Working safely is the most important thing we do because everyone needs to go home to their friends and families every day. All of us play an integral role in building a strong safety culture and providing a safe place to work. Supervision sets the tone for safety on the project by setting standards, implementing programs, and fostering safety culture. Craft are the front line of keeping our team and environment safe by observing their surroundings, following the plan to install work, and speaking up when something isn’t right.
Working together, we can build a supportive culture where everyone’s voice matters. By encouraging open communication, we will create an environment where people feel safe to speak up, we will learn more about what is happening on the job, and employees will bring their whole selves to work without fear.
Let’s take some time to talk about ways we can all be engaged in safety.
Safe and Supportive Leadership:
- Be a visible leader. Demonstrate that safety matters to you and that it’s more important than production. Ask about resources, project challenges, and hazards people are facing.
- Consistently communicate your safety expectations in a respectful way. This should be done in formal settings such as meetings and trainings, as well as in conversations you have throughout the day.
- Recognize and reinforce safe work practices during interactions. Focus the discussion on why safety is important because context influences behavior.
- Develop connections and demonstrate care. Get to know the people on your project, their names, hobbies, and the challenges they are facing.
- Encourage open communication about near-miss events, hazards, and ways to be more effective. Remember that how you respond matters. Build trust by actively listening to concerns and engaging others in resolution.
Empowered Craft:
- Before starting work, make sure a plan is in place to complete the work safely. If you have any concerns about the plan to install work or ways to be more efficient, let your supervisor know.
- Walk the area before starting work and look for hazards. Inspect all tools and equipment. Make sure all hazards are controlled before starting the operation.
- Coordinate with other trades in the area to avoid trade stacking, impacting each other’s work, and creating housekeeping concerns.
- Openly communicate concerns to your supervisor. Report near-miss events, accidents, and incidents so action can be taken to prevent recurrence.
- Stop work when conditions change or you encounter a concern that cannot be resolved. Report the issue to your supervisor. It might be necessary to revise the work plan before restarting work.
When there’s trust, respect, and communication, we are all empowered to own and act on safety. Working together creates more opportunities to improve the safety culture on a project, strengthen our connections, and break the patterns that lead to bad decisions. Speak up and use your own strong voice to help everyone make safe choices.
