Office Workers Do Impact Safety Performance

True or False - in high hazard industries it is much safer to work in an office than in the production areas?

I was in a meeting with an operations leadership team of a global transport firm. One of the team members expressed concerns about engaging her teams in safety. Her people are office based. "How do I get my people interested in safety?" she queried.

It was a great question and one that is fairly common across all industries. The mental image many people have of safety is a hard hat, gloves and goggles. Certainly, office people don't face the types of risks that hurt people. They aren't on the floor or in the field. We won't get one of those injuries.

Office folks do face operational risks, the hazards, however, are different to those found in operational areas. Controlling those hazards is important and involves employee engagement. But beyond these tactical challenges, office workers can have strategic impact on safety. In fact, many office people can affect worker safety for decades into the future. Here's where 'office people' can play a critical role in keeping employees safe... 

Bean counters matter - The approach that the finance and accounting function takes can impact safety both immediately and long term.   The ability to balance safety with financial outcomes is critical. If the approach is, "we can't spend money on safety," it will send reverberations across the organization. Best in class companies allow leaders to spend capital (prudently) on safety improvements. A financial performance review that includes safety metrics (up front in the deck) is a powerful statement for the organization. An actual review of those safety metrics with the same rigor as other financial metrics will go even further.

Marketing matters - Marketing ultimately affects what a firm does, where and why. Reviews of offers and changes in demand from a safety perspective are critical in keeping people safe. Some questions to ask include, "Will anything affect the health of our workers? Are we changing the pace of work or the nature of activities?" 

Procurement decisions have lasting impact. Ensuring the right specifications for new capital expenditure will positively impact safety for years to come. Procurement should be asking about incremental safety features and the value those bring to the organization. Proper safety and design oversight will help bring inherently safer designs into the workplace. Also, Procurement and Safety should work together during final design reviews and pre-start up authorization. 

Supply Chain impacts upon safety.  Establishing supplier safety expectations starts with Procurement. Is the contractual language inclusive of safety considerations? Has safety been involved in assessing the risks of the work and contractor ability to manage those risks? Are there safety targets to review with suppliers? All of these activities impact safety.

Human Resources should be safety's best friend. If you desire to change and sustain your organization's safety culture, enlist HR to help. Applying HR's expertise in organization design, recognition, hiring and performance review is critical. 

By the way, office environments in high hazard industries tend to have, on average, higher total recordable injury rates than operating environments in the same firms. So, the statement is false.