Changing Behaviors – 2 of 2.

In this part we discuss specifics on demonstrating the benefits and affecting the behavior of employers and employees.

For employers, our approach is in three steps.

1. Demonstrate the simplicity, common sense and straightforward nature of safety regulations. The General Duty clause (http://goo.gl/oGkSb) is less than 100 words of pure logic. Read: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/general-duty-clause.html.

2. Make sure the employer is fully aware of the consequences of non-compliance: citations with fines and possible criminal charges. The costs of injuries can be significant. See: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/cost-of-injuries.html.

3. Equate the cost of a safety program and the cost of not being safe to the employer’s boss: the bottom line. Take the total cost of injuries over the last few (3 to 5) years – include direct and indirect costs (read article: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/cost-of-injuries.html) – then divide by the profit from a single unit of work such as a piece of product, an hour/day week, a project. Watch here for a future post on doing this step. Email me (SafetyRich@gmail.com)for details on how to do a calculation for a specific client.

Employees are a bit less obvious on how to manage behaviors, but there are two things we use to help them understand.

1. Family. Hilda Solis, the Secretary of Labor said: "With every one of these fatalities, the lives of a worker's family members were shattered and forever changed. We can't forget that fact."

SafetyRich encourages employers to conduct Safety Orientation classes for new employees. Read the two articles on Training, Part 1 here: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/06/training-part-1-of-2.html. We have designed the first 20 to 30 minutes to be an overview of the importance of working safe and the consequences of not working safe. This short session is recorded on video, then copied to a CD for the employee to show his family. We send a form with the CD for every family member (especially the kids!) to sign that they watched it. Most people act differently when they are thinking about their family. The family helps put pressure on the worker to be safe.

2. Consequences. Make it clear of how their lives can change with a serious injury. Tie a hand behind their back and have them do simple tasks: tie a shoe, put on a belt, button a shirt, tie a tie, make a peanut butter sandwich. Suggest that they drive home that evening sitting on one hand. Splint two or three fingers, discuss amputations and have them try the same tasks. Have the students read and discuss actual cases. See SafetyPhoto for pictures and case reporting.

The only way anyone changes behaviors is if they clearly see understand the consequences to themselves and others for not working safely.

See our Web site: SafetyRich