HSE People - Health and Safety Community

HOW BEST CAN YOU CHANGE THE BEHAVIOUR OF SUPERVISORS WHO FEELS SAFETY ON SITE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A SAFETY OFFICER?

Posted on behalf of Sheikh Faisal

Well, first of all educate the supervisor regarding safety is every one responsibility, ask him what kind of disastrous he want to be happen forhis life, then go back to the topic "safety is everyone responsibility" , my experience in arab land regarding my profession when they hear safety they're thinking we're enemy because of enforcing policy of safety is one of our responsibility. and disciplinary action should be taking account to those violators, right me if im wrong it is one element of disciplining people on site.

Posted on behalf of Irwin Poot

Sheikh, you have posed an interesting and vital question for health & safety management.

I think what you are asking about is safety leadership. In some ways this is not just about the first line supervisors but all levels of management right up to the CEO.

I was fortunate enough to work on the construction of the Channel tunnel between England and France. For the first few years the safety record was poor, with several workers killed. The senior management team, including the CEO was replaced. The new team introduced a cascading system of workplace safety inspections. Each month the CEO (yes the CEO) would take one of his managers to part of the site and conduct a safety inspection. In turn each level of management would conduct inspections of their areas with a subordinate. Reports from each visit were made , corrective actions identified and followed up to ensure they were closed out.

Consider that this was a $15 billion project with 20,000 workers. The regular appearance of the CEO and other senior managers at the workface changed the attitude of everyone on site. It demonstrated that risk did not have to be accepted, that it could be identified and controlled and that this was the active wish of the management. It is my belief that this changed the safety culture and behaviour on the project, our accident rates fell away dramatically, although sadly we had to suffer one further fatality.

This is the most dramatic and best example of safety leadership I have seen in my 30 years of work.

Regards

Richard Brown

yes, thats correct to educate first the senior management if they are not yet aware regarding the HSE policy, but anyway, if your Company HSE policy are approved by the senior management, well, there is no excuse not to follow, othewise it is a violation of company policy as well as in legislative. secondly, the management supposedly to give you an enfocement authority. then you can post a disciplinary action to any violators. but you may try the other way, suggest to the management to organise Safety enfocing authority. then assign for example the construction manager, then the site engineers and foreman. and try to post safety reward to any abiding employee. in my part the consultant and the client are more active in HSE policy, maybe because, our project is operational international airport. we must need to elliminate the risk and hazard and of course, contractors site employees must be identified.

Posted on behalf of Irwin Poot

shiek, nice to have a discusiion like this, well , we can share our experience in the line of our profession......

Posted on behalf of Irwin Poot

i m very pleased to get your answer this network was being very bored i am agree with you but what do you think that if management show commitment and after it will take very fast and would be easy for HSE personnels to perform their duties ...

Posted on behalf of Sheikh Faisal

Thanks Richard sorry before posting my idea i could not check your comments both have same ground

Posted on behalf of Sheikh Faisal