have committed to Mission: Zero by signing the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter have been dropping their total workplace injury rate faster than the provincial workplace injury rate for the past three years. While there are likely many reasons for this positive change it is another indicator that when leaders get engaged in health and safety they have a powerful and positive impact on injury prevention. An engaged leader means fewer people get hurt at work.
So what can you do to start developing a stronger safety culture in your business?
1. Be seen
- Leaders need to spend time on the “shop floor” and ask workers relevant safety related questions
2. Collect and review all incidents
- Leaders need to follow-up with people who are directly affected by workplace injuries
3. Hold managers and supervisors accountable for safety activities AND outcomes
- Leaders need to regularly review safety management metrics (measure your activities and outcomes)
- Leaders need to periodically review safety culture metrics through surveying.
Saskatchewan is a great place to do business. Let’s make it the safest and most productive place to work and do business too.
Visit worksafesask.ca. Learn more about effective safety management systems at https://wssdev.thedev.ca/training/jic-certification.
Contact Safe Saskatchewan at 306-352-3810 or info@safesask.com to learn more about the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter.
This article first appeared in Business and Industry Magazine, Winter 2013, Volume 2 Issue 4
