In his 5 Levels of Leadership talk, John Maxwell raises an interesting point. A mainline train with fifty wagons can run through a reinforced concrete wall, yet the same train dead still can be prevented from moving by a 5cm block of metal.
Think about the small metal blocks that are stopping you from getting your safety record train running and the habits you need to get into and stay motivated. If you are a small enterprise owner that doesn’t have the resources to purchase an expensive online package here are five simple habits to make safety “go live” and get momentum in your business.
- Create a “State of the Nation” Board
Buy a notice board and put it up in the smoko room. Get people to write where they are going to be for the day, have a space for your team to write up defects, display a monthly safety theme and have your HSE safety manual with all the required forms nearby.
- Hold regular site Toolbox/ Tailgate Meetings
Have pre-hole punched one page meeting templates in a ring binder – bonus points if you have a batch of HSE forms ready to be filled in, if required. Get your apprentice/newest employee to fill the form out while you hold the meeting – this means that your “newest hazard” will be forced to pay attention. Then put the completed form in the back of the folder.
- Hold monthly full site meetings
Hold a monthly team meeting on the first Monday of every month and keep it simple. I like the reflect/ project/ ‘open mic’ format.
a) Talk about what you did that month – review any incidents, share client feedback, ask if there is any PPE or defective equipment that needs to be replaced.
b) Talk about what is planned next month – new projects, new hazards, scheduled training and introduce the safety theme for this month.
c) Open mic means just that – ask your team if there is anything they want to say, or anything that they think you need to know.
Again, get a newbie to fill out the meeting form and put it in the ring binder, then file all last months forms back at the office.
- Do monthly vehicle checks
After your monthly meeting get the team to inspect their vehicles. Are they fully stocked? Is all the safety equipment and PPE in place? Is the vehicle admin up to date (think road user charges). If you want to change it up get each person to inspect someone else’s vehicle and see what they notice.
The time spent doing the meeting and checking the vehicles will more than be recovered when you don’t have to drive back to base to pick something up that has been forgotten or simply run out.
- Be the change you want to see
Finally, the key thing if you want to “get real” about safety is to “Be the change you want to see” Mahatma Gandhi. If you are the leader, you need to model behaviour and make sure that you don’t walk past problems or potential problems. If you want other people to fill out forms and report things you need to do the same. Hold everyone including you accountable for getting your safety train moving.
Have a great February and if you have anything to add, send your ideas on what works email sarah@employmenow.co.nz.