I'm kind of speechless about this article, and would love BBI to be my moral guidepost on how to feel about it. Thanks in advance.
| At Chevron Corp. any worker at the company's San Ramon, Calif., headquarters can halt an activity he or she deems dangerous by whipping out a small white "stop work" card. |
| At the U.S. arm of food and beverage company Nestlé SA, employees begin meetings by checking for hazards, like computer cords that can cause tripping, and reviewing emergency exit protocol. Workers are also expected to spot two safety incidents each month—such as someone holding elevator doors open. |
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I have seen the H&S culture taken to the extreme where it is parlayzing, but on the other hand one should research the cost of accidents/injuries to companies long term before they start making judgments on whether behavioral based safety is worth it or not.
the copy the meeting organizer is reading sounds like it's from the 60's (evacuation protocol, hazards to avoid, un-obvious dangers, etc.)
You want that safety culture ingrained though. Chocking wheels is a good example. You put you seatbelt on when you get in a vehicle every time. You chock a wheel every time.
"Everyone went 'Whoa,' " said Joanne Crawford, a marketing director in the company's Glendale, Calif., office. The chief executive of Nestlé USA made the worker leave the stage and ascend the correct way.
A Skanska employee stretches at work
Safety-minded employees of Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM +1.18% recently camped out near two stairways in the firm's Irving, Texas, headquarters to observe who held the handrails while going up and down, who carried too many items or ones too large, who was using their mobile phones and who was in a rush. The workers, members of a company safety and wellness committee, mostly just recorded the incidents, for fear they might startle someone and cause an injury.
sounds like grade school.
Things are replaceable, people are not. There is no excuse for not doing things safely.
I have and will again in the future halt any activity that appears to be venturing into being not safe, and every one of my team knows that they have the same authority and are expected to use it if need be.
I can always explain a delay due to addressing a safety issue, I can never explain why someone on my team got hurt or killed because we didn't stop to address the concern.
Yeah, for people that spend their time mainly in offices, it may seem silly, but instilling a culture of safety doesn't end at the hardhat threshold.
Recently, in the same workplace, they posted a rule that employees are subject to a blanket prohibition from calling 911 under any circumstances. The posted rule stated that all employees that witness an emergency are required to call security and only security can make the decision to call 911 emergency services and any employee violating the rule is subject to discipline up-to and including termination.
Complaints to two different governmental agencies caused the Employer to reverse their policy, but you can see what I mean.
It is interesting to hear about alternate cultures regarding safety in the workplace.
And if I told you the name of the fortune 500 company you would be shocked.
Workplace safety is something you need to be constantly reminded of and retrained on, otherwise it just fades into the background and you forget about it.
The fact is, people are prone to do stupid shit. Even smart people. Actually, especially smart people. Really, I could tell you stories.
Things are replaceable, people are not. There is no excuse for not doing things safely.
I have and will again in the future halt any activity that appears to be venturing into being not safe, and every one of my team knows that they have the same authority and are expected to use it if need be.
I can always explain a delay due to addressing a safety issue, I can never explain why someone on my team got hurt or killed because we didn't stop to address the concern.
Yeah, for people that spend their time mainly in offices, it may seem silly, but instilling a culture of safety doesn't end at the hardhat threshold.
This.
When you work in a place that's had 3 fatalities, some of this stuff doesn't seem so stupid or childish. Very simple things like eliminating trip hazards can literally save a life.
I am contracted to an oil major and we lose people every year to accidents. Safety isn't just a well or a rig issue. It has to run through the company and become part of its DNA and if that means offices "over-reacting" then that's fine with me. I'd rather work somewhere where you know health and safety matters than the opposite. Been there and it is no fun.
A fortune 500 company?
Well it wasn't at the same workplace. It had to be corporate wide or at the least with the approval of corporate. It would have to be approved by HR (the comp carrier),safety (compliance with applicable codes),and finance (everything has a cost/benefit analysis).
1st question that would come to mind is why was this policy developed? Someone didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn one night and develop this over coffee in the morning.
I'm assuming it was for workers seeking treatment under workers comp when a claim hasn't been started. Calling 911 for minor injuries that aren't emergencies. And so on.
What plan did the agencies involved approve that solved the problem that caused the no 911 calls except by approved personnel in the first place?
I would think that is a more accurate assessment of how thinks a evolved instead of companies bad.
When I worked at Verizon, you weren't allowed to wear open toed shoes. Because telecom workers can't. That is absurd.
Most employees feel that in an office they don't have to worry about such things, or that they won't get hurt, or whatever, so they won't do these simple safety tasks that will prevent the injury.
So as a manager or owner- to protect yourself and to protect your employees from themselves, you put "silly" safety rules in place to force your employees to do it. Yeah, folks think it's dumb, but in the long run an effective safety program can keep you in good health- even in an office.
The part about developing a strong culture can't be overlooked, either. If one part of your organization doesn't have a strong culture of safety, it can easily spread to other parts of your organization. That's another reason it is important to have a strong safety culture everywhere, not just in the industrial environs.