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Posted By Helen
I have recently started working for a medium sized organisation, who up to now haven't done much for health and safety. i am trying to implement change and alter their safety culture through training etc, but keep stumbling accross the same words as 'it has always been done like that in the past'. Has anybody got any good tips they could let me into, as to changing an organisations culture? I have tried the works, quoting legislation, mentioning court procedings, fines etc, but very little is being achieved.
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Posted By Sean Fraser
Helen,
I got these from the HSE Research web pages - quite dry though -
http://www.hse.gov.uk/re...sl_pdf/2001/employ-i.pdf :- Safety Culture: Review of Literature
and
http://www.hse.gov.uk/re...rr_pdf/2001/crr01321.pdf :- Strategies to promote safe behaviour as part of an HSMS
Alternatively, some tips are in HSG65 - Successful Health and Safety Management.
No doubt others can supply relevant web sites which might have good tips and aprocophal stories that are good illustrators of contrast between good and poor safty cultures? A challenge!
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Posted By Jane Blunt
Patience - it could take years to start to turn things around. Be like a terrier, don't give up! Been there, and succeeded to a small degree.
Seriously though, if they are not turned by telling them about court proceedings etc, then you will have to try another tack. What is their motivation? Are they losing money or production through accidents? Is the organisation concerned about lost time? Are the people themselves concerned about their quality of life (e.g. that they can play football on Saturday rather than be hobbling around on crutches)?
Somewhere you should be able to find something that can help you to start to change things. In the meantime, start to work on the Employer's Policy and procedures, to document how it should be done.
Another tack you might try is to audit the company against the legislation and present the findings as a report to the Directors. That is, go through the Management Regs, Workplace Regs, Manual Handling Regs, etc regulation by regulation and present an assessment of whether the company complies. However, be prepared for the possibility that this might not work. However, you will have got it out of your system!
Jane
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Posted By Michael Miller
This sounds like a very good challenge. Its OK saying 'this is how its always been done' but has it always been done right? You have already got some very good advice so I will try to offer a different approach. Who is resisting Management or employees?
I cannot believe that the employees are not interested in improving safety for their own good. This is one area I would exploit. Is there a safety committee? unionised or otherwise. try to stir up interest on the shop floor. Poster campaigns, Notice boards, tool box talks etc. Skills audits and training. Let them know that you are there for them and not just for management.
As for management show them the accident pyramid in the HS(G)65 Once they realise how much an accident costs they may change their attitude. Have a look at past accidents and lost time statistics (if any exist). Compare and contrast. If the company is profit driven and you can demonstrate that health and safety is profitable by reducing costs over insurance, sick pay, sickness cover, overtime, compensation, litigation etc, then they may become convinced.
One last thing if all this fails, (and I might be slated for saying this) Having made some changes and improvements invite the HSE inspector to tea for some advice. They are very good with companies who are proactive. This should wake management up! They probably not seen one of those before. they are bound to ask too many questions. Result, management got the message, Job done!
Last resort change jobs and let them wallow in ignorance.
Good luck
Mike
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Posted By Robert Whent
Check out this on the web and include it in your presentations!
It might help?
Rob
www.safteng.net
click on the Special Safety Items link.
Go to the 10th link down 'a lesson for our more experienced workers'
(if all else fails enjoy yourself browsing the multitude of safety photos and funny pics!)
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Posted By Paul Craythorne
Try asking the company why they bothered to employ you in the first place!!!
Paul
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Posted By Helen
Firstly, i would like to thank all those who have replied so far, it has given me food for thought.
It is really the employees who do not want to accept the change, one in particular. This is the Personnel Manager who used to take charge over certain issues which i am now dealing with. Because of their position and time with the company, they hold quite a lot of clout within the organisation. Also, on face value, the Directors seem interested and keen for health and safety to be the way forward, but do not want to put much effort into actually putting it forward.
It is tricky trying to get them to 'Manage' their health and safety issues.
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Posted By Diane Thomason
Helen,
Your problem is a familiar one and you have had some good replies. Many of us have been there.
Quoting the law, enforcement, penalties etc rarely works - people don't think it will happen to their company, just as they don't think they'll have an accident in their car. It's all something that happens to someone else.
Just one more tip: get some key people on your side (including your problematic Personnel Director) and they will work wonders in improving the safety culture. The strategy with the PD may well have to be that you go to them for "advice", (them being so -ahem - knowledgeable and experienced and all that) and agree wholeheartedly with much of what they say whilst carefully working in your own ideas. You might have to bite your lip when they then start going round touting your ideas as their own, but that will be a measure of your success.
Once some of the key people are on board they will see you as an ally, and gradually their colleagues will be persuaded.
And - never tell a director that they "must" do something - that will put their back up straight away and they'll dig their heels in automatically. Give them choices of actions but make sure it's clear which is going to be the right choice! If it's a smallish company, some of these people may have been involved in building the success of the organisation from very little, and they are very clear that they are the ones who have the skill to decide things, not some whipper-snapper safety bod!
Good luck.
Diane
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Posted By Stuart C
In addition to trying to influence the management and the tactics already discussed, go for some "quick wins" that raise the H&S profile and the expectation of empoyees. That is small improvements that may be quickly achievable to demonstrate that things are changing, Improvements to welfare arrangements are often the most welcomed by employees.
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Posted By Steve Whittle
Hi Helen,
I've arranged Behavioural Safety training in the past. The initial training and the following safe and unsafe act audits carried out by workers, on workers, slowly started to change the way they thought about safety. Although they were a bit of a contentious issue at first because the [shop floor]workers thought they were being spied on.
I'd drop quoting regulations and case law on the shop floor, people tend to switch off immediately, go for the more subtle approach. Touch on personal issues, like how a serious accident may affect their lifestyle or family.
I agree with the other threads, changing safety culture is a very long journey.
Regards,
Steve
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Posted By Ken Lucas
Helen
Responded to you direct.
Ken
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Posted By Philip McAleenan
Helen,
It may be a useful approach to consider what it is to be a competent worker/manager. The principals of OSH include accident prevention as being an essential part of good management and good workmanship. In essence this means that employees, including managers, are obliged to perform their work so that in the course of their duties they will not expose other employees to risk of injury. Failure to do so, whether by intent or ignorance, is an indicator of lack of competence.
In practice this provides you with an approach to improving individual and company competence that does not treat safety as a distinct and separate subject to be poo-pooed by any of your colleagues, but rather integrates it within the overall competence of of each employee and manager to do their job.
Where you meet barriers to improvement by particular individuals, or groups, it is worth noting that an aspect of management competence is that managers must ensure that those working under them are competent, and to take such steps as are necessary to ensure that their level of competence is maintained. In this you will see that hierarchy of responsibility and that the continued existence of a worker who is not fully competent has implications for the competence of his/her superior, and so on.
Hope this helps,
Regards, Philip
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Posted By Hilary Charlton
Hi Helen
I understand your problems very well. I faced these myself some years ago now when I took over H&S in a medium sized engineering Company. I was also faced with "what does she know about engineering?".
How did I get over this problem? Well, talk to people, explain the benefits of implementing systems, use employees as guinea pigs for new safety products you are trialling ie glasses, hand wash, etc. See what they think and make their opinion count. Instead of imposing by threatening legislation, cajole by explaining the personal benefits to them, if necessary person by person or group by group. Get a few people on your side and then the news will start to spread. However, in addition to this you have to be seen to be giving way on some items and implementing improvements that are highly visible. If, for example, everyone likes a particular type of glasses except one person, be prepared to order something different for them, the difference in cost is minimal but then he or she will feel that you actually care about them and probably be on your side. Attention to minor details in the early stages will win people over to your side more than shouting about all the Regulations in the world.
We had a similar issue with machinery guarding - the old "I've always done it like this" was trolled out but we circumnavigated this by handing the employees the catalogues and saying "choose". What a difference it made, all guards are now in place and functioning and if the employees don't like them we can turn round and say "but you chose them".
Basically, good luck, a turn around like this will take probably years rather than months but you should start to see an attitude shift within a few months.
Perseverence is the key word, keep nibbling away at it and don't allow the powers that be to give it lip service.
Hilary
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