As a safety director, manager, or business owner, do you often feel that it's you against the employees  when it comes to safety? Do you want your employees to feel ownership and responsibility for not just their safety, but for everyone else's? 

This is where the DuPont Bradley Curve is helpful. It's a tool to help businesses shift their employees from following safety protocol because it's what is required, to a place where everyone from the top down is actively participating in the safety culture of the organization. Obviously, anytime someone is practicing safety is a positive, but it's even better if people are following protocol because they have a genuine desire to keep themselves and their coworkers safe. 

December is upon us and it’s time to look at your safety program for 2018. With everything you’ve accomplished in 2017, what is going to move your program forward for 2018? 

When I managed a fast growing company earlier in my career, goal setting made a crucial impact on the success. It forced me to look much further out into the future, envision where the company could go and create how we were going to get there. No matter where you are today with your safety program, moving your program forward is key to lowering workers’ compensation claims, improving employee safety IQ and having active participation in developing safety culture.

 Let’s look at 3 steps to consider when putting the 2018 goals and plans together.

Why would a big corporation’s safety culture model have any relevance to safety in Agriculture?  If you are not familiar with the DuPont Bradley Curve, I strongly suggest learning more about it as it can shape how you think about safety first and its effect on productivity, quality of work, the work environment and profitability. The Bradley Curve shows an evolution of an organization's safety culture. This model allows you to place your organizations' culture along the curve and give insights to the vision of zero injuries. 

It’s not uncommon to hear people say, “we are totally on board with safety training”, however their second statement is “but we can’t seem to get around to it”.  At the heart of this is procrastination. We all do it to some degree: putting off for tomorrow what should be started today.  We try to put things out of our minds but usually end up carrying the load subconsciously.

Whether you have a robust Safety Training program in place, or realize that you must get one started very soon, it can be helpful to establish your core objectives at the beginning of each year.  Here are some considerations:

Grain bin entrapments are preventable if we follow the right procedures for entering a confined space such as a grain bin. U.S. grain stocks are at an all-time high, we are producing, moving, and storing more grain than anytime in US history.  It stands to reason engulfments, injuries and fatalities may rise if we don’t make a constant commitment to basic safety measures.

Compared to other industries, farm work is the most dangerous of all. Every year, more than 480 people in the US are killed performing ag-related jobs. Hundreds more are seriously injured. According to OSHA, it is the employer’s responsibility to evaluate the workplace and ensure a risk-free environment.

5 STEP PLAN  -  MOST SECCESSFUL PROGRAMS HAVE AT LEAST THESE 5 ELEMENTS TO THEIR PLAN:

When you’re that “person” responsible for servicing or maintaining a piece of equipment, you want “peace of mind” knowing that nobody could or any situation could accidently startup that equipment while you’re working on it. The consequences of unexpected startup or a release of energy to employees can result in irreversible damage such as electrocution, crushing, cutting, burns, amputation and yes even death. Every employer must protect their employees with a LOTO program that ensures their safety. A LOTO program is not complicated to develop and implement, in fact there is plenty of help from OSHA and other sources to help you implement a program to protect your employees and your business.