Employee Engagement and Respect Equals Safety

April 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Safety gets better when there’s Engagement and Respect happening!

The Occupational Health & Safety Survey

The State of Employee Safety in 2023 survey was published by Alert Media in Occupational Health and Safety.1 They surveyed 2000 full-time workers in the USA.

About 80% of the employees felt their safety was more important than productivity and job satisfaction. They all felt that their employers did not have as a high a value for any of these things. This was also true for mental health issues. Almost half of the employees are concerned about public health emergencies, workplace violence and technology failures.

About a third want better communications, more information about injuries and incidents as well as better safety training.

Reflections on the Feedback

In reflecting on the survey, the employees were fairly positive. It seems as though the people really want to be more a part of what is going on. While most of them care about their own safety, they feel that their managers do not care so much. They also feal that they are being left out of things. They want to know more about what is going on, not only about the things happening in their on workplace, but also about things going on outside of work that can impact them.

engagement and respect equals more safety

They want to know what the managers are thinking about. The employees also have ideas that they would like to share. They want better communications, as well as safety training. These are all good. But there is a sense that their managers do not have the same level of concern for their safety and health.

There was not much about what the employees could do to improve things. It is not just the managers who can make a positive difference, everyone can do that. This survey opens the door for good conversations about how things can get better.

Going Forward

In my experience, most people want to be treated with respect, be heard and have their ideas given consideration. As the managers and employees talk together, a lot of learning will take place. People will become more engaged and contribute more towards the organization’s success.

Sometimes managers hesitate to be more open and share for fear that they will loose control of things. As a manager for many years, I found that when I had my thinking and messages clear, I could talk openly with the people. We could set the standards and formulate the direction we needed to go. Then as we talked together, the people began to come together working towards really improving things, so I actually had better control in helping the organization to achieve success. Safety improved, productivity improved, and earnings improved.

employee engagement means more safety

While this sounds fairly simple, I have found that many managers try to avoid talking with the people. Managers are supposed to know what is going on and be able to answer questions so when they are asked a question they can’t answer, they feel as if they have failed. I struggled with this in my early, manager days until I accepted the fact that I did not know all the answers, and that was okay. No one knows everything, we all know that so let’s accept this and learn together. When I made this shift in my thinking, things got a lot better and much easier. I did not have to pretend that I knew everything, and fear that someone would embarrass me. When someone asked a question I couldn’t answer, I told them I did not know the answer, and then got back to them promptly when I did get the answer.

The more we interacted, talking and learning together, everything improved, and my job got a lot easier. I spent a lot more time being a cheer leader which was fun.

Everywhere I have worked, I found that treating people with respect, listening to their ideas, talking together, getting clear on the standards of performance, co-creating our goals and praising them for their successes was the formula for our successes. A lot fewer people got injured and the company made a lot more money.

This is a WIN/WIN for us all.

Filed Under: Safety Excellence, Safety for Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Convinced that Working Safely is a Good Thing?

March 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment

What future lies ahead for safety?

The Winter 2022 HR Magazine has some interesting insights about looking into the future of work. While their focus is on Human Resources, we know that HR and Safety go hand-in-hand. The same future scenarios are coming for Safety Professionals and Leaders.

what lies ahead for safety in the workplace

The Covid pandemic and aftermath became an ugly reminder of how difficult it is to predict and prepare for the future. Yet that doesn’t mean that safety leaders shouldn’t think ahead – especially when there are no absolutes. Older, experienced workers are retiring, and the digital revolution continues. It is not too early to start thinking and preparing for new generations to be taking over or that effective digital training will become a necessity. It is never too soon to think about preparing employees to expect the unexpected…to prepare for what may not yet be known.

One quote that struck me (in this article regarding future training) was, “You’ve got to convince people why they need to do the work, and it’s not just ‘because you’re paying me to do it.’”

For decades, now we’ve been teaching our workers the “why” to work safely, so that they can go home at the end of their shift whole – with life and limb intact – eyes, ears, fingers, toes. The “why” becomes evident with every piece of protective equipment that is required…the last line of defense.

Convincing people that being able to go home to their families in the same condition as they entered the workplace is the goal, without being maimed, having long-term disability, or worse, a fatality in the workplace. That is the “why” that underscores workplace safety.

The next “why” is what we all should know as human beings…we grow, we develop, we learn, we solve problems…individually and together. There is much value to learn by experience, and to learn by training mechanisms that are most effective to the task, the job, the larger picture. Learning while doing work fulfills a natural need for personal and professional growth.

The final “why” is because our economy runs by money…we live the way we choose because we have money to spend on our own pursuit of happiness…when we work, we get paid; when we are paid we provide for ourselves and loved ones; we contribute to the economy in the system in which we exist.

Because of the changing futures (as noted above), Teamwork will become the new game plan. Healthy culture and trust will have to draw more focus. The article notes that scrums, sprints, and squads will be widespread as employers draw workers from all over the company and even from outside the organization to work on projects together. You’ll see a breaking away from hierarchical ways of working and putting people into these newer constructs. Putting together effective project teams is the way of the future.

stay safe and secure in the workplace

In safety, however, this is not new. The best safety improvement teams and trouble-shooting/problem solving endeavors have drawn from people across the workplace – where sharing ideas, prompting new innovations, and, ultimately, improving the safety of the workplace (system changes, process flows, etc.) spring forth from people who have knowledge of the concern, a relationship to what’s at stake, a voice and information to share, experience to convey, and an overall desire to make things better.

In safety, the “buddy” system is tried and true. Looking out for our workplace “brothers/sisters” – everyone – has been a mainstay to help ensure that people not only get the job done well, but that they get the job done safely. The individual “person” has a valued life – underscoring the “why our workplaces have to be safe, and work be meaningful.”

While signage in the workplace helps us with prompts to work safely, taking cues from those we work with, paying attention, having situational awareness for ourselves and others must be the norm. That’s not a bold prediction – that’s a bold requirement in my mind, for the present and the future of work.

We’re all in this together.

Filed Under: Safety for Business, Safety Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Safety Isn’t Just Safety Anymore…

February 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment

What every Manager needs to know that OSHA and ISO already do!

It started out in 1970 with OSHA’s regulations to enhance Safety in the Workplace – the first leg of the Safety Stool, a.k.a. as Occupational Safety, exampled by preventing slips, trips and falls, requiring hearing protection, hand and foot protection, and eye-ware.

Then came the second leg of the Safety Stool, Occupational Health, exampled by preventing environmental/respiratory and ergonomic hazards. Then came Process Safety Management (PSM), exampled by what it takes to keep hazardous substances in the pipes, and which became an essential part of workplace safety with the comprehensive issuance of OSHA 1910 – the third leg.

All three legs are important and are critical for Safety professionals, HR professionals, Managers and Supervisors to embrace and for people to understand. Indeed, OSHA requires this attention to keep our people safe (life and limb) within the workplace.

safety in the workplace

Now, with this new decade of Workplace Violence rearing its ugly head, we know that we must add a fourth leg to the Safety Stool. Because attention to this 4th prong needs diligent awareness, it is now becoming paramount that every manager and supervisor be schooled in Situational Awareness:

  • What is happening around you?
  • What is happening between and among people in the workplace?
  • Where are your vulnerabilities?
  • Are you noticing the cultural dysfunction happening in your workplace?
  • Are you able to engage appropriately to find out what’s happening?
  • How do you address these dysfunctions?

The fourth leg of this stool is what is called Psychological or Social Safety. Another way to describe it is the psychological harm that comes with repeated bullying, harassment, incivilities, and dysfunctional behaviors, that leave workers dreading to go to work, or that increase the risk of home-growing an active threat/shooter, or having a suicide or murder in your workplace, let alone the bad press that comes with a highly publicized incident.

If no one steps in to stop bad behaviors when they are happening, they continue and escalate over time. Not paying attention to social risk manifests into psychological harm as the continuum of bad behaviors escalate in the workplace – and ultimately can impact people in harmful ways. Yes, OSHA is keen on this 4th leg of the safety stool, too, and wants to know what your business, company, organization, or team is doing about it. Prevention of Workplace Violence is the operative word.

What is Workplace Violence?

OSHA explains that workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide.

OSHA makes it very clear. Employers are responsible for ensuring that the workplace does NOT become a hostile workplace. (Bullying, harassment, and incivilities contribute to hostile environments). OSHA requires employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees…both physically safe and psychologically safe. This is covered by the General Duty Clause Section 5(a)(1).

Enter the new ISO Standard: ISO 45003 IS THE NEW INTERNATIONAL STANDARD (2021-06) – Occupational Health and Safety Management – Psychological health and safety at work – Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. This new standard states that Management must be prepared to deal with violence that involves a person (employee, visitor, vendor), etc., losing control, without a weapon. This normally means dealing with psychological safety factors.

It is difficult to predict violent acts, so the Standard expects managers and associates to be vigilant. Report any concerns of erratic behaviors to supervision and HR as soon as possible.

Examples of violent behavior include but are not limited to:

  • Intimidating or bullying others
  • Abusive language
  • Physical assault
  • Threatening behavior
  • Sexual or racial harassment
  • Concealing or using a weapon
  • Anger
  • Tantrums

You get the picture. None of these types of behaviors belong in a workplace, thus the underscoring of new Respectful Workplace policies.

employees need to become stakeholders in their safety

At Nagele, Knowles and Associates, we understand the construct of workplace violence and how to identify it. It starts with knowing your inside culture (culture assessment) to understand where bullying and dysfunctional behavior is happening and how to stop it in its tracks. What is your workplace doing to ensure a Respectful Workplace? It equally starts with a physical security vulnerability assessment to understand where you, your site, your people are most vulnerable to a perpetrator entering your workplace to do harm, and how to deter that from happening.

The 4th leg requires Situational Awareness – that is the tip of the spear when it comes to the prevention of workplace violence…from the inside or from the outside! This holds true in the workplace, and in living our daily lives. Wake up! Be Alert! Observing, expecting, embracing, and requiring a Respectful Workplace is powerful for reducing those harmful dysfunctional behaviors.

Employees must become stakeholders in their own safety and security and develop a survival mindset as well. Vigorous prevention programs, timely interventions, and appropriate responses by organizations and their employees will contribute significantly to a safe, secure, and respectful environment. That’s what we teach; that’s what we do.

Want to know more? Check out our book “Guide to Reducing the Risk of Workplace Violence…the Absolute Essentials” available on Amazon. It has been labeled the “gold standard” – a comprehensive guide to reducing your risk of workplace violence happening in your workplace…from the inside or the outside or give us a call at 716-622-6467.

Filed Under: Safety Excellence, Safety for Business, Safety Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trust is so Important for Improved Safety Performance

January 10, 2023 By Leave a Comment

I have been trying to understand why the number of people getting hurt and killed at work is not getting better.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 2017 the number of people being killed at work is averaging about 5,130 a year, with no sign of improvement and the injury frequency rate is stuck at about 2.7 for that period.

There is a lot of effort being put into trying to improve safety with the global effort totaling about $20,000,000,000 being spent for services, regulation, equipment, trade associations, etc. This is a huge industry; I call it “Big Safety.” Why isn’t Big Safety making more progress in reducing the number of people getting hurt and killed? These are real people and their families that are suffering so much.

I have been getting some help from Kerry Turner and Marc Pierson in looking at the safety work from a systems perspective. The safety system is huge with many factors at play. The systems approach is helpful in being able to see the whole system, the various components, how they interact, find key points where changes can be made.

trust your team for safety performance

One thing that I have seen is that injuries and incidents are local events, and it is hard for Big Safety to know what really happened in detail. What it offers often does not fit quite right and comes across to the people as “the Flavor of the Month.” The people doing the work have little confidence in what the offerings provide so they often do not stick very well.

Another thing that I have noticed is that the consultants coming out of Big Safety often are seen as “experts” and come into the organization to fix the people rather than teaching the people how to solve their own problems. This weakens the people and tends to disempower them. This is a lot like Big Government coming into a local community to fix a problem when they do not know the people or much about the real nature of the problem they are coming in to fix.

In studying the Safety System, it becomes obvious that trust is a central feature that is often missing when Big Safety comes into the organization. There has been a lot written about the importance of trust, and in using a systems approach, trust really emerges as the central feature that needs to be in place before much progress in improving safety performance can take place. Real progress requires the energy, creativity and commitment of the people doing the work. This is a gift that people will give if they have trust in the other people and feel safe in opening up to meet the safety challenges.

safety of the people is important in safety performance

A Suggested Approach to Building Trust

Perhaps when a consultant comes into an organization to work on a safety issue, they come into the organization 2-3 days before their planned work begins and walk into the facility among the people to get acquainted with them. Talk with the people, listen to their concerns, and discover what the real problems are that are causing the need for improved performance. Talk about their work with them and find out what they need so they can work more safely and effectively.

Open yourself up to their questions and concerns about you. Creating a safe space where they can talk with you is an important step in building trust with the people. Then the consultant needs to reflect on all that was learned and see how their knowledge and skills can be used to help the people to solve their problems. Don’t try to solve their problems for them or fix them. Rather teach them how to solve their own problems.

I have found that this approach works very well in helping to get to know the people, the issues, and to begin to build trust.

Filed Under: Safety Excellence, Safety for Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Building Respect and Trust

December 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Why do so many managers and safety professionals keep treating the people in organizations as objects to be controlled so they will work safely?

They seem to assume that the employees can’t or won’t think for themselves and have to be made to work safely. These managers and safety professionals are not bad people, but they are stuck in their basic assumptions about people. So many seem to think that they have the answers and the power to make people do as they are told.

Thinking of the people as “employees” is part of the problem. Thinking of people as “employees” brings different thoughts to mind. The word “employee” is a legal word that defines my relationship with my employer with respect to things like hours of work, pay rates, benefits, etc. It also carries some tough top-down implications. If the boss gives an order, it better be done. The boss and the employee are not seen as equals in terms of respect, hopes, aspirations, good ideas and creative energy.

safety focus building respect and trust

This has been the approach for generations and yet, there are still over 6,000 people a year getting killed at work and thousands are suffering serious injuries. Just using the same approach, with variations, over and over, and expecting to see real improvements is a problem!

There needs to be a fundamental shift to assumptions like these.

My Safety Focus: Building Respect and Trust.

My basic assumptions are:

  • We work with people who have brains and can think; their hopes and dreams are similar to my own.
  • People do want to work safely and not get hurt.
  • People want to be treated with respect.
  • The people doing the work have important knowledge and ideas to contribute.
  • People want to be listened to.
  • I do not know what they know, so we need to share information together so we can do our best.
  • Safety is connected to everything we do; it is part of the whole system.
  • It takes everyone pulling together to achieve excellence.
  • I do not have a right to make my living at a place where it is okay for people to get hurt.

I did not work on safety as such. My focus was on the people and building trust and a better, safer future. The more I worked this way with the people, the better our performance became. Within 4 years, our Total Injury Rate had dropped by about 97% to a rate of about 0.3. (The rate was only a way to keep score.) The people liked working this way and sustained their performance for 19 years. I wrote about this in my recently published paper in Professional Safety [Knowles, R.N. (2022, Nov.). Leading vs. Managing: A tale of two organizational processes. Professional Safety, 67(11), 42-46].

The importance of building trust and working with people has been known for a long time. Douglas McGregor wrote The Human Side of Enterprise in 1960 about Theory X and Y. Recently the work of others like Rosa Carrillo in her book, The Relationship Factor in Safety Leadership, 2020, and even in this current issue of Professional Safety [ Sarkus, D.J. (2022, Nov.). Building community through servant leadership. Professional Safety, 67(11), 24-29.] are emphasizing the importance of respect and trust.

This shift in thinking and working with the people results in a lot fewer people getting hurt or killed at work. Yet why do so many safety people seem to be all wrapped up in chasing injuries and incidents? Some just counting the numbers. Others developing more advanced ways to get employees to work more safely, or to develop better ways to analyze incident situations. Many are just pushing production with little or no regard for safety. Some safety consultants have learned to give great motivational talks that are fun to hear, but have almost no impact in the workplace. The BLS statics on workplace injuries and deaths are not showing much improvement.

The global safety improvement industry was estimated to be over $20,000,000. The trade shows have lots of very fancy safety equipment and the consultants are selling their approaches. Is there a vested interest it doing things like we have always do it and getting the same results?

Many managers think that you can not have excellence in safety and earnings at the same time. That is not what I found at the plant I led where we cut the injury rate by 97% and increased the earnings by 300%.

safety focus building respect and trust

Conclusion

If the whole safety effort was shifted to treating people with respect, listening and learning together and doing what makes sense, there would be a huge improvement in total safety and a lot fewer people getting injured and killed.

Is the effort to build trust, learn to treat people with respect, to listen more carefully, to build on each other’s good ideas too high a price for saving many, many lives?

What will it take to make the shift?

Filed Under: Safety for Business, Safety Leadership, Safety Partnership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Safety Systems View for Organizations

November 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Everything happens through the people and all three phases of safety are interconnected.

Note: Many Safety Practitioners go about their safety work task-to-task without considering the broader “systems” in which they work, nor the people that are impacted by their decisions. This newsletter is intended to help lift up safety thinking and actions to a higher level. A systems approach can have a big impact on improving the total safety performance.

In October, I introduced a new figure showing a whole systems view of safety, where occupational safety, occupational health and process safety management are connected and work together through all the people in the organization.

I have thought a lot about this figure and want to share a new figure with you.

the whole safety system

We all live in a world with dynamic systems moving all around us all the time. When we can see the systems around us, we can be much more effective in understanding how things are interacting and deciding what we need to do. We can become much more resilient and sustainable. This is certainly my own experience when working with organizations. In many ways the safety system behaves like a living system where everything is connected and working together.

The traditional approach I see being taken in most safety work is one where the organization is treated as if it were a machine. The belief is that if we take it apart and fix the parts, that it will work better when we put it all back together. The “master mechanic” comes in, fixes the parts, (the employees) and tells it what to do. Improvement is modest at best, and resilience and sustainability are low.

Taking the “living” safety system apart to fix it, kills it.

In thinking about the living safety system, all the people in the organization are involved and partnering to build a better safety future through continuous conversations in a psychologically safe space, at all levels, about how to improve together, think about new ideas, learn, and do things for improvement. All the people in the organization are the center of it all.

Each component of safety is placed around the people. Each safety component has their own particular technology which needs to be done very well. In doing each part as if they are separate does not result in achieving safety excellence. It is in embracing the whole safety system where everyone wins. Together we co-create a culture that is both resilient and sustainable.

You’ll notice that I have introduced a new term I call “Environmental Safety,” which looks at process safety management in a different way. Environmental Safety relates to impacts on people and the air, water and land from wastes, spills, fires, explosions, leaks, sloppy operations, etc. It includes a lot that is already in process safety management PSM When the PSM is done well, the environmental safety is excellent. When the PSM is neglected disasters like the Deep Water Horizon kill people and create huge messes.

The safety system does not exist in isolation. There are a lot of other systems surrounding it that connect directly or indirectly that can be influenced by how well the safety system performs. A highly effective safety system can have a powerful, positive impact on the larger systems in which is functions. A poorly functioning safety system can negatively impact a lot in the larger systems around it, which can then raise concerns, drive regulations, anger the people, the families, the communities and weaken the business in countless ways.

dig deeper to reach a little higher when it comes to business safety

Conclusion

When we use a systems view and see what is going on around us, we are much more able to make effective decisions. Everything moves through the people. In sharing all information, treating people with respect and trust, and giving people the credit for their learning and accomplishments, we create the conditions where energy and creativity are released. We can effectively move in response to changes and become much more sustainable. The people and the business are winners.

Note: I refer to the people in the organization as “people” rather than “employees.” The word “employee” is a legal term that defines the relationship of the person to the organization with things like hours of work and rates of pay. It also carries strong, negative implications about the boss/subordinate relationship. However, referring to people as “people” implies that we are all in this together coming from different perspectives, bringing different gifts, knowledge and skills which are all needed for shared success.

We all work together with respect and build trust.

Please call me at 716-622-6467 or email me at RNKnowles@aol.com if you would like to talk about these ideas. See also RNKnowlesAssociates.com and SafetyExcellenceForBusiness.com.

Filed Under: Safety for Business, Safety Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Respect, Trust, Partnering and Safety…Excellence Emerges…and it Matters!

October 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Safety and Environmental Performance

When I was the Plant Manager of the DuPont Belle, West Virginia chemical plant, I developed a practice of walking around the Plant 4-5 hours a day, every day for almost 8 years, for the safety of the employees. The plant was a mile long and a third of a mile wide, with about 1,300 people working there.

I needed to engage with everyone to get to know them, their work, and to see what I could do to help them. I did not make decisions as I walked around, since that would weaken the line supervision. I would talk about our mission of being the best we could be with our responsibilities for safety, the environment, the people, the quality of our products and work, our customers, our customer service, our costs, and our community. I would share the news of the day, talking openly about things I knew about the plant, our businesses, and the community.

I would also ask if they had any news to share. I would ask for help in how I could improve my own job. There was a lot of give and take; some days were great and some were very hard. My mantra was, “I don’t have a right to make my living at a place where it was okay for you to get hurt. We also need to make a living so let’s figure this out together.”

we can make a difference for workplace safety by working together

In our conversations, we talked a lot about occupational safety and occupational health. Many good ideas emerged. I would encourage the people to follow-up on their good ideas and support them. We would also talk about process safety management and the importance of keeping the chemicals in the pipes, improving yields, and reducing waste.

I encouraged them to go after leaks and to talk with the engineers about how they could run the processes better. I encouraged the engineers to teach the supervisors and operators about the theory and processes they were running. I encouraged them to learn as much as they could. I would ask about the safety and environmental maintenance work orders and if they were being taken care of promptly. When people asked me questions I couldn’t answer, I told them I did not know the answer, and promised to get back to them with the answer, which I always did.

We had a Central Safety Committee of about 50 people, which met monthly. People from across the organization participated and led the various committees. We integrated all our discussions, so everyone was thinking about their roles in improving occupational safety, health, and process safety. The 4-person safety group, operators, mechanics, supervisors, and engineers were all involved.

While each of the three parts of safety have their own technology, they all overlap in the people doing the work. We saw all aspects of safety and environmental performance as an integrated whole where everyone could make contributions. As the safety and environmental improvements built, this way of working, sharing information, building respect and trust, and helping people to see the importance of their contributions and to find meaning, spread all across the plant.

Treating the People with Respect and Building Trust

In addition to improving our safety and business performance, we emphasized the importance of treating people with respect and telling the truth. I modeled this as I walked around and visited with the people. I apologized for the mistakes I made. I encouraged them to talk together this way as well. I also worked hard to eliminate any bullying or harassment behavior because it is bad for the people and blocks the open flow of information, greatly hindering any improvement efforts. As it became safer for people to speak up and share their ideas and thinking, our total performance significantly improved. Everything happened through the people giving their energy, creativity, and resourcefulness.

The Integrated Whole

Everyone does some of each of these three phases of safety in their jobs. While each of these has different technologies and requirements, they are all in play all the time. For example, an operator moving a container of chemicals needs to be wearing the correct PPE, lifting correctly and being sure that nothing gets spilled. Or a clerical person needs to be seated properly to take care of their back, handling office equipment like scissors carefully, and putting their trash into the proper containers. Or a truck driver needs to use three-point contact when entering and exiting his truck to prevent a fall, have proper cushioning in the truck to support their back and adhere to speeds that are appropriate for the highway conditions.

All dimensions of safety are taking place all the time, as each person does their work. Each person needs to integrate these as appropriate for their particular assignments and tasks. When these are an integrated whole, their jobs are much easier as they think about them together.

Having them as an integrated whole also goes a long way to preventing disasters like the Deep-Water Horizon where the people on the drilling platform received a safety prize for great occupational safety, and then the platform blew up a day or so later because the process safety was falling apart.

The work of the Belle Plant people clearly shows that if we approach safety as an integrated whole, the total performance of the people improves.

approach safety as an integrated whole, the total performance of the people improves

Summary

Trust was built, people opened up, shared their ideas, learned, made decisions about improving their work, and brought occupational safety, health, and process safety management together into an integrate whole. The mood of the entire organization became very positive as things came together. In just four years the people had cut our injury rate by 97% to a Total Recordable Injury Rate of 0.3, reduced our emissions to the air, water, and land by 95%, improved productivity by 45% and increased earnings 300%.

This integrated way of working can happen for your business too. Give me a call at 716-622-6467 for more details. Let’s get started! Please check out our website: Safety Excellence for Business.

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Leaders: You Must Understand This in the Workplace!

September 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment

I’m presenting at the New York State SHRM Conference in Verona, New York, this coming weekend.

That is the state-wide gathering of Human Resource Managers – it is good to be able to return to this big conference (post covid). I’ve also spoken in the near past at Safety Professional gatherings around the fact that it matters what Leaders do or don’t do!

it matters what leaders do or don't do

Whether we are HR Managers, Safety Leaders, CEO’s, Supervisors or Managers – the same message applies.

Notes:

  1. I am amazed by how few Safety Leaders understand that the Cultural side of Workplace Violence (which can negatively manifest into bullying, harassment, incivilities, and dysfunction) is part of Safety – having a workplace free of intimidation and abuse is how we eliminate psychological and emotional injuries and incidents.
  2. I am concerned how many Human Resource managers (many of them siloed into various positions, like “I only deal with Benefits; or I only deal with Talent Recruitment; or I only deal with onboarding”), have shunned their responsibility for behavioral dysfunctions within the larger organization. Yet, they do consider themselves Leaders.

Consider this: A Supervisor/Leader walks by an obvious Safety hazard/condition in the workplace, that if not corrected, will likely lead to a physical injury to someone. When that Leader walks by, ignoring it, he/she is telegraphing to the organization what their standard is – it doesn’t matter enough to him/her to take action – it’s okay if someone gets physically hurt.

Similarly, when a supervisor or leader observes or overhears harassment or bullying or disrespectful things being said, or gestures being made, and does nothing to stop it – he or she, again, conveys to the organization that it doesn’t matter – in other words, it is okay if someone is being hurt emotionally / psychologically – in effect, the Supervisor by not stepping up, allows the disrespectful dysfunctional behaviors – and because they go unchecked, these behaviors continue.

the culture of the organization is shaped by leadership

This begs the question: Why are Leaders timid? Afraid to step in? Lack the managerial courage? Is it lack of skill? Lack of will? Fearful of how they may be seen? Afraid of not being liked? Afraid of not being supported? There is always something underneath that every leader needs to understand about their own Leadership. How about YOU?

At Nagele and Knowles, we teach Leaders HOW TO LEAD. It is about stepping up, stepping in, and staying in the heat. The heat is hottest in the nosecone of the rocket. Do you need to learn more about handling conflict, engaging, and being better at confrontation skills?

Call us at 716-622-6467. We teach Leaders how to Lead effectively.

Filed Under: Safety for Business, Safety Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Building a Stronger, More Sustainable, Safer Business

August 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to talk with the owner of a small mechanical contracting business.

He is a fine man with a very difficult, complex task facing him every day. He has all the burdens of the financial, business, and safety sides of the business on his shoulders. He markets, works with the bank and his accountant to pay the people, the bills and the taxes to keep everything going with no one getting hurt. He seems to be doing quite well with this, but it is a difficult scramble.

He also needs to be in conversation with the local Craft Union Halls to ensure a supply of trained mechanics, brick layers, and pipe fitters. He has a base workforce of about 10 people and augments this with people from the Union Hall as the level of the business projects fluctuate. But the Unions are having trouble getting people to train so the supply of trained craft people is limited, and this causes a lot more strain on him and the business.

pay attention to safety at work to enhance prevention

He does residential and commercial work of all varieties and complexity, so the people need to know what they are doing and do it safely. As various jobs come up, he has to send the right craft people, with the right skill levels to staff the jobs. He has a central office, a large storage area, and a truck garage, but the work is all scattered across a wide geographical area, so he is highly dependent on the people doing the jobs well and safely.

Since some of the newer craft people from the Union Halls are not highly skilled, he also has to do specialized training to bring them up to speed. But discipline is lax; some people come to work late, holding up jobs, while others spend their time on their cell phones rather than paying attention to training videos. This is highly frustrating.

With the wide-spread use of cocaine and other drugs, he is also constantly worrying if the people are mentally ready to do their work. He tries to visually assess the people, but it is very hard to judge drug impairment, so this is a constant worry.

His mind is constantly racing.

Are they setting up the work area so it will be safe? If they are going to use a high-lift, are they setting it up properly with the out riggers properly positioned? Are they lifting properly so they do not hurt their backs? Do they have the right glasses, gloves and other protective equipment and are they using them? Are they looking out for each other? The questions race through his mind.

So here is a good man with a vast array of priorities trying to cover and manage it all. I was impressed at how well he actually was doing.

We then talked together about how he manages and leads all this. Mostly, his approach is to tell the people what to do and remind them to work safely. Several times a week he goes out to see the various jobs and check on their safety. But mostly the people work alone or in pairs and self-manage themselves. He hopes they are always working safely but is concerned that too many of the people may be cutting corners. Several years ago, they did have a very serious injury so that is heavy on his mind.

As we talked, it became apparent that he and his 10-person core team had to change their working relationship from one of top-down orders to one with everyone pulling together so the business can really succeed, be sustainable and no one gets hurt. This core group would all share the leadership responsibilities and ensure that everyone was working at the highest level of safety and fulfilling the demands of their particular jobs.

A Half-Day Workshop

We talked together about bringing them all together for a half-day workshop to talk together about doing things differently. We’ll begin to build the trust they need, to share the information about the need to keep the business profitable, to improve customer relations, to work safely, and keep paying good wages. We would draw out good ideas and insights from everyone and build on these to get better. The collective intelligence of the whole group will rise as we work together in this workshop.

safety prevents accidents in the workplace

We decided to use the Cycle of Intelligence tool to hold and guide the workshop conversation. We’ll begin with the question “How can we build a stronger, safer business together?” As we talk together, everyone will get a better view of what is going on and see the whole business as well as the parts and the interaction of the parts.

Trust will build and together they’ll develop a plan to move forward transforming the business and safety to much higher levels of performance. The key parts of the conversation will be written onto a big wall chart as we go so everyone can see it and keep track of what they see and decide they need to do. This chart will be used as their strategic plan and guide going forward.

I have done many workshops using the Cycle of Intelligence, and improvement always emerges as long as the people are willing to talk together, listen and learn. This is going to be a fun project to see develop. I’ll keep you posted.

If you find that your business can relate to this situation, give me a call at 716-622-6467.

Filed Under: Safety for Business, Safety Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Summer Safety Basics

July 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Safety at home and while driving is important for everyone.

Keeping the Highway Working People Safe…

We do a lot of driving as we go to see family in various places. The summer season is the big time in most places where the highway upgrades are being made. There is a lot going on and with the Infrastructure Bill having been passed, there is going to be more.

Driving into a construction area is usually a cause for delays and restricted traffic flows. The barrier cones are up and the people are working behind them. Some drivers get impatient, crowding the drivers ahead of them. Some drivers try going up the shoulder to get around things. Others do not move into the single lane until the last moment and then push into the line. These frustrations make it hard for all drivers and draws their attention away from the need to watch out for the people who are working.

With all that is going on, the people who are working must be super careful not to get in the wrong place. It is easy for one of them to accidently step beyond one of the orange cones and get hit. As they are watching for the drivers, they may not see the slow-moving grader or truck that may back over them. Everything is moving and there are lots of people making decisions about how they are driving or working around slow-moving equipment. There is also a lot of things to see as we drive so it is easy to take our eyes off the driving duties and then hit someone.

Each of us, as drivers, need to take personal responsibility for ourselves and control our tempers and anxiousness so that someone does not get hurt or killed.

The people doing the work need to be protected as well as we can in these situations. Each of us, as drivers, have part of the responsibility to help to keep them safe so they can go home to see their families.

Let’s all have a great, safe summer
as we drive to see family and friends.

summer safety tips for work and home

Home Repairs Safety Reminders…

During the summer a lot of us have home repair needs to get done. Perhaps we need to replace a roof, put in new gardens, fix the windows and screens, trim a tree or replace one, paint the house, fix the driveway, etc. These are all accident opportunities, so we need to think about what we are doing and plan for doing the jobs safely. Some of us are not in great shape so we need to avoid over doing things. Sometimes our equipment is in need of repairs or a little maintenance, so we need to be sure the tools are in good shape before we start.

Everyone needs to be sure that the work areas are picked up and free of hazards like toys and electrical extension cords. We need to be sure that the kids are not playing where we could hurt them if something fell or the mower hits a piece of debris and throws it across the lawn.

We also need to wear the right PPE like sturdy shoes, gloves, and safety glasses. In DuPont, when I worked there, we were very safety conscious – encouraging people to work safely at home. It was often said that when you drove around a community, you could tell who the DuPonters were by seeing who was mowing their lawns and wearing sturdy shoes and safety glasses.

It is up to us…

In the driving situations and in the work around our home, it is our personal responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that no one gets hurt. None of us wants bad things to happen so let’s do our best and be our brothers, sisters and family keepers.

Filed Under: Safety for Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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