Brut Force -14th Edition - Brutoco

By Laurence FortinDo you see safety as something that you are told to do,or something that has value to you?Our safety culture is the knowledge, beliefs andbehavior of our company and all of its employees, from thefield to the office. It is what we believe, but don’t necessarilysay. It’s knowing what is expected of us, and what we can getaway with. This culture is learned by us and passed along toour new hires.Four different safety cultures are outlined below in an excerptfrom an article by Robert Pater, Managing Director of StrategicSafety Associates and MoveSmart.How would you classify Brutoco’ssafety culture and your personal beliefsand behavior?1. Forced Safety Culture. Here, safety is “Done To”others—by command and control. These companies inherentlyview safety as a blockage to business so they do the leastnecessary to stay in compliance with regulating agencies.Managers similarly expect compliance from workers. Safetypeople are typically understaffed and can think of themselvesas safety police: enforcement first, surprise inspections tounearth violations. Punishment soon follows, so workers covertheir rears in accident investigations and audits.on self-monitoring more than external auditing. Motivationmoves toward recognition, beyond external incentives.Executives often actively sponsor new initiatives. Safetycommittees are active and have decision power, training, andoften a budget. Some employees become trained as catalystsof safety improvement (trainers, coaches, and reinforcementagents). There’s a strong focus on off-work safety training,with PPE to take home.This culture has significant internal drive to remain cuttingedge,pioneering new and effective initiatives and not restingon their laurels.Safety Culture Reflects Overall CultureSafety cultures strongly reflect overall culture. I’ve never seena strong organizational culture that had a weak safety culture,and vice versa. So by leading stronger safety culture, you canin turn move your company to higher ground in performance,profitability and morale. •2. Protective Culture, where safety is “Done For” workers.Performance is average. This type of company begins seeingsafety as important. They often proclaim, “Safety is #1!” (Theythen lose credibility when production or other pressures takefront seat.)They seek to make the workplace safe by controlling, topdown,benevolent parent-like, and to bypass the need for strictcompliance. Common thought process: “If everyone did asthey were directed, all would be well.” This culture is big onpolicies and procedures. And if one policy doesn’t get results,“experts” write even more explicit directives.Brutoco workers receive traffic control training at Job #401Emphasis is on engineering fixes, dealing with injuries afterthey’ve occurred, and incentives. This culture still seeks quickand cheap solutions to complex and longstanding problems(back belts, safety bingo).3. Involved Cultures are “Done With” employees — andwell done. Performance is above average. Managers see safetyas an opportunity to involve workers and boost morale.Emphasis goes beyond injury prevention to “soft benefits” —retention, building trust, receptivity to change, engagement,more. This culture trains supervisors and discusses off-worksafety. Training becomes geared to judgment, problemsolving,and skills. Involved companies approach behavioralauditing as a more positive process than do forced cultures.4. Integral Cultures are those where safety is “Done By”workers, for themselves. Performance is global class — andcontinuously watched. People see safety as energizing,interesting and practical.Self-regulation is the norm; people engage in safe actionseven when they know no one’s watching. This culture focusesTrench safety at #40116