How Leaders Demonstrate Commitment To Safety And Health
Leaders Demonstrate Commitment to Safety and Health
Commitment to safety is more than mere support for safety. Serious commitment requires serious action in terms of time and money. Support may be expressed, over and over, but unless management devotes serious time and money to safety, it’s no commitment. A clear, written policy helps you communicate that safety and health are central core values – as important as productivity, profitability, product or service quality, and customer satisfaction.
To demonstrate strong commitment, managers should:
- Fully fund and devote time to all safety and health programs, including instruction and training, PPE, and fall protection.
- Reinforce management commitment by considering safety and health in all business decisions.
- Be visible in operations and set an example by following the same safety procedures workers follow.
- Begin work meetings with a discussion or review of safety and health indicators and any outstanding safety items on a “to-do” list.
- Emphasize safety as a core value rather than a priority. Get rid of the “safety first” messages and replace them with “safety only” messages.