2010 SAFETY INTERVENTION

INTERVENTION Definition: ~ To get involved to prevent an action Go over the definition of intervention --- Ask for participation about intervention. When was the last time you intervened about safety? With your co-workers? With your children? With your friends? With your wife? How about with people you don’t know? Talk about intervention with you spouse or loved one or children at home or wherever. Safety is a very important process that we deal with in every aspect of our life.

Purpose of Intervention § Watch over each other § Let others know I care § Prevent an unsafe act So what is our purpose for intervention and why have we made it our safety emphasis? We want to create an atmosphere of caring by intervening so others can see. Actively caring will push behavior in the right direction. Modify our attitudes and intervening with others is something that we will do naturally

Your daily reminder: I do not have the right to take a short cut or perform an unsafe act on the job when it involves other people. This is a daily reminder that each one of us should adopt before we come to work each day or whatever we do. It is a statement that should remind us of what responsibility we have to one another. Recite the statement and take a short pause in case someone has something to say.

Reasons for Unsafe Acts ➲ Convenience ➲ Others do it ➲ Nothing has ever happened ➲ No one really cares !!! The number one reason why people commit unsafe acts is because of convenience. What is the definition of “convenience”? Talk about a correlation between “convenience stores” and Walmart. They are fast and easy but they will cost you more, the same as an unsafe act. Co-workers do it all the time and we see them get away with it. Maybe we have been lucky. So many times we do not think far enough ahead about the consequences of risk taking. Nothing has ever happened is just an “cop out.” We need to care about ourselves as well as others. No one really cares!!! Ask around and see who cares. Ask someone if their wife or children care if they perform an unsafe act. What can your friends do if something happens? Are they going to take care of your family or be there to take care of you or your home chores? Maybe for a little while.

Ability to Intervene ¶ Have courage (absence of fear) ¶ Care about your co-workers ¶ Focus on the situation, not the person Every person has certain abilities they can exhibit. Most abilities are measured physically, but being able to intervene requires mental abilities, and typically we don’t like to use them. You will take on the role of a CHANGE AGENT. The process of intervention will not be instantaneous. It will not be easy nor something you will like to do. It will take an effort to step forward. GO OVER EACH BULLET AND ADD BRIEF COMMENT to each point. These are not abilities we use everyday. We will have to adjust our sense of human nature. BUT, the outcome and consequences will make a difference in your safety and others.

Pitfalls of Intervention Takes you out of your comfort zone Negative reaction from co-worker(s) That’s my supervisor’s job or safety contacts’ job The Pitfalls of Intervention will always be present. GO OVER EACH BULLET AND COMMENT Comfort Zone – this presents a risk of involvement Negative reaction – I don’t want the person to dislike me. Confrontation could make things worse Not my job – Maybe someone else will do it, or safety since they are on the job everyday, but they can’t be everywhere all the time so we must have everyone take a part in the process The more you intervene, the more comfortable it becomes. When you automatically intervene, you will not view the pitfalls as real issues.

Intervention Process Be positive & open with the person Tell the person what you observed Have a conversation, talk about the situation. Here is the process of intervention. The steps are simple BUT effective. You take the right approach and the person will not feel threatened. Go over each of the steps and give a brief explanation.

Step up to the Plate Realize the impact of non-intervention Lead by example Be receptive to intervention Encourage others to intervene There is a next step in the intervention process. You cannot intervene one time and think that is all it takes. One must realize the impact of non-intervention, and the results will usually not be good. It will take a continuous effort to make this happen. There will be times when you will not be effective and some may not care no matter how many times you intervene. This can be like a pyramid effect – 2 do it, then 4 do it, then 8 do it, etc. You also have to be receptive. It is a natural reaction for someone to retaliate when you catch them doing something unsafe. That is not a bad thing. Encouraging others sets a good example for other to follow and shows you have an interest in others’ safety. Eventually the intervention process becomes a mindset.

Outcome of Intervention Reduce the approach to risk taking Create a safer workforce Have a more interconnected workforce Each action we take on the jobsite should have and typically has an outcome. We want the outcome to be positive. We must reduce our approach to risk taking to reduce the likelihood of incident The outcome of intervention will be an effectual change in the mindset of the workforce. The more we intervene the safer the workforce becomes. The more involved we become the better the safety process becomes. We become more personally responsible for our safety and our co-workers To be more effective we must be the “Change Agent.”

“Intervention is one step toward accident prevention” SAFETY INTERVENTION Closing “Intervention is one step toward accident prevention” Employee intervention is only one fundamental in achieving our goal of zero injuries. Most individuals do not intervene unless they have witnessed or been part of a significant event. I am asking for each individual to do there part. We need to create a culture where we are willing to give and receive an intervention in a positive manner. 11

Intervention Reminder The Infinity Group TELL Me! Safety Intervention Process We have made a sticker for the hard hat that reminds everyone that see it that I am receptive to safety intervention. The sticker can be tailored to meet your company perferences. The sticker was identified in a meeting about three years from a company in Florida. Everyone agreed to keep the color and the wording “Tell Me” the same so anyone who saw it would know what the sticker meant.