“They were very, very lucky indeed. There was a similar incident on the mainland where a person received severe burns to his face working on a live switchboard and that person has been in hospital for months and months and will probably never work again.”

If you were asked to define what a near miss is what would you say? A close call where no one was injured but may have resulted in property damage?

A near miss safety incident is undoubtedly a “do over” without an injury.   However near misses must still be reported and the unsafe situation corrected in a timely manner and they should be used as a learning experience.

I would like to invite you to attend ASSE’s Best Practices in Fire Safety – Virtual Symposium

Live. Online. On-Demand.

March 1 & 2, 2011

Complete the entire 2-day Virtual Symposium by attending the live webcasts or view the recordings of the sessions ANYTIME/ANYWHERE for up to 30 days after the symposium ends. Earn 1.6 CEU’s.

To register, or to learn more, go to  http://www.asse.org/education/firesafety/

Take advantage of  the early registration discount by February 18, 2011.

SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

Tuesday, March 1st

9am     Opening General Session – Review of NFPA 101, Craig Schroll, President, FIRECON

11am   Techniques for Hazard Recognition for the Field Employee, David F. Coble, CSP, President, Coble, Taylor & Jones Safety Associates LLC

1pm     The Fire Prevention Plan, Another Type of Hazard Analysis, Gabriel F. Miehl, CSP, CFPS, GE Transportation, Erie, PA

3pm     Is Your Sprinkler System Giving you a False Sense of Security? Walter S. Beattie, CSP, CFPS, CSHM, AXA Matrix Risk Consultants, Pottstown, PA

Wednesday, March 2nd

9am     Predictive Maintenance Integration for Electrical Distribution Safety & Reliability, Dale P. Smith, CMRP, Corporate Programs Manager, Predictive Service

11am   Management Programs to Help Prevent Dust Explosions, Ron Allen

1pm     Combustion Safety, Jason Safarz, Senior Account Engineer, CEC Combustion Services Group

3pm     What Every Safety Professional Needs to Know About Automatic Sprinklers, Jacob Epstein, Associate Consultant, Aon Risk Solutions, Global Risk Consulting, Fire Protection Engineering

The CFO sits at the head of the table.  Around him, line-managers from around the company sit expectantly.  Before him is a stack of Power Point handouts with both the logos of the company and the insurance carrier on the cover.  The results are in.  There have been too many accidents in the past year.  The insurance rates are going up.  For the first time in a year, safety is suddenly important.

It took the insurance company’s notice of rate increase to get the attention of management.  The issue is not that teammates are getting hurt at work.  The problem is that it is starting to cost money.

The CFO’s leadership is paramount to closing the barn door, after the cows have already gotten out.  I have personally sat in this meeting 4 times, at 2 different organizations.

Safety is the universal slippery-pig of operations.  It is hard to achieve, and easy to fall behind.  Cultures that profess values of respect and integrity still fall short, time and again.  The problem with safety isn’t money, politics or caring.  Safety is a way of being, and without buy-in by the senior management, the clock is ticking down to the next meeting.

There are few subjects as dry as safety.  All the sleep inducing factors are here … government regulation, insurance rates, and so forth.  The challenge to every company is to find a way to make Safety Sexy.

In distribution, manufacturing and construction environments, the basics start back at the definition of fundamental priorities.  Those have to be, in order, Safety, Quality and Productivity.  By keeping safety at the top of the list, it works its way into every initiative, communication and effort.  This is step one to delivering a culture of excellence.  This though, is not sexy.

Making safety exciting has to do with the approach of management putting tools in place that focus rewards on improvement.  The easiest place to start is with the Safety Committee.

Anything government required tends to settle to the lowest level of execution allowable.  This is too bad for the Safety Committee.  Here is the already formed team that can influence culture within the organization.  Unfortunately, it is usually given the lowest possible level of thought by company management.

An engaged Safety Committee can make a difference.  Membership has to be encouraged by management, with financial rewards in terms of bonus pay for successful participation.  Education of the committee members through on-line training courses should be required, and are free.  Classes in Hazard Recognition, Accident Investigation, and Safety Committee Methods are offered by OSHA.  Paying teammates to take the classes adds credibility to the team, and fosters interest in participation.

Also, giving the Safety Committee priorities is key.  Not only should the group review accidents and recommend safe guards, the committee needs to be charged with developing awareness programs to keep the accidents from happening in the first place.  This implies that the Safety Committee be allocated a small annual budget for such programs.  Failure to fund the committee is the most common mistake that leads to ineffective results.  It is amazing what an educated, engaged and funded committee can develop to keep safety top of mind.

Creating incentives for managers and supervisors on safety results is as important as putting bonuses in place for any other form of execution.  Reporting results by team creates the sort of infectious competition that starts the upward spiral of improvement.  Management has to be financially rewarded for great results in safety.

Also, no incentive program for the teammates doing the actual work is complete without safety as an element.  This can be in the form of a qualifier in order to receive an incentive, an individual, or a group incentive.

Lastly, reporting and measuring the number of days with out an accident has an infectious effect on a team.  This tried and true method of generating awareness is too often absent.  A simple dry erase board with the number of days since the last accident has a huge non-verbal impact on safety awareness.  Also, reviewing with the team any event or close call generates focus on safety in an immediate and  meaningful way.  Resetting the counter to zero is a learning opportunity for the team that should not be missed.  Creating milestones for days without an accident is also extremely effective.  Company paid lunches for hitting important targets works wonders to develop a top-of-mind position for safety in the heads of the workers themselves.

By making safety a real and important part of everyday work life, the dreaded meeting with the CFO can be avoided.  Not only that, but the CFO can publish a memo when the insurance rates go down, and thank the team for their efforts, while reinforcing the company’s commitment to safety as the organization’s number one priority.

Safety can be sexy.  Best of all, safety can be the cornerstone of a caring work culture that breeds teamwork and job satisfaction for everyone.  As with all important initiatives, the difference is always leadership.