Here’s a company where the safety program is built around employee involvement.
The Ruhlin Company, headquartered near Akron, Ohio, has 350 employees who work on a variety of construction projects. Safety director Ryan Nicholson says the company’s safety program is built around employee involvement. Workers have to feel some kind of ownership in the program, he says. “They want their voice to be heard.
Incentive Program with a Twist
One strategy Nicholson uses for building ownership is an incentive program. But, unlike programs that reward days worked without an accident (which can lead to injuries), this program rewards involvement.
“Every month we give away a first prize of $100 and a second prize of $50, which can be won by people who submit safety suggestions or report hazards,” Nicholson explains.
- One winning employee took the initiative to lay caution tape in an area of a construction site where he feared that unstable overhead rock might harm co-workers.
- Another worker identified a bad wire rope choker (part of a rigging apparatus) hanging in such a way that someone could grab it and sustain an injury.
Nicholson says that about 90 percent of hazards are eliminated on the spot by the individual who identifies them. Others are brought to the attention of a supervisor and/or someone who can fix a problem the employee can’t.
Involvement in the program is shared companywide in a monthly print and e-mail safety update.
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Getting a Safe Start
Another tool in the Ruhlin safety toolbox is a program known as SafeStart. Developed by a Canadian company in 1975, the safety training system has been used by diverse industries around the world.
It is based on studies that found that 85 to 95 percent of accidental acute injuries were caused by people making one or more of four critical errors:
- Mind not on task
- Eyes not on task
- Being in, or getting in, the line of fire
- Losing balance, traction, or grip
- Ability
When they made these critical errors, people were in one of four states:
- Rushing
- Frustration
- Fatigue
- Complacency
SafeStart teaches techniques to help reduce the risk of injury in any situation—at work, at home, or on the road.
“We started in 2011,” says Nicholson, “and I think it has made an impact on how people think. It goes back to encouraging safety no matter where you are.”
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Positive Employee Response
Employees have responded positively to many of the safety practices at The Ruhlin Company. There is one practice that has attracted some controversy, however.
If an employee has been written up for a safety violation, the company sends a letter to the employee’s family. “We let them know that their loved one was acting unsafely today, and we wanted them to know,” says Nicholson.
Although the letters have led to some grumbling, Nicholson believes that they serve an important purpose—getting employees to think hard about their behavior and avoid unsafe acts.
Nicholson sums up the company’s approach to safety by quoting his boss. “Jim Ruhlin tells our employees, ‘We pay you to work safely. We don’t pay you to get the job done faster and cheaper.'”