Zero Accident Culture

As Seen In

WasteAdvantage
The Advantage in the Waste Industry

Achieving Zero: Optimizing and Leveraging Talent

John Wayhart

Are you using your A teAm effectively?

When you think about that coveted corner office and what the day of a CEO or senior leader is like, I bet the following words come to mind: sales, production, revenue, board meetings, important client relationships, long-term planning, etc. Workplace safety probably doesnt make the list, but it should. As the individual responsible for safety at your organization, you may not be using all of the plays in your playbook to produce the kind of winning results a Zero Accident Culture (ZAC) workplace achieves. Your MVP is right down the hall, in that corner office.

your senior leaders is the missing link to taking your safety program to the next level and improving the frequency and severity of workplace accidents.

Follow the Leader

Lets face it; the best Safety Director in every company is the CEO. Why? Because true leadership creates followership. Let me explain the impact leadership can have on safety efforts through one of my favorite examples. Paul ONeill, former CEO of Alcoa and Secretary Treasurer, revolutionized the role and responsibility of a CEO in regards to safety. His first days in office were spent in the operations visiting every Alcoa plant in the U.S. and throughout Europe. What he focused on were the people of Alcoa. He would talk to everyone, participate on safety committees, offer advice and counsel upon request. ONeill understood that the more he understood workplace safety, the better he was able to make an impact on the organization. He asked for daily safety reports from around the world, he tracked lost workdays due to injuries, and required managers to take part in weekly companywide conference calls describing what theyve learned and how they were to eliminate work injury at their plant. ONeill has stated, The role of leadership is to select the right goal and then drive the organization toward it by every means available. Finding the right

The Missing Link

Have you ever sat down and discussed your companys safety goals with your CEO? Do your senior leaders spend any time studying the results of workplace safety? How do they actively participate in your companys safety efforts? Would safety records improve if your CEO placed greater emphasis on it? Oftentimes in business, safety and accident prevention become delegated responsibilities. In some cases, these topics arent even talked about outside of the person who is responsible for managing them. Getting leadership involved in safety efforts may feel uncomfortable because you dont want to bother them with something you see as your responsibility. Well, youre not doing your job if you dont use their influence to your advantage. Involvement of

Figure 1: Sample of ZAC job descriptions, duties and accountability.

Figure courtesy of John Wayhart.

CEO
Go on a safety observation tour Send a companywide letter recognizing the value of employees and how important their safety means to the company and to their family Create safety expectations for all direct reports Find ways to be involved in workplace safety initiatives (i.e. attend a safety meeting every once in a while) Help celebrate success

CFO
Create a financial scorecard (KPIs) for workplace safety and related costs Learn more about the companys Experience Modification Factor and its alignment to success; set goals Budget for safety initiatives Understand the connection between workplace safety and employee wellness in negotiating insurance renewals. Measure success and opportunities to improve Celebrate success

COO
Embrace your role as most active role model of workplace safety Expect, demand and recognize excellence in workplace safety Evaluate safety record and initiatives implemented regarding performance-based compensation Include safety in production meetings Recognition of individual, department or company success

HR Director
Interviewing techniques to include safety and behavioral based questions During interview explain the importance of workplace safety Regularly discuss workplace safety and employee fitness/wellness initiatives. New employee orientation evaluate the process and acceptance of workplace safety and how the new employee is performing Find ways to motivate and celebrate success

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WasteAdvantage Magazine November 2011

As Seen In
achieving Zero: optimizing and Leveraging talent
goal is very hard. It should involve the complete eliminationand I mean down to zeroof an important problem. Anything less is just negotiating failure at the margins. I wholeheartedly agree. And I hope you do as well. When employees see that their leader cares about safety, and therefore their wellbeing, they become engaged. Suddenly, safety becomes much more important to everyone and the result of this is a game changer.

WasteAdvantage

Get in the Game

While it would be fantastic if every CEO or senior leader understood the impact they could have on workplace safety, sometimes its not top of mind like it was for ONeil. Its the Safety Directors role to coach the senior leaders to get in the game and get involved. I guarantee your senior leaders would be up to the challenge if it was brought to their attention. Most leaders enjoy getting involved when they are called upon to solve a problem or help their business improve. Figure 1, page 32 outlines a number of opportunities to present to your senior leadership team members to get them involved.

Predict. Prevent. Prosper.

It would be worth your while to schedule a couple meetings and take just a few minutes to explain the impact your organizations leaders could have on reducing the frequency and severity of workplace accidents. As a result of senior leadership involvement, your organization will discover the following benefits: Improved employee engagement and morale leading to better customer service Safer production, greater efficiency and improved ROI

Enhanced employee wellness (safety + fitness = The Advantage in the Waste Industry employee wellness) Because of the relationship Better relationships, improved two-way between leaders and followers. communication and Think about this: accessibility 15 percent of the population Lower workers compensation costs, more will follow an idea because they competitive insurance rates think its a good idea and options 40 percent will follow that idea You have the resources when it becomes a rule or law at your fingertips to make a difference in your work environment and impact employees both professionally and personally. Stay tuned for next months article which will go into more detail on creating and setting goals to reduce workplace accidents. | WA John Wayhart is a Senior Vice President at Assurance Agency, Ltd. (Schaumburg, IL). With more than 29 years in the insurance and risk management industry, his expertise lies in providing solutions for a wide range of businesses including the waste and recycling industry. In 1989, John trademarked the Zero Accident Culture and continues to teach, coach and mentor this process to help drive down the cost of risk to improve operational effectiveness and financial results. John can be reached at (847) 463-7161 or e-mail jwayhart@assuranceagency.com.

Why does the CEO or leader of a company have such an impact?

2011 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.

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WasteAdvantage Magazine November 2011