Developing a Safety Culture Mindset in the Construction Industry
Developing a Safety Culture Mindset and Tips for People Starting Out in the Safety Industry w/ Bradley Gassman
Some companies simply have a culture of safety built-in. You go out onto a job site, and there’s no tolerance for unsafe behavior. Sure, bad things sometimes happen. That’s life. But safety isn’t “luck.” It’s a mindset. So, with that in mind (pardon the pun), how do organizations build and maintain a culture of safety?
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Want to watch the video on YouTube? CLICK HERE.
I believe that a great way to start is to encourage a change in thinking, which will ultimately lead to a change in behavior. Here are five sets of questions that I hope might challenge old ways of thinking.
1. Are there some people on your team who view safety as something that they’re forced to comply with?
If so, what can you personally do to shift their thinking so that they feel that they have a shared ownership in safety?
2. Does anyone on your team sometimes believe that people are the problem?
If so, what can you do to make them see that the process is the solution?
3. What safety measures do you have in place that are reactive?
If you can identify some, how can you transform them to being preemptive?
4. How effective are your systems that are supposed to encourage feedback and involvement?
If they’re not particularly effective, what can you do to solicit both positive and critical responses from your team so that you can grow together?
5. Has your company done tons of employee safety training, and yet unsafe behavior still persists?
If so, what non-training factors (e..g organizational and leadership factors) might be undermining your training?
In a recent episode of “The True Safety Podcast with Apolonia Rockwell,” I explore what it takes to build and maintain a culture of safety. My guest is Bradley J. Gassman, the safety director of Associated General Contractors (AGC). In the episode, he talks about what has made him successful at safety.
One pearl of wisdom that Bradley mentioned is how he insisted on being in the field as much as possible. He’d do paperwork and administrative tasks early in the morning or late in the day, and the bulk of the day, he’d walk around job sites. He’d pay attention. He’d talk to people. He’d learn how things were being done. Then, he’d ask himself a simple yet brilliant question:
How can I incorporate safety into this?
In another part of the episode, Bradley gives some advice to people starting out in the safety industry. Here’s a quick summary of some of his helpful suggestions.
Read your company's safety and health manual. Make sure you understand it front to back.
If you want to build respect and relationships with your coworkers, consider standing at the gate every night. Then say goodbye to every single craftsperson that walks off the job site.
In the field, ask questions. Don’t be just the safety cop that points things out to people. Learn what people do by asking them what they’re doing and why. https://youtu.be/050NqsxBHLQ
Safety can change your company but you may have to work on changing the culture of your company first before seeing that happen. If you want help knowing the best ways to improve the quality of your safety program, we’d love to talk with you. You can schedule a call with our team by clicking here.
True Safety Services is a safety training and consulting company based in Greeley, Colorado. The True Safety team has worked with oil and gas, construction, and a variety of other companies around the US and have helped them to improve their safety programs through world-class virtual safety training as well as helping safety managers and owners improve their safety programs through hands on solutions and consulting.
To schedule a no-pressure meeting with the True Safety team to learn how you can get less incidents through a more engaged safety program, schedule a call here.
The Importance of A Safety Mindset - The True Safety Podcast
Seth Silvers March 26, 2021
Does Your Mindset Impact Your Job?
This week on The True Safety Podcast, we talk about how no matter what job you have, your mindset is everything. Listen on our podcast or watch on our YouTube channel.
In our experience, incidents usually don’t have to do with training, they are a result of culture. Your culture at your company is a direct result of the mindset your workers bring to work.
In this episode, we talk about the following;
Why soft skills aren’t enough when it comes to safety
Why your mindset in your personal life translates too your mindset at work
How mindset is a necessity for everyone: CEO’s, managers, field workers
Apolonia’s story and when she realized mindset was essential.
You can listen to the episode below or watch the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/qaWtYIuBG98
