How To Successfully Instil Safety Culture In The Workplace

Safety culture in the workplace is more than just rules, regulations, and safety notices. A proper workplace safety culture requires close collaboration between employees and managers. When successfully instilled, a great safety culture can benefit the business greatly in terms of employee health and well-being.

However, many workplaces have much to learn in terms of developing a safety culture that can achieve the intended effects. This is due to the fact that it can be confusing to get started on instilling a safety culture in the workplace.

With that said, let’s look at some ways a safety culture can be implemented in workplaces for the benefit of all hands.

 

Clear, safe communication channels

Employees spend the majority of their time working on the ground. They are often the first to spot risks and hazards in the workplace and one of the first lines of defence against workplace injury and accidents.

One common hindrance to a robust safety culture is the need for more confidence in the reporting channels available to employees and the fear of ostracism should they take the step forward to voice out their concerns.

Objective and supportive communication channels that workers can trust are crucial to the foundation of a good safety culture. When employees feel confident and are encouraged to voice out any safety concerns, efforts can be made to rectify the identified issues and improve the workplace.

 

Safety metrics and incentives

Safety metrics tied to an incentive programme can encourage employees to follow safety practices and hence promote a safety culture. Common metrics such as days without incident can work in favour of improved workplace safety.

Choosing to reward staff for safety behaviour often works better than implementing deterrence. This is due to the presence of incentives and, in turn, encouragement that can go a long way toward building a safety culture that rewards everyone involved.

 

Continued learning and education

A great way to increase the knowledge of safety awareness would be to equip your employees with the proper skills to identify, report, and rectify any safety hazards present in the workplace.

With proper training and education, your workers may find themselves much more attentive to their surroundings and feel more confident in rectifying and reporting hazards. With the number of industry-specific safety courses such as safe lifting operations and AWSHPP courses in Singapore, the continued education and learning that your employees can undertake for the purpose of safety improvements will surely bring great benefits.

 

Conclusion

A safety culture matters more than ever with the increasing pace of industries worldwide, whether you are promoting safety in big crane operations or process plants. With the right courses from the right vendors, you, too, can start instilling a proper safety culture in your workplace.

Wong Fong Academy is one such vendor dedicated to the continuous improvement of businesses, big and small, through the power of knowledge. With a vision to lead continued education in Singapore and a solid library of courses to take, we take things one step further with regular liaison with regulatory bodies to bring relevant, useful, and up-to-date knowledge.