Keeping safety front and center: Building a workplace safety culture
Quick summary
Safety training is only the starting point of a safer workplace. Lasting safety improvement happens when employees become active partners in safety programs, participate in problem-solving teams, communicate openly about hazards, and develop a genuine “want-to” mindset around safe behavior. This article outlines four practical strategies to keep safety front and center every day.
Why training alone isn’t enough
Training is only the first step in continuous safety improvement. After that, employees have to use what they learn to make their jobs and the whole workplace safer.
By making employees partners in your safety and health programs and initiatives, you keep safety at the forefront and greatly increase the chance that safety improvement efforts will succeed. When all your employees know and choose the safe way every day, you have established a positive safety culture — and you’ll have a safer, healthier workplace and fewer accidents and injuries.
Key insight: A positive safety culture exists when every employee knows the safe way and chooses it every day.
1. Team up to solve problems and improve safety
An excellent way to keep safety in the forefront is to encourage employee participation in improving workplace safety and promoting safety and health programs. One of the best ways to do that is through the work of safety committees.
You can also encourage involvement by setting up employee teams in every department to identify and solve safety problems specific to particular work areas and jobs.
Let team members:
- Gather information
- Analyze possible causes of safety problems
- Develop and test solutions
- Implement and monitor results
Being part of a safety team makes members feel that they share responsibility for workplace safety. That keeps your safety message alive and keeps employees engaged and learning even after they complete required training.
2. Talk up safety every day
Use every opportunity to talk to your people about safety. Keep them up to date on new information that affects their safety.
Provide lots of feedback by:
- Praising safe performance
- Correcting unsafe behavior
- Pointing out areas for improvement
But make sure communication flows both ways. Encourage your employees to come to you with safety suggestions, problems, and questions.
3. Encourage employees to be hazard detectives and reporters
Assign every worker the responsibility of looking for hazards in their work areas and all over your facility. Set up an effective system for reporting safety and health problems, and respond promptly to correct hazards that employees identify.
This is harder than it sounds because it means management has to listen when employees talk about safety problems and concerns.
Management has to accept the fact that often employees know their jobs better than anyone else and therefore may be in the best position to identify potential hazards that might otherwise be overlooked.
4. Create a “want-to” safety culture
Finally, try to create a safety culture that prompts employees to do the safe thing, not because they have to, but because they want to avoid injuries.
Help your workers see the value in making safe decisions. Remind them how many safety-related decisions they make every day — and how one bad decision is all it takes to get hurt.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to keep safety “front and center” in the workplace?
Keeping safety front and center means going beyond initial training to make safety a daily, active part of how employees think and work. It involves employee participation, open communication, hazard reporting, and a culture where workers want to make safe choices.
Why is training alone not enough to create a safe workplace?
Training is only the first step. After training, employees must apply what they learned to make their jobs and the whole workplace safer. Without ongoing participation, communication, and culture-building, training alone won’t sustain safety improvement.
What is a positive safety culture?
A positive safety culture exists when all employees know the safe way to perform their work and choose it every day. The result is a safer, healthier workplace with fewer accidents and injuries.
How do safety committees and employee teams improve workplace safety?
Safety committees and department-level employee teams empower workers to gather information, analyze causes, develop and test solutions, and monitor results for safety problems in their specific work areas. This shared responsibility keeps employees engaged and the safety message alive beyond required training.
Why should employees be involved in identifying workplace hazards?
Employees often know their jobs better than anyone else, which puts them in the best position to spot potential hazards that might otherwise be overlooked. Assigning every worker the responsibility to look for hazards — and having an effective reporting system — strengthens overall safety.
What is a “want-to” safety culture?
A “want-to” safety culture is one in which employees do the safe thing because they want to avoid injuries, not just because they’re required to. It’s built by helping workers see the value of safe decisions and reminding them how many safety-related choices they make every day.
How should managers communicate about safety?
Managers should talk about safety every day, share updates that affect employee safety, and give frequent feedback — praising safe performance, correcting unsafe behavior, and highlighting areas for improvement. Communication must flow both ways, with employees encouraged to bring forward suggestions, problems, and questions.
