by Melissa Snow on September 26, 2011
During a recent ABSS Speaker Series event, nationally recognized safety and motivation expert Jack Edgington spoke to a capacity crowd of Safety and EH&S professionals and discussed the critical building blocks of an engaged, highly sustained safety culture.
Several of the key areas covered were:
- Assessing your culture to identify barriers and challenges
- Creating a unique identity for safety through branding and awareness
- Making safety a “personal” value for employees and their families
- Recognizing performance based on leading indicators, not lagging results
Jack stressed that one of the most important steps a company can take is to properly assess their culture. Assessing your culture can reveal the true attitudes and sentiments that drive safety within your organization. The ability to identify potential areas of weaknesses allows the company to focus resources on improving specific employee needs.
Potential areas of concern, if not addressed, will continue to negatively affect employee attitude, satisfaction and tenure. More importantly, utilizing assessment results in combination with employee comments will build a platform for creating mentors and teams. Improving specific areas result in more impactful training and communication, therefore creating an engaged employee that is much more responsive to training and change.
In addition to assessing safety cultures, Jack shared how branding safety efforts can make a tremendous difference in driving engagement with a workforce. Branding your safety initiative can also create pride and ownership around safety processes and safety goals for an organization. Once an appropriate safety brand has been developed, make opportunities to share the branding with the employee family members as much as possible.
You’ll find that their support will further enhance the commitment of your workforce. Sharing the personal side of working and living safety will become a part of each employee’s idealogy… at home, work and play.
To find out more information about how Safe Solutions can help you create a highly engaged safety culture, please visit our website www.saferemployees.com.
by Melissa Snow on June 30, 2011
July 4th weekend is filled with outdoor entertaining and fireworks with family and friends. Having fun is important, but losing focus while grilling or participating in fireworks could result in an accident. Sometimes we take the safety of children around fireworks for granted and that’s when accidents could happen. It never hurts to take a few seconds to review a few safety tips on grilling and fireworks before heading out with friends. After all, it could save the life of someone you love!
Grilling Safety
- When grilling outside, position the grill well away from siding, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
- Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.
- If you use a starter fluid, use only a charcoal starter fluid. Never add charcoal fluid or any other flammable liquids to a fire.
- Never leave a grill unattended once it has been lit.
- Bamboo or wood skewers should be soaked in cool water so they won’t ignite as you grill.
- Brushes or a grill mop are used to glaze or marinate foods. Use ones with long handles and avoid nylon or other materials that might melt.
- Avoid exceptionally loose clothing, especially sleeves that can catch fire.
- When you are finished grilling on a charcoal grill, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container.
Fireworks Safety
- Spectators should keep a safe distance from the shooter and the shooter should wear safety glasses.
- Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance after lighting fireworks.
- The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of more than 1,200° F. That is hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns.
- Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers.
- Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
- Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
- Dispose of fireworks properly by soaking them in water and then disposing of them in your trash can.
Sharing time with family and friends is important and we want everyone to have a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend. You can read more about fireworks safety from The National Council of Fireworks Safety at www.fireworksafety.com or for grilling safety tips at www.nfpa.org.
During a recent ABSS Speaker Series event, nationally recognized safety and motivation expert Jack Edgington spoke to a capacity crowd of Safety and EH&S professionals and discussed the critical building blocks of an engaged, highly sustained safety culture. 
