Dedicated safety discussions were in full swing at company sites in North America this summer as part of efforts to supercharge an already intense focus on working safely.
Kicked off by general managers in June, the discussions reinforced safety as a top priority and core value and emphasized the responsibility of every employee to work safely and hold themselves and others accountable for their actions.
“The whole purpose was to generate conversations around safety, around what our expectations are, and the need for all of us to be accountable for our safe production results,” said Josh Olmsted, President and Chief Operating Officer-Americas.
Discussions included the distribution of safety commitment cards for employees to sign and carry as a reminder of the importance and expectation to work safely. The card outlines how all employees and leaders should approach work every job, every day.
“Holding ourselves and others accountable for safe production is how we’re going to deliver on safe production,” said Stacey Koon, Vice President-Corporate Health and Safety. “The card is a simple way to help employees understand our expectations for working safely while also reinforcing that safe production matters to the work we do every day.”
The recommitment to safety seems to have produced early results. June was the best month of the year in terms of reportable incidents. And the overall number of high-risk events decreased in the second quarter. Unfortunately, the third quarter has seen an increase in the number of reportable incidents and high-energy events, emphasizing the need for continued diligence in this area, Olmsted said.
“The work we’ve been doing over time and our focus on safety and being accountable for our actions has been key and is starting to deliver results,” Olmsted said. “For me, the roll-out of safety discussions and the distribution of commitment cards was a milestone on our journey to improve safety performance, but we still have a way to go and can’t let up.”
In addition to the card, sites received hard hat stickers as a visual reminder to work safely every day. Some even went as far as enlarging the card to poster size for signing by team members.
Corporate office employees also engaged in similar discussions to understand and support site efforts as part of shared commitment to safe production.
“As administrative functions, it’s our job to support site efforts to prioritize safety and improve performance,” said Steve Higgins, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. “Whether in the office or out in the field, the objective and mindset to put safety above all else should be the same.”