5 Steps for Running a Successful Safety Climate Survey
A safety climate survey can provide the comprehensive insight you need to make your next best move. From analysing the success of safety initiatives to benchmarking against other organisations, collecting the unbiased perspective of your workforce can be a real game changer.
But the insights you get are only going to be as accurate as the data you collect.
What do we mean by that? Imagine you’re a disgruntled frontline worker who’s tired of raising safety concerns only to see no changes made. It feels like the organisation just doesn’t care. Your supervisor tells you one day that management has said everyone needs to fill out this new safety survey.
He doesn’t tell you why it’s important or even what they’re hoping to achieve with the survey results. You roll your eyes – this is just another tick and flick activity to make it look like they’re doing something, but they never follow through.
If this was your experience, would you take the survey seriously? Would you even take the time to complete it?
There are a lot of safety climate surveys out there, and choosing the right one to suit your organisation’s needs is only part of the challenge. Having a plan, getting the timing right, and making sure the majority of your staff are aware of the survey make all the difference.
So, how can you make sure you get your safety climate survey rollout right? Keep reading to learn our five steps for success.
How to ensure a successful safety climate survey roll out
1. Get leadership buy-in
Before handing out hard copies or sending survey links to people’s inboxes, start by getting leaders across the business on board. For a successful safety climate survey, you need every leadership level (senior, middle and frontline) to understand the commitment involved.
Every organisation’s reason for conducting a safety climate survey is different. Brief your leaders so they’re not only aware of the logistics involved and what’s required of them but also why you’re doing a safety climate survey.
Everyone is busy and has different priorities, so making sure this survey is also seen as a priority is imperative. Senior leaders may respond best if you build a business case. Frontline leaders may be less concerned with ROI and more interested in learning how survey results could improve their day-to-day operations. Tailor the conversation to your audience.
2. Nominate a survey management team
A small group of people should be responsible for the management of the survey process. Those involved in the project should be passionate, committed, familiar with the survey and able to answer any questions that may arise from staff.
Their function includes:
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Depending on how many people are taking the survey (and if it’s hard copy or online), you may also need to train survey coordinators. Their role is to communicate survey instructions, administer the survey (if hard copy), explain the benefits of people having their say and directing questions/concerns to the right places.
3. Choose your timing
A completion rate of 60% or more is needed to obtain representative survey results, so choosing the right time of year to do yours is crucial. We recommend avoiding holiday periods and times when staff have extended leave planned, if possible.
And while your survey shouldn’t be compulsory, encourage staff (who wish to contribute) to do so during work hours. Or, better yet, nominate a specific time (such as during team meetings) to complete it.
Just as important as when you distribute a survey is how long you keep it open for. Too short a time and you may not get enough responses. Too long and it could fall to the bottom of to-do lists.
In our experience, two weeks is the optimal amount of time for employees across different shifts and locations to participate. However, this can be extended slightly depending on your workforce schedule – you know your people best.
4. Getting the word out
You’ve got leadership on board, but now you need to get the wider business on the same page. To reach as many employees as possible, you can’t just rely on email.
Management should be your cheerleaders – issuing casual reminders, encouraging participation and explaining the benefits of taking part in the survey. You can also hang posters and flyers in communal areas. Hand out pre-survey information packs. This is your chance to get creative!
Ideally though, initial communications should come from ‘high up’. This helps demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to the survey and how the initiative aligns with the company’s mission. It’s also an excellent opportunity to thank employees for their participation and contribution.
Don’t know where to start? All Sentis Safety Climate Surveys come with a communication pack. This includes helpful templates to take the guess work out of creating announcement flyers, email invites and reminders. It also has a PDF with even more tips for promoting an assessment in your workplace.
5. Following up
Once you have your survey findings, don’t forget to have leadership report back to employees and close the feedback loop. It’s not necessary to explain every graph, but letting staff know the top takeaways and what the company’s next steps are goes a long way in developing trust.
A successful safety climate survey rollout doesn’t just happen – it requires advocacy and planning. And as with all things, communication is key. Employees are the people whose perspectives you want to hear, so bringing them along for the journey is the most important step of all.
If you’re looking to administer a quality safety climate survey fast, explore our new Positive Safety Benchmark Express now.