Health and Safety Message - June 2007
SAFETY CULTURE
This month's Health and Safety Message is about Safety Culture and excellence in health and safety. Safety Culture can be described as values-driven health and safety.
According to Don Eckenfelder some of the attributes of health and safety excellence are as follows:
- Each employee takes responsibility for health and safety
- Health and safety is integrated into the management process
- Health and safety and other training are seamlessly integrated
- Compliance comes naturally
- Programmes and technical processes have history and occur naturally
- There is a bias against gimmicks
- The focus is more on process than statistics
- Health and safety is seen as an opportunity to gain a competitive edge.
Some of the values that Don Eckenfelder has identified as leading to the acquisition of the above attributes are:
- Do it for the right reason
- See it as part of the whole
- Recognise that there is no end
- First it is a people business; things are a distant second
- Use a yardstick that everyone can read
- Sell benefits . . .and there are many
- Never settle for second best
- Be guided by logic, not emotion
- Empower others rather than seeking after support
Don Eckenfelder