Improving Occupational Safety Safety Improvement Projects: Good Practices Viola van Guldener, MSc. Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment 3rd International Conference Working on Safety

2 Why Safety Improvement projects? Every week: 2 workplace related deaths in The Netherlands Politics: more ‘tailor-made’, more safety, less detailed regulation Technique – Organisation – Culture Pilot: 20 safety improvement projects –Structural improvement of safety - starting with culture –Decrease accidents by > 10 % –Financial support (€ per project, on average) –Monitor progress –Duration: 2-3 years –Communication of results

3 Business sectorTargeted Reduction Agriculture (6 companies) 10-15% Industry, corrugated cardboard (11 comp.)25% Industry, meat (1 company) 20% Chemical, gas storage (1 company)40% Agriculture ( farms)10% Fire Brigade (1 organisation)20% Industry, fork-lift trucks (1 company) 50% Industry, paper (1 large company)100% Waste processing (1 company)15% Business park, Tilburg (40 companies)10-15% Logistics (1 company)15-45% Construction, concrete (1 company)10-15% Business park, airport (90 companies)10-15% Industry, brewery (1 company)50% Type of projects

4 Safety Culture and Safe behaviour Culture = how we do the things within this company/organisation Three levels –Management –Operational management –Work Force A little bit of theory

5 Why change culture? A little bit of theory (continued) ‘I resist making easy concessions on SHE in favour of production’ 1 Safety Culture Maturity is a Registered Trademark of the Keil Centre Ltd, ‘I accept that injuries are unavoidable in this kind of work’

6 How to change behaviour: a challenge……. A little bit of theory (continued) ‘I know what the change is all about’ ‘I know what is expected of me’ ‘I am aware of the goal of the change project’ ‘I have the skills and materials to do my work’ ‘I do not want to lag behind at this change’ ‘I have to join’ Knowledge Reinforcement Desire Ability Act Awareness

7 Good Practices: Examples from 20 projects taking pictures of working environment and discuss them observation and feedback an accident rate ‘benchmark’ of business units observation and feedback taking care of your colleague (Woodside video) training and education for employees workshops for operational management and top management campaigns training tools on CD-Rom or internet training ‘how to learn from an accident’ training operational management ‘how to address behavioural issues with my employees’ regulation within company incl. ‘sanction policy’ and rewarding, e.g. Safety awards visible commitment of top and operational management + Awareness Knowledge Reinforcement ActDesire Ability

8 Good Practices: Examples from 20 projects

9 KLM Cargo: ‘Safety first’ april 2005 – april 2008 Aim of improvement project: Reducing number of accidents (2003: 50 accidents) ‘1 accident every week is to much!’ KLM Cargo: 2500 employees 10% temporary Good Practices: 1 project: KLM Cargo

10 Cargo Carrier, Mailing home addresses with pictures of working environment, Communication campaign Awareness training employees and management Flyers and communication campaign Tools for operational meetings (toolbox meetings) An accident bulletin board Training How to handle dangerous goods? New personnel training Yearly incentives for ‘best department in safety’ –Sanction policy is not (yet) incorporated Good Practices: 1 project: KLM Cargo ? Act ? Awareness Knowledge Reinforcement ActDesire Ability

11 Experiences from the projects First do the ‘technique’ Management has to be noticeable committed Visualize safety (charts, pictures etc.) Make safety comparable between business units (benchmark, game) Let people think for themselves/respect Fit in with people’s perception of their environment; let them devise their own plans Communicate on the follow-up of incident reports Attention to employees pays back

12 More information on arbeidsveiligheid.szw.nl