Workplace Safety: Shifting from "Safety First" to "Safety Always"

Workplace safety is a critical concern for all organizations, regardless of their size or industry. With the emergence of psychological and psychosocial health and safety in recent years, there have been significant shifts in the risk profile for many organizations worldwide. In today's volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, people and businesses often find themselves doing more with less, which can contribute to psychosocial risks. Therefore, it is essential that we begin to view safety from a more holistic perspective.

In this article, we explore the history of the "Safety First" movement, the limitations of this approach, the concept of "Safety Always," and the benefits it can bring to individuals and organisations, providing you with food for thought as you consider your safety journey.

This article does not aim to criticise the "Safety First" movement in any way. It has undoubtedly benefited numerous individuals and organizations over time. However, as with anything, we cannot continue to repeat the same actions and expect different outcomes—that would be the definition of insanity. The approaches that worked in the past and brought us to our current state may not necessarily be effective now. That's why it's essential to adopt a growth mindset, leverage the research that has and continues to be undertaken and continually challenge the status quo in the pursuit of finding more efficient and effective ways of doing things that meet our present and future needs.

The History of "Safety First"

The "Safety First" movement had its roots in the early 20th century when industrialisation and urbanisation led to significant growth in the manufacturing, mining, and railroad sectors. As these industries rapidly expanded, so did the number of workplace incidents, injuries, and fatalities. In response to these rising concerns, the "Safety First" movement emerged to promote the importance of workplace safety and encourage employers to take necessary precautions to protect their workers.

Over the years, the "Safety First" approach has contributed to reducing workplace incidents and injuries, raising awareness about the importance of safety in the workplace.

The Limitations of "Safety First"

While the "Safety First" approach has undeniably led to improvements in workplace safety over the years, we are starting to see some potential downfalls associated with this mindset:

1. Complacency: Focusing on meeting minimum safety standards can lead to complacency among employees and management, creating a false sense of security. This complacency can result in overlooking potential hazards or failing to recognise the need for continuous improvement in safety practices.
2. Reactive Approach: The "Safety First" mindset often emphasises addressing safety issues as they arise rather than proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks. This reactive approach can increase incidents and injuries, as hazards may not be addressed until after an incident.
3. Can create unrealistic/unbalanced expectations: While safety is undoubtedly important, the "Safety First" approach can sometimes lead organisations to prioritise safety to the detriment of other essential factors, such as productivity, efficiency, or innovation, creating an unbalanced focus which may hinder the organisation's overall growth and success. The flip side of this is that organisations that claim to have a "Safety First" focus but don't put safety first before productivity etc., can have detrimental impacts on their overall workplace culture, with employees seeing the "Safety First" slogan as simply lip service and that the company are not really serious about safety.
4. Short-term Focus: "Safety First" can sometimes result in a short-term focus on immediate safety concerns rather than fostering a long-term commitment to creating and maintaining a safe work environment. This short-term perspective may lead to inconsistent safety practices and a lack of sustained improvement.
5. Lack of Employee Engagement: The "Safety First" approach can sometimes be perceived as a top-down mandate, with employees being told to prioritise safety without being given the tools, training, or opportunities to contribute to safety improvements. This can lead to a lack of employee engagement and ownership in the safety process, making it difficult to sustain long-term safety improvements.

Introducing "Safety Always"

"Safety Always" is a proactive, inclusive, and holistic approach that emphasises the continuous improvement of safety measures and practices and integrates safety into everything everyone in the organisation does, often without talking about safety.

A "Safety Always" Culture goes beyond mere compliance with safety regulations, encouraging community cultures, integrated employee experiences, and employees and management to prioritise safety in every decision and action they take while also recognising the importance of balancing safety with other key factors such as innovation and productivity.

Benefits of a "Safety Always" Culture

1. Enhanced Employee Engagement: Employees who feel that the organisation genuinely values their health, safety and well-being are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work. A "Safety Always" culture fosters a sense of trust and open communication, enabling employees to voice their concerns and contribute to the continuous improvement of safety practices.
2. Increased Ownership of Safety: A "Safety Always" culture encourages everyone in the organisation, irrespective of their position or role, to recognise the importance of safety and its integration into every aspect of their work. This shared understanding fosters a sense of collective responsibility for safety, ultimately benefiting employees and the company as a whole.
3. Reduced Safety-Specific Clutter: By embedding a "Safety Always" culture within an organisation, safety excellence can be achieved without constantly discussing safety as a separate issue. This approach seamlessly incorporates safety into the organisation's DNA, streamlining safety-specific systems, policies, procedures, and training. As a result, a more integrated employee experience is created, fostering higher engagement and satisfaction levels. Improving safety performance becomes a natural outcome of this cultural shift, rather than an isolated focus on safety, which may sometimes generate resistance or negatively impact the employee experience.
4. Unified Approach to Training and Leadership Development: In a "Safety First" culture, safety is often perceived as distinct from other aspects of the organisation, leading to separate training and leadership development programs. This approach can result in complexity and confusion, as different programs might convey inconsistent messages. However, the principles of effective leadership remain the same, whether applied to operational, HR, or safety matters. A "Safety Always" culture fully integrates safety into all aspects of the business, including training and development. This approach fosters a consistent, unified leadership program that removes the need for separate safety leadership training. It trains leaders and workers to maintain a safety mindset across all dimensions of their roles, promoting greater consistency and cohesion within the organisation.
5. Improved Collaboration, Consideration, and Communication: A "Safety First" culture may lead to safety being perceived primarily as a concern of operational and safety teams, with departments like finance, sales, and marketing not fully recognising the vital role they play in shaping the overall company culture. In a "Safety Always" culture, safety is integrated and embedded into all aspects of the business, fostering enhanced collaboration, consideration, and communication across various functions. This holistic approach ensures that all departments contribute to creating a safe and supportive work environment.
6. Enhanced Alignment with Organisational Values: A "Safety First" culture can sometimes lead to misalignment with an organisation's core values. For instance, when companies claim "Safety is our #1 Priority" or "Safety before Productivity," employees may perceive these statements as inauthentic and question their validity. While safety is undeniably a critical concern, other aspects of the business, such as productivity and financial stability, are equally important. A company that fails to maintain productivity and financial health may need to downsize or even cease operations, resulting in job losses. By adopting a "Safety Always" culture, safety becomes an integral part of every action and decision, leading to a more harmonious alignment with the organisation's values.
7. Improved Productivity: A safer work environment reduces the risk of accidents and injuries, minimising downtime and disruptions to operations. This, in turn, results in higher levels of productivity and efficiency, as employees can focus on their tasks without worrying about potential hazards.
8. Reduced Costs: By proactively addressing safety risks and investing in preventive measures, organisations can minimise the financial impact of incidents, injuries, and workers' compensation claims. This not only saves money in the short term but also contributes to the organisation's long-term financial stability.
9. Enhanced Reputation: A "Safety Always" culture demonstrates an organisation's commitment to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, clients, and the community. This can lead to a stronger reputation, increased customer loyalty, and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
10. Enhanced Safety Performance: Embracing a "Safety Always" mindset enables organisations to transcend mere compliance with regulatory requirements and cultivate an environment where safety is consistently prioritised in every decision and action, including those made subconsciously. This proactive approach fosters a stronger commitment to safety. It drives improvements in overall safety performance throughout the organisation, which minimises the risk of non-compliance with legislative requirements and the associated penalties and legal liabilities without talking about 'safety'.

A Human-Centered, Inclusive, Integrated Approach to Business

A "Safety Always" approach is a holistic business strategy that fosters a more human-centred and inclusive approach to safety by emphasising the importance of integrating safety into every aspect of the organisation. This ensures that safety is not treated as a separate concern but as an integral part of the organisation's culture and daily operations.

A Safety Always approach supports a more human-centred, inclusive approach to safety.

A "Safety Always" approach is a holistic business strategy that fosters a more human-centred and inclusive approach to safety by reducing complexity, streamlining systems, processes, policies and procedures and emphasising the importance of integrating safety into every aspect of the organisation, ensuring that safety is not treated as a separate concern, but rather as an integral part of the organisation's culture and daily operations across all areas of the business.

A "Safety Always" approach also encourages organisations to consider the diverse perspective and experiences of their entire workforce, promoting a more inclusive, psychologically safe and collaborative environment where everyone, including the business, can thrive.

Critical aspects of a human-centred, inclusive "Safety Always" culture include:

1. Engaging employees: Encouraging open communication and involving employees in developing, implementing, and continuously improving workplace initiatives helps create a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for safety.
2. Addressing diverse needs: Recognising and accommodating the unique needs of different employees, such as varying levels of experience, physical abilities, learning styles, diversity (including neurodiversity), and cultural backgrounds, ensures that business measures incorporating safety are effective and inclusive for all.
3. Prioritising employee well-being: A "Safety Always" culture goes beyond physical safety to encompass psychological and emotional well-being, promoting a supportive work environment that addresses stress, fatigue, and other factors that can impact safety.
4. Fostering a learning culture: Emphasising continuous learning and improvement helps create a psychologically safe environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their experiences, concerns, and ideas, contributing to the ongoing enhancement of safety practices.
5. Promoting empathy and understanding: Encouraging leaders and employees to demonstrate empathy, emotional intelligence, and understanding towards their colleagues fosters a more inclusive and supportive work environment, improving safety and business outcomes.

Conclusion

There is no denying it: the history of the "Safety First" movement has played a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of workplace safety and driving improvements in safety standards. However, as organisations evolve, it's time to embrace a more comprehensive and integrated approach to safety.

By shifting from a "Safety First" mindset to a "Safety Always" culture, organisations can create a more human-centred, inclusive, and holistic environment that ensures employees' physical well-being and fosters their psychological and emotional well-being. By doing so, organisations can enjoy increased employee engagement, improved productivity, reduced incidents and injuries, reduced costs, and enhanced reputation, ultimately contributing to a physically and psychologically safer, healthier, and more productive workplace for everyone.

What are we doing at Insync Workplace Solutions?

At Insync Workplace Solutions, we are change-makers on a mission to disrupt how people, safety, and culture are practised worldwide to enable people and businesses to thrive.

Driven by our curiosity and desire to educate, enable, and empower individuals and organisations to build high-performing, inclusive, human-centred, physically and psychologically safe work environments that embrace and celebrate diversity in all its forms and enable everyone to bring their whole authentic self to their work. We want to create a space where employees feel valued, have a sense of purpose and belonging, thrive, and go home safe and well each day.

We invest considerable time and resources into education and research to achieve this. Our human-centred safety, leadership, and HR programs have been meticulously designed to form part of our neuroscience-based "Great Game of People - Enabling People and Business to Thrive" framework.

If you want to learn more about how the Great Game of People can support your people and take your business to the next level, contact the team at [email protected].