Jim Clemmer's Leader Letter

Safety Behaviors to Build a Zero Incident Safety Culture

Executive, Senior Management and Board of Directors

• Ensure personal compliance to meet all Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) standards on and off the job.
  
  
• Take immediate action to correct any substandard conditions or behaviors that are encountered.
  
  
• Create opportunities to send loud and clear messages that reinforce the commitment to working "Incident and Injury-Free".
  
  
• Keep stressing the vision of "Incident and Injury-Free" work with focus on caring for people – employees and contractors - not numbers.
  
  
• Speak often about safety, and when you speak, speak about what is possible in being committed to an "Incident and Injury-Free" worksite.
  
  
• Speak about what it means to you personally.
  
  
• Acknowledge and appreciate individuals and teams who have improved safety performance and attitudes.
  
  
• Make requests of your direct reports that result in more communication regarding safety within the organization.
  
  
• Assess safety performance and activities as part of performance review and bonus allocation.
  
  
• Only promote individuals having proven safety performance.
  
  
• Reinforce that there is a "SAFE ZONE" around safety – anyone can stop any unsafe work without fear of retribution.
  
  
• Make safety discussions part of every meeting.
  
  
• Participate in leading safety training, employee orientations or other safety and health related activities at least once per year.
  
  
• Personally attend and present at recognition venues.
  
  
• When visiting sites, be visible in field, walk around and coach, check compliance, and ask specific questions regarding the use of risk assessments etc. If possible arrange to be present at site safety meetings and speak about your convictions.
  
  
• Ask if risk assessments have been conducted on any significant changes or Approval For Expenditures (AFE's), whether they are technical, administrative or people focused.
  
  
• Personal driving habits follow the rules on and off the job.
  

General, Site, and Project Management, and Site Contractor Management

• Ensure personal compliance to meet all Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) standards on and off the job.
  
  
• Take immediate action to correct any substandard conditions or behaviors that are encountered.
  
  
• Create opportunities to send loud and clear messages that reinforce the commitment to working "Incident and Injury-Free".
  
  
• Keep stressing vision of "Incident and Injury-Free" work with focus on caring for people – employees and contractors - not numbers.
  
  
• Speak often about safety, and when you speak, speak about what is possible in being committed to an "Incident and Injury-Free" worksite.
  
  
• Speak about what it means to you personally.
  
  
• Acknowledge and appreciate individuals and teams who have improved safety performance and attitudes.
  
  
• Make requests of your direct reports that result in more communication regarding safety within the organization. Set the example by requesting updates from the superintendents and foreman prior to other updates.
  
  
• Assess safety performance and activities as part of performance review and bonus allocation.
  
  
• Only promote individuals having proven safety performance.
  
  
• Be the first to take part in new safety training initiatives.
  
  
• Issue at least monthly, a Site Safety Report that has your personal message in it as related to that month's performance.
  
  
• Reinforce that there is a "SAFE ZONE" around safety – anyone can stop any unsafe work without fear of retribution
  
  
• Make safety discussions part of every meeting.
  
  
• Lead by example and be prepared to actively participate.
  
  
• Ask if risk assessments have been conducted on any significant changes whether they are technical, administrative or people focused.
  
  
• Be visible in the field at least weekly:
  
  • Talk to employees and contractors about safety.
    
  • Participate in site safety meetings.
    
  • Participate in worker orientations or inductions.
    
  • Ask for their input on safety and then listen.
    
  • Be involved in safety inspections.
    
  • Perform task observations.
    
  • Coach employees when substandard actions are noticed.
    
  • Ask employees and contractors about the risk assessments they have conducted that day.
    
    
• Communicate the importance of incident investigation:
  
  • Have supervisors explain incidents that happened in their areas of responsibility.
    
  • Report to work force the results of all major incident investigations.
    
    
• Personal driving habits follow the rules on and off the job.
  

First and Second Line Supervision for Company and Contractors

• Ensure personal compliance to meet all Environment Health & Safety (EHS) standards. Lead by example both on and off the job.
  
  
• Take immediate action to correct any substandard conditions or behaviors that are encountered including housekeeping.
  
  
• Create opportunities to send loud and clear messages that reinforce the commitment to working "Incident and Injury-Free".
  
  
• Keep stressing vision of "Incident and Injury-Free" work with focus on caring for people – employees and contractors – not numbers.
  
  
• Speak often about safety, and when you speak, speak about what is possible in being committed to an "Incident and Injury-Free" worksite.
  
  
• Reinforce that there is a "SAFE ZONE" around safety – anyone can stop any unsafe work without fear of retribution.
  
  
• Follow procedures. The supervisor / leadman should be the example on and off the job.
  
  
• Participate in two-way communication with workers and practice active listening. Look the employee in the eye when communicating.
  
  
• Establish personal and group safety contacts at least 3 times during the day – start of shift, during shift and at the end of shift.
  
  
• Promote, train and coach on the current site risk assessment approach (5-Point Safety System, Field Level Risk Assessment, etc).
  
  
• Recognize and reward safe performance.
  
  
• Follow-up on all safety critical jobs to correct, improve as needed and to recognize safe completion.
  
  
• Participate in employee training.
  
  
• Lead safety meetings and hold toolbox meetings at the start of each shift. Communicate results and lessons learned from incident investigations.
  
  
• Perform team risk assessment at least once a day. Every task including the routine provides an opportunity to reinforce the necessity to evaluate every task on every job.
  
  
• Perform safe work observations utilizing task analysis.
  
  
• Ensure every incident is investigated to its root cause.
  
  
• Personal driving habits follow the rules on and off the job.
  

All Employees and Contractors

• Everyone has the responsibility and is empowered to take personal leadership to:
  
  • Ensure personal compliance to meet all Environment Health & Safety (EHS) standards.
    
  • Take immediate action to correct any substandard condition or behaviors.
    
  • Ensure work areas and equipment are in safe condition.
    
  • Ensure that every task/job performed is done safely and with no adverse health consequences.
    
  • Identify, assess, control and report hazards using Field Level Risk Assessment:
    

STOP and THINK
Stop frequently to analyze. Think continuously to anticipate and especially every time something changes.

IDENTIFY THE HAZARD
Ask what could go wrong and anticipate all the possibilities.

ASSESS THE RISKS
Ask how bad could it be? Ask could I be hurt? Ask could others be hurt?

CONTROL THE RISKS
Ask what could I do about it? Take action by changing position, method or get help. Report it to my supervisor.

RESUME WORK

• Safeguard and watch out for co-workers.
  
• Identify new workers and help coach them to learn proper work activities.
  
• Follow established procedures.
  
• Identify and communicate situations where procedures are not adequate or do not exist.
  
• Ask for help if skills, physical capabilities and/or knowledge are not adequate to do the tasks.
  
• Refuse work deemed unsafe and report to your supervisor.
  
  
• Personal driving habits follow the rules on and off the job.

Copyright 2012 � Jim Clemmer and The CLEMMER Group