دانلود رایگان مقاله ایجاد یک سازمان آگاه ایمنی و تعداد نیروی کار

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND PERFORMANCE AT WORK — IS IT A JUGGLING ACT?

There is often a distinct trade-off between performance and safety that is present in many organizations. The upper echelons of organizations are staunch in their approach to safety: Safety IS First! However, the vast majority of the time this message is poorly translated as it makes it way to the ‘shop room floor’. This first became abundantly clear to me from a consulting project for a major Oil and Gas company. In discussions with upper level executives and managers, I routinely heard the message that safety IS first and foremost — always! However, when I held similartalks with employees who worked on the oil rigs, I found that they heard the corporate message, Safety IS First, butthe actual message they more readily heard and followed was from their immediate supervisor. The immediate supervisor’s message was a more daily message and can be encompassed in two words: ‘hurry up’. If you were in such shoes, what would you do? You are on the job to perform at a high rate and are rewarded (e.g., continual employment, financial bonus) for completing assigned tasks in as short of a period as possible. Do you ‘hurry up’ as suggested by your immediate supervisor or do you follow safety protocol that upper management supports? If you are the manager, what would you be telling your employees? This isthe dilemma thatisfaced by many employees and managers. As a manager, how can you strive for high performance and high safety and health for yourself and for your employees?

MOVING TOWARD ACTION

With the knowledge that you have gained, what would you do to balance the performance of individuals, groups, and the organization with safety and health in this organization? There are several issues that come to mind for different organizational agents: What should top management do? - Continue to emphasize safety and make sure the emphasis is carried all the way to the shop-room floor, so to speak - Demonstrate and motivate employees for a safety conscious workforce What should middle and lower level management do? - Follow top management’s lead and emphasize safety along with performance - Identify tasks that are critical to safety - Create context specific safety climates to deal with specific safety-sensitive tasks - Reward and appraise for safety - Create a safety conscious workforce What should front line employees do? - Assist management in identifying safety issues - Support colleagues when safety is pertinent - Take initiatives for own personal health and safety What should HR do? - Make sure policies are in place that align with a safety conscious workforce - Assist all employees with safety needs and training - Collect and analyze safety trends to meet safety needs of the organization - Lead the development of a safety conscious workforce movement Taken together in a framework like this, organizations should be able to confidently put up large signs reporting that they have achieved hundreds of accident free days.