Safety never stands alone By Carmen Daecher

Take out a pencil and write down the phrase GET THE JOB DONE! Then, with that same pencil, write this down: GET THE JOB DONE SAFELY!

Now compare the two.

If these two statements have the same meaning and reflect the way your organization does business every day, then you and your organization are models that should be viewed by our industry and many others for how to integrate safety throughout the organization.

On the other hand, if these two statements have different meanings and suggest different ways of doing business, then unfortunately, you are part of a substantial group that has not made safety a seamless part of their organization.

And if you find differences between these two statements and you think that it's OK, then you miss the essence of what safety is all about in your organization.

Let's put it another way: Paper pushing and file keeping are "rule keeping" or "compliance" activities. These activities can be performed by the safety director, who sits away from the rest of management supposedly to be closer to those activities for which he/she has responsibility. Yet, we know from experience that these activities do not correlate to low- or no-accident experience in the workplace or on the roadway.

Safety is not rule keeping. We seem to forget that the rules are in place as a standard from which to behave and act responsibly. Safety cannot be separated from performance which is rooted in behavior - that of individuals and of organizations. That's why who we hire, how we train them, and how we discipline them is so important. But that's also why the effectiveness of communications with them and our consistency in the application of policies and procedures are equally important. That is why our knowledge of how technology can assist human performance or improve working conditions is so important.

It seems to be just common sense that everyone would want to behave as safely as they could. But go back to the two statements we wrote at the beginning of this article. If there is pressure to get the job done without a full appreciation of consequences to the individual or to fellow employees, then we have not accomplished our purpose. This is where the organization must take the lead in fostering the proper environment for making safety a seamless part of work-day activities. How can that be done?

• Establish clear standards for jobs and entry-level standards for employment.
• Develop policies that establish how the organization will act, and how each member of the organization will act. Make them flexible rather than rigid to respond to changing demands and needs within the workplace and marketplace.
• Develop training programs that are not just a means of transferring skill and knowledge, but also a means of positive communication and feedback.
• Honestly commit to these standards and policies and associated activities from the top down in the organization. Make sure everyone has the same understanding of that commitment.
• Most importantly, define the value of safety in a cost-benefit relationship.

The last point is a fundamental one. While the costs for supporting safety are well known to each organization, the benefits are not defined and thus may change in their value on a day-to-day basis. It is vitally important to establish benchmarks against which the benefits of safety within the workplace can be measured against cost. There is nothing wrong with considering safety as part of a "bottom line" element for the organization; however, its impact to the bottom line must be measured honestly and consistently against benchmarks established within the organization.

I do not suggest that this effort is easy to accomplish. But, from where I sit, I know that when safety becomes "a way of life" rather than a part of life, then you have achieved a true harmony between organizational success and satisfaction of all individuals who contribute to it.

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