Workers Participation - Towards a better Safety Performance Article by Dr.Yashoda Tammineni, NIFS

Employee participation can increase Safety Performance. Studies show a significant positive correlation between safety performance and employee participation. Engaged employees were five times less likely to have an incident and seven times less likely to have a lost-time than non engaged employees.

Engaged Vs Disengaged workforce

""Engaged employees" are the ones who are fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that they share a common goal and contribute more strongly to their roles, teams, and workplace culture. Disengaged employees are less likely to work hard and meet expectations for their role, and they cause 60% of human errors and defects in work performance.

Signs of a Disengaged Employees

Employees don’t report minor injuries or hazards?Low participation in safety committees and other safety related meetingsLack of respect for the safety program feeling that management is not serious about itEmployees regularly break the safety rules if they think they won’t get caughtDisengaged workers feel safety professionals are viewed as "cops"Safety performance doesn’t improve despite adequate compliance, leadership commitment, training etc.Misjudgements by Disengaged Workforce

Employees feel that nobody asks for their opinion?They feel that safety policy makes their job harder?Employees feel disengaged that management is just waiting to catch them violating a safety rule?They ignore safety saying that nothing can be changed for years but it’s finally changing because of an accidentThey complain that management violates the safety rules but wants them to follow?They say that reporting a safety concern is no use, nobody did anything about it when a safety concern is reported two months ago?Disengaged employees complain that management just cares about productivity and wants them to work faster even if it is unsafe?They misjudge saying that they have never been hurt working this way for 30 years and they don’t see the importance of safetyHow Can Engagement be improved?

Employee engagement is directly correlated with the level of involvement that employees have in their work processes and activities by Considering employee ideas,Ensuring good communication,Giving positive feedback andRespecting the employees and their ideas.Considering Employee Ideas

Actively seek safety suggestions and concerns from employeesAddress them in a timely manner and ensure resolution Always follow up with the employeeExpress your appreciation for their ideasGive them the creditEnsuring Good Communication

Communications must be clear and conciseAddress anticipated situations and possible exceptionsDon’t leave room for assumptionsExplain to employees why the safety rules are in placeEven if you think the reason is obviousDon’t just refer to the standards or company policy; explain the hazardGiving Positive Feedback

Thank employees for safe work habitsBehaviors that are followed by positive reinforcement will increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeatedRespecting the employees and their ideas

Respect employees’ ideas and concernsDon’t be afraid to tell an employee that their idea cannot be implemented- Give valid reasonsTreat employees respectfully, even when they violate a safety ruleDon’t be the "Safety Cop"Keep confidentiality when requestedNo alt text provided for this imagePractical Ways to Involve Employees in Safety

Discuss proposed workplace changes with affected employees before implementationLet employees sample PPE, hand tools, etc. before making a changeSeek employee ideas when developing JHA’s, risk assessments, and solutions to hazardsEncourage participation in safety meetings and emergency response teamsEncourage employee suggestions and give recognitionInvite employees to participate in incident investigations, workplace safety inspections, and behavior-based safetyHold regular shift huddle meetings and discuss safety; encourage employee commentsHold informal discussions with employees about safetyEmployee involvement benefits everyone so that

Workers feel a sense of pride and ownershipInvolved workers are more likely to complyManagement gets the benefit of the employees’ extensive knowledgeKey elements of employee participation include

Set clear guidelines for employees– Employees must know their position and that for which the organization is striving.Infuse a sense of ownership – Let employees know they are important and you trust them to do the job right every time.Investing in employees’ future growth – Companies who invest in continued growth and development of their employees are more successful and retain staff longer.Involving employees in the safety program – Conduct safety meetings and create safety committees to involve employees in the safety culture. Also include workers in changes before they occur to allow for open discussion.Providing ongoing training for employees – When employees are not properly trained or training has lapsed, they are not being set up for success. It can put their own and others' safety at risk.Facilitating two-way communication – Managers and supervisors need to be approachable and allow employees to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas without fear of retaliation.Recognizing employees – A simple thank you can go a long way when employees go above and beyond what is expected. Recognition helps to positively reinforce safe behavior and fosters engagement.Gaining employee feedback for continuous improvement – There are always ways to change through improved workflow and processes. Engaging employee feedback helps come up with solutions by fostering creativity. Providing employees opportunities to offer feedback will further solidify engagement and safety efforts.

Conclusion

Employee engagement can be a powerful tool to improve safety performance and other business measuresEngaging and involving employees will benefit both the employees and businessGet your employees involved and excited about safetyAll phases of program design and implementation should be open to worker participation. Barriers to participation should be removed (such as language barriers), training programs for coworkers and new hires should be held regularly, and constant feedback should be shared with participating employees.

Building a safety culture within an organization is not something that happens suddenly, however. Many workplaces will slowly evolve through each of these phases as they implement new programs and realign their health and safety priorities. Without active participation by all members of an organization, a safety culture will not evolve and the safety management system will not reach its full potential. https://nifs-india.blogspot.com/2020/08/workers-participation-towards-better.html

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