How To Empower Safety In Your Company Culture

Do your employees have the authority to refuse to operate a vehicle they deem unsafe? Do you encourage employees to report unsafe operations or situations without fear of retaliation? Do you remind them often it’s okay to speak up?

Tenets of Operations Excellence

Creating a culture of safety within your company is a vital part of your operations. From keeping your passengers secure and drivers responsible, safety begins with every employee.

A lanyard card such as the one illustrated can be carried with company ID cards and electronic key cards as a reminder of how important safety is within the company and empower each employee to follow standards.

Do It Right Or Not At All

Everything your employees do should be done with safety in mind. Employees should never be forced to engage in an activity or job function that might harm them or your customers. Making sure all employees know they have a responsibility and the authority to stop unsafe activities lead to reliable operations.

No Repercussions

Some companies create an unsafe environment by punishing employees who report troubling conditions. If a driver believes tires are too worn to run, another vehicle should be assigned without him fearing his future work hours will be cut or he is deemed difficult to work with. Instead, a qualified specialist should check the tires to make sure the treads are not worn.

Prevention

As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Make sure safety policies are distributed, procedures are followed, and abnormal situations are addressed immediately. Accidents and incidents can be prevented by equipping employees to stop hazards. Addressing these issues includes reporting situations to the right people tasked with handling them in a professional manner using procedures that address specific problems.

For example, set up a procedure to deliver a vehicle to a tire facility for tire inspections. Such a procedure can deter a manager from overriding the employee’s reporting. Ignoring or denigrating an employee’s safety concern sends a strong message the company doesn’t care about safety and discourages the staff from being vigilant and vocal in the future.

Create A Culture

Fortifying a safe workplace environment isn’t simply about posting warning signs. It means creating a company culture that exudes safety in whatever an employee does and wherever an employee goes during the course of work activities.

Whether it is unsafe tires or puddles in a walkway, employees must be trained to constantly look for risks, hazards, or anomalies. They should be confident to act immediately to prevent an injury or death without having to check with a supervisor each time. Such an environment starts with strong leadership.

Smooth Operations provides a broad range of information focused on new ideas and approaches in management, human resources, customer service, marketing, networking and technology. Have something to share or would like covered? You can reach LCT contributing editor and California operator Jim Luff at Jim@LCTmag.com.

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