Safety: Creating a Culture of Intent

This week, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which works to ensure the mining industry adheres to safety standards, hosted the Stand Down to Save Lives on May 22. And while safety was top of mind this week, it goes without saying that safety is always the top priority of the minerals and mining industries. Our people are our most valuable resource, and it is up to the entire industry to create a workplace free from hazards and injuries.

The World Health Organization’s definition applied to safety excellence is, “Safety is the presence of systems, processes, and consistent safe practices that prevent incidents, not merely the absence of incidents.” It other words, excellence in safety is not about metrics, but about our culture regarding safety.

What is a culture of safety excellence? Any organization’s culture includes patterns of behavior that are either encouraged or discouraged by systems or people over time. Over time is key, as it takes repetition to develop a habit. And eventually, habits become the norm – the culture. So, how do organizations go about creating a culture of safety excellence? There are four elements that are involved throughout the organization.

Hazard Recognition

Know your system inside and out! This requires actively observing, assessing, and understanding elements or conditions that could cause harm to people, property, or the environment.

Housekeeping

Document, document, document! It’s critical to implement practices and procedures to help maintain equipment and keep a clean, organized, and hazard-free environment.

Risk Tolerance

What is an organization’s degree of willingness and capacity to handle or accept risk in pursuit of tasks and objectives. There is a level of uncertainty or potential losses accepted before people feel uncomfortable or face adverse consequences. As an organization, that level should be defined and understood by all employees.

Intentional Leadership

Safety starts at the top! Last, but most important, is the deliberate and purposeful approach to guiding, motivating, and influencing others toward a defined vision or goal. A culture of safety excellence starts here. Leaders are thoughtful, proactive, and strategic in their actions and decisions with the aim of achieving better safety outcomes.

The way you promote safety matters! Increased safe work, hazard identification, reporting, and ideation all result from effective safety leadership.

The content in this blog was used with permission by Ken Wagner of Daylight Advisory. If you are interested in how Daylight Advisory can help your organization improve business practices and strategies, you can reach Ken at daylightadvisory.com.