Why don’t Employees Respond to Safety Culture Intervention: Finding Solutions within

Description

Page: 428-432

Harbans Lal (Department of Psychology, SNDT Women’s University, Director-Forum of Behavioural Safety, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Safety culture intervention (SCI) revolves around 3As: awareness, analysis, and action which are essentially interdependent for its success in achieving increased employee participation in safety culture. However, the question often arises among corporations as to why don’t employees respond to SCI? Is it that managers of employees don’t reinforce the SCI? In this regard, this study’s findings indicate the following seven factors: the managers don’t visit the site for the safe care of people, the philosophy of corporate safety culture can be questioned, company is focusing more on production targets than safety implementation, minimum safety culture implementation is carried out, the reactive /dependent safety culture is being practiced, project timelines are delayed and lacking safety reinforcements. These seven factors are inter-connected and drive the non-participation and non-responsiveness of employees in safety culture initiatives of their companies. These observations unquestionably impact the corporates’ business sustainability in the interest of their stakeholders. This article is part of a longitudinal national action survey including field visits to nearly 100 project site locations in India and interactions with more than a sample of 600 managers presented the qualitative data categorized here into seven themes. These factors do reflect the corporate mindset of safety culture. Managers need to be aware of and understand the interactive nature of these safety culture drivers. Besides several suggestions, the daily safety conversations, and spot-corrections by employees/ workers in their work areas would make a deeper sense in building a positive and supportive safety culture.