How to build a safety culture in the workplace

Recently, the term “workplace culture” has become very trendy. The work culture is more than just a catchphrase. It relates to the way things are done in your workplace. Rather than referring to your company's specific safety policies and programs, safety culture encompasses the attitudes, attitudes, and behaviors of workers, supervisors, managers, and owners about workplace safety. A positive safety culture is an essential part of successful, effective and safety training.

You may find the idea of building or changing your safety culture daunting because the “way it is” at your workplace has fallen into a pattern of complacency. Here are four steps to get you started in building a strong and effective safety culture:-

1. Communicate

A great way to improve safety communications while building a positive culture is to have weekly or monthly safety meetings. Increase employee buy-in by letting them lead the conversation. These can even be done remotely. Provide security policies electronically and on paper to communicate your company's best practices and expectations.

2. Involve All Level of Employees

Creating a safety culture starts from the ground up. It is important that employees at all levels are involved in the planning and implementation phase of any new security initiative. Asking for feedback in the early planning stages will increase the buy-in and avoid potential pitfalls during implementation.

3. Lead by Example

Lead by example by following all safety policies and encouraging employees to do the same. If management commits to safety, employees will follow suit. Employee buy-in is crucial to a positive safety culture. Workers won’t buy-in to safety if they don’t see policies and procedures being followed by their superiors. Safety is more than talking the talk—it is walking the walk.

4. Hold Employees Accountable

Organizations that truly embody a safety culture feel overwhelmingly that safety is important. Each team member feels responsible for the safety of their individual and their employees. A large part of that ownership is holding employees accountable. The better an employee understands and feels responsible for security initiatives, the more likely they are to take steps to improve company security.