GUIDE 8 Things you may be Overlooking in your Workplace Safety Program 1. YOUR COMPLIANCE IDENTITY, MESSAGE, AND CULTURE “ Engaged workers are more mindful of their Your compliance identity and message are the aspects of your surroundings. They are aware of safety company that define your commitment to maintaining a safe and procedures and diligent about keeping their healthy environment. Strong safety and health programs go beyond coworkers and customers protected. 2 limited check-the-box training by having support across all levels ” of the company. It is important that employees and managers are committed to your program, and that support is consistent and Engagement begins with committed safety and health leaders who ubiquitous. By clearly defining your philosophy, beliefs, and vision, are visible, vocal, and demonstrate a climate of open communication. each person knows what is expected from them, and by making By developing an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, while workplace safety and health a cornerstone, your employees will fostering clear communication, employees will understand the larger understand that it is part of what is expected and not optional. picture of the compliance program, feel comfortable in participation, and engage on a deeper level. Even with a strong message, it is important to integrate compliance identity as part of the overall culture. Meaning, every aspect of the business (employee, manager, and department) is aligned with the program and is dedicated to following through with it. The message WHY OPTIMIZING YOUR SAFETY needs to be carried through: hazard recognition, evaluation and PROGRAMS MATTERS control, facility design and engineering, and operational safety programs, or the program will fall short. Every 7 seconds a worker is 2. THE VALUE OF ENGAGEMENT injured on the job3 Engagement and worker participation are the most important drivers for safety and health compliance programs. By keeping your workforce engaged and empowered, you will see a fundamental change in the culture.123 4 Highly engaged business units realize a 70% decrease in employee 1 “State of the Global Workplace.” Gallup, 2017. 2 “Engaging the Workforce Is a Key to Health & Safety Excellence.” EHS Today. safety incidents, resulting in 21% October 22, 2018. higher profitability.4 3 “Workplace Injuries.” National Safety Council, U.S. Bureau of Statistics, 2019. 4 “State of the Global Workplace.” Gallup, 2017. Worker participation is an integral element to an effective safety program. Safety leaders should actively involve employees in creating, reviewing and improving safety procedures. Consult OSHA’s Seven Principles of Employee Involvement for guidance on how to incorporate employee participation in your safety program. Your Benefits of Safety Training Effects of Workplace Injuries message should be delivered with the Occupational Safety and Health • Higher morale • Employee absenteeism Administration’s (OSHA) Seven Principles of Employee Involvement. • Increased productivity • Turnover • Employee retention • Business risks • Improved corporate image • Workers compensation Seven Principles of Employee Involvement • Better financial performance and medical expenses 1. Develop a climate of mutual trust and respect • Culture of health • Property damage, civil 2. Employees must know the big picture • Positive employer brand liability, and litigation costs 3. Diversity must be valued • Damaged reputation and 4. Managers must let go of control employer brand 5. Fear has no role in employee involvement 6. There must be a strong climate of open communication 7. Reinforce and give credit to employees who get involved 4. EASE OF ACCESS For a successful implementation, deployment must be thought out and organized. Learning objectives must be clear and supported on 3. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING all levels. By failing to plan or having an unclear message, you leave Workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities can cause immeasurable employees confused, unsure of requirements, and unclear when and suffering to employees and their families. The National Safety Council where to receive training. reported 4,414 preventable workplace deaths in 2017, and work- By bringing content to the employee, they are less likely to see related injuries cost an estimated $161.5 billion in employer costs, training as a burden. Multiple delivery options such as in-person lost wages, medical expenses, and property damage.5 Safety training training and online courses provide ease of access to the necessary is the first step to reverse these numbers. training. On-demand mobile learning is increasingly available Training is a catalyst for employee behavior change; employees for safety training, and many companies are adopting tablets will know how to perform their jobs safely while maintaining a or computer kiosks to scale training to their geographically- safe work environment. Manager support, coupled with employee dispersed employees. adoption, achieves safety objectives. By aligning compliance training 5. THE VALUE OF BLENDED LEARNING with key business objectives, you will facilitate both a learning and safety culture. Blended learning is a buzzword in the industry, but companies that fail to properly plan for blended learning when considering a new Learner adoption is also key to success. Learners must understand learning strategy will have a disconnect between their training and how their safety performance fits into larger organizational objectives. what is actually used on the job. But it’s also crucial that they see how their adherence to safety measures benefits them and their colleagues. Safety topics may be Providing safety training that portray situations which closely mirror technical and complex, so delivering training in a clear format will actual issues and situations found or experienced in real life is key. boost engagement and understanding. It is also important to consider that each person has their own best method of learning, and creating opportunities for different styles of It is important that employees understand the context for the engagement gives each learner a chance to synthesize information in learning program. This not only prepares employees for change but a new way. Using a mix of short videos, job aids, questionnaires, and also gives them the “reason why” behind the new requirements. An surveys to traditional classroom training can help reinforce learning organized method of implementation eliminates extraneous costs by through various media.6 providing relevant training to the right employees at the right time, which maximizes effectiveness. 5 “Injury Facts.” National Safety Council, 2017. 6 “Blended Learning: Why it is Important to Mix it Up.” Norm Ford, Skillsoft, 2018. measurements to see utilization and track the value added from training. Blended learning uses several delivery “ When determining your successes, you must isolate the results, methods to engage each learner’s preferred proficiency and effectiveness. This allows you to accurately learning style. Blended learning is the idea analyze the areas that may need improvement and see which of incorporating opportunities for learning areas are succeeding. to happen in the workplace so that practice A 2012 study from California’s Division of Occupational Safety and and discussion can occur in the context of Health concluded that it is possible to reduce injuries without a the organization. 7 loss of jobs. The results showed a 9.4% drop in injury claims and ” a 26% reduction in the cost of injuries by just conducting random inspections. This led to an average savings of $355,000 in injury It is a common myth that event-based learning is good enough for a claims and compensation paid for lost work. The report, “We find training program. However, we see that even within an hour after the no evidence that these improvements came at the expense of event, 50% of the information is forgotten, and after a month employment, sales, credit ratings, or firm survival.”9 passes (without any reinforcement) nearly 90% of the information 7. COMMON OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES is forgotten.7 A proactive approach of assessing hazards and eliminating risk Having a source of consistent reinforcement is one of the best is the cornerstone of a comprehensive safety and health training ways for learning to take place. By combining blended learning with program. For success, you must analyze the barriers and challenges repetition, you engage your learners across the various modalities across all touch points of employee involvement. Obstacles can of learning and provide them with the practice needed to develop present themselves in many forms: time management, planning, new skills.8 accountability, resources, and budget constraints. Because each of these areas crosses managerial oversight, it is important to have complete support and buy-in across the company. 9 The Forgetting Curve Some see these challenges as an easy out and will dismiss the need for implementing a proper safety and health compliance training Retention (%) 100 Immediate Recall program. These businesses do not understand the real benefits and 90 business impacts of these programs. Small business owners may 80 rationalize that the cost of such an undertaking is too burdensome for Without context, 50% 70 is forgotten in 1 hour their size, yet a 2017 study found that workplace safety programs give 60 20 min small businesses an edge in recruiting.10 In a tight labor market with 1 hour 50 80% is forgotten low unemployment,