Reflecting on Habits: Evaluating Health and Safety Messaging
As the Director of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) at Allnorth, it is crucial for me to regularly reflect on the habits we promote throughout the organization. Our department constantly evaluates which habits serve as reminders for our team members and which ones are new to them across our various operations. Given the ever-changing nature of our work, each week presents unique circumstances related to health and safety. To address this, we issue a weekly HSE Review, focusing on these distinctive aspects. This approach ensures that our messaging remains relevant, while also providing our team members with updates based on our observations and on changes in our environments.
Relevant and Timely Updates: The Importance of Weekly HSE Reviews
Our weekly reviews encompass a range of topics, such as specific observances like the International Day of Mourning or Bell’s "Let's Talk" Day. They cover potential environmental risks due to seasonal nuances, as well as highlight challenges and opportunities identified by trends in health and safety reporting data, such as the need to reduce the risk of hand injuries.
Inclusivity and Resonance: Individual Connections to Safety Messages
It's important to note that not every Weekly HSE Review will resonate with everyone, and that's perfectly acceptable. However, when a team member connects personally with a message, they may share its significance with others in the organization. So collectively, these reviews foster inclusivity because, at some point, the message will resonate by others within the organization.
Inspiring Reflection: Designing Engaging Safety Messaging
The design of our messaging aims to stimulate thoughtful reflection among team members regarding its relevance to their own experiences. This can be achieved through statements, questions, or focused dialogue. We also utilize imagery that complements the messaging to enhance engagement among team members.
Action as a Focus: Promoting Ongoing Health and Safety Dialogue
This year, our health and safety alignment is centered around the theme of "action." We constantly contemplate what taking action entails, how it holds importance, and how it genuinely contributes to establishing a healthy and safe environment. In line with this focus, one of my key actions for this year is the dissemination of a weekly HSE Review. By crafting and delivering this communication to our team members, I actively promote ongoing dialogue surrounding health and safety. This approach goes beyond the regimented messaging from the HSE department, relating to the week's events, and instead encourages team members to foster genuine habits of "Safety In Everything We Do."
Empowering Team Members: Meaningful Conversations and Perspectives
The health and safety conversations among team members have evolved significantly. They have become more interactive and impassioned. Once team members experience these conversations, they actively seek more opportunities to participate and support them, recognizing the value they bring. While not every conversation will resonate with everyone all the time, team members who relate to each communication take the initiative to drive the interaction because it personally resonates with them, prompting them to act and share it with others. Witnessing this transformation has been truly remarkable. Consequently, more team members are stepping up and engaging in these conversations, including those who traditionally felt more comfortable observing from the sidelines.
Beyond Statistics: A Qualitative Review of Actions and Habits
Sustaining the momentum gained over the past 18 months has been an intriguing endeavor. From a statistical standpoint, quantifying progress related to leading and lagging indicators has been relatively straightforward. However, evaluating our "actions" and "habits" goes beyond statistics and requires a qualitative review. The momentum we experience is reinforced by our commitment to "Safety in Everything We Do," not merely out of obligation but because we genuinely want to be engaged in health and safety practices. This desire to actively participate is not only a habit but also stems from recognizing how each team member plays a vital role in safeguarding not only their own well-being but also that of their colleagues. Some of the most meaningful conversations I have had in the past 18 months have been with team members who step forward to express their viewpoints and explain why the message is important to them.
Cultivating a Strong Culture: Measurement of Cultural Impact
Another qualitative aspect we consider is the measurement of our culture. I firmly believe that our culture is robust because our team members feel comfortable speaking up in front of their peers and discussing health and safety from their own perspectives. When each conversation results in a team member taking "action" based on the "habits" we seek to instill, it reflects the care our culture provides for us, as we reciprocate by nurturing and preserving our culture.
Together, we can ensure that consistent safety messaging influences positive behavioral habits throughout our organization.
Your partner in health and safety,
Jonathan Faloon
HSE Director