American Society of Safety Professionals Southern Oregon Chapter
  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • Training
  • Employment
  • Community
  • Exec Committee
  • Conference
  • SCU
  • Gallery
  • Link Page

Top-Level Management Decides How Work Gets Done

11/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
By David Hanson, CSP – Vice President, ASSP, Southern Oregon Chapter
 
I’ve had so many questions about the importance of top-level management commitment to safety. In my experience, people care about the things that are important to the boss. There is really only one reason that top-level management should always lead safety efforts: Top-level management must visibly lead any effort that is important to the company. If employees see that something is important to the CEO, it will be more likely to be important to the employees.
 
Top-level management decides how work gets done at a company. They have the authority to hold people accountable for the way they want work done. They have the ability to provide resources key for the things that are really important. Quality is important. Customer service is important. Safety is important too. How do managers show that something is important? People pay attention to what the boss says. But more importantly, they pay even more attention to what the boss does.
 
Often, I will ask managers, “Who is responsible for safety at your company?” Too often, the answer is “the safety director” or “the safety committee.” The safety committee and safety director are key positions that are crucial to safety success, but without visible leadership by example from top management, there will never be enough resources, money, or time to do the things that need to happen that can really change a safety culture. Often, when a safety director or a safety committee member feels like they are not accomplishing what they have been commissioned to do, they are facing a challenge that originates at the top level of their organization.
 
In some ways, I think we do a disservice to our operations when we only have separate safety meetings with managers. Safety should be part of the day-to-day operations of every company. When I do a task that is important to my company, I work to incorporate quality, productivity, customer service, and safety all at once. Our meetings and training should really be the same. Some of the best solutions to safety problems also improve many other categories as well. I once worked for a company that made it a goal for every manager meeting to include safety as part of the discussion even if production was the prime reason for the meeting. A safe operation must be managed deliberately and systematically to be effective. The safest companies in the world have one thing in common: Safety is an ingrained value that is accepted as the only way they will do work.
 
Management Leadership
•         Express company values to employees
•         Empower employees to take ownership of the systems
•         Give support and provide resources
•         Lead by example
•         Be involved and encourage others to get involved
•         Set achievable goals that are based on leading indicators
 
David Hanson, CSP, SAIF Corporation
Chapter Vice President and Conference Chair

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Executive Committee

    Your ASSP Executive Committee sharing safety and health news from around our region.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Sign Up for Email Updates

    Print Newsletter Archives

    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    Archives
Picture

Become an ASSP Member Today!

You are vital to the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) profession. Our goal is to provide you with invaluable resources to do your job and help your organization succeed. Our network of 35,000 members is literally at your fingertips online.  Join the thousands of others who believe in the strength and knowledge that only comes from being a member of ASSP.

(Formerly ASSE Southern Oregon Chapter)

Become a Member

Chapter Meetings

Chapter meetings are on the first Tuesday of each month unless otherwise specified.
Membership is not required to attend the meetings.


    Contact  Us

Submit
American Society of Safety Professionals Southern Oregon Chapter © All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.