Insights from a night of recognizing the best and brightest in occupational health and safety
Safety starts at the top. It’s all about leadership. Chances are you’ve heard these cliches and many more when it comes to creating a workplace culture rooted in health and safety. But what does it mean? What does it look like? And how do you handle competing objectives?
These were the kinds of conversations taking place in downtown Toronto Thursday, first at the Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) CEO roundtable discussion titled ‘CEO H+S Leadership Network Panel discussion on Leading Minds. Exceptional Results: An Open Forum with CEO of the Year Nominees.’
It’s in your DNA
Jody Young is the president and CEO of WSPS and she moderated the panel discussion. She said when it comes to safety “one of the resounding messages is that it's not a priority. It's not a mandate. It's a way of being. And as one of them rightfully put it, it's part of your DNA as a leader.”
Young was referring to Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster. His passion for safety was palpable during the roundtable conversation. At Canada’s Safest Employers Awards, a star-studded gala event held at the Liberty Grand later that evening, Metrolinx received the award for Canada’s Safest Public Transportation Employer.
“Safety is about the people in our organization,” said Verster after the company received the award. “It's not me. I just help to build a culture and it’s really about the people in our organization. They make the difference.”
Safe cultures are safe spaces
Creating a culture of safety is much easier said than done. A question was asked at the CEO roundtable by a member of the audience. How do you approach accountability when safety infractions happen?
In a world where traditional safety thinking of net zero is up against human and organizational performance theories, it’s a question at the heart of culture creation.
Verster’s response was unequivocal, “if it’s egregious, you act to the full extent.” But he also indicated he’s willing to bend. Cameron Stockdale, president & CEO, Work Wellness Institute replied to the question saying, “you only discipline enough to change behaviour.” Verster agreed with that sentiment.
The last thing any safety leader wants is a culture where workers are scared to report infractions. But if reporting leads to negative consequences, it can create a chilling effect.
“You do not want to leave leading indicators on the ground,” said Yves Tremblay, president and CEO of Pronghorn Controls. He talked about how a friend and colleague died by electrocution more than 25 years ago, and how there were a series of unreported near-misses that led up to the tragedy.
Tremblay’s position is that reporting all safety infractions is essential, and reporting will not result in discipline. “If the reporting has been delayed, or the reporting hasn’t been honest, then I’m not on your side,” said Tremblay.
Communicating care
Leaders who clearly articulate the company’s values are the ones more likely to achieve the highly coveted, often elusive, worker buy-in. It’s how everyone ends up on the same side.
Ian Opelik is the director of health, safety, and environment at Dirtt Environmental Solutions. He is also the recipient of the BGIS Award for Safety Leader of the Year.
“I think it's just hard work,” said a jubilant Opelik, moments after receiving the prestigious recognition. “Just day in, day out trying to make that difference and caring for people. That's what we're all here as safety professionals to do, is to care for people.”
Watching his tablemates react to the big win, it was evident this is a team that cares about each other. How employees reflect the safety messages they receive is a strong indicator of culture.
Shannon Caron is the senior director of health, safety, environment, and quality at Michels Canada. Her boss, Dean Cowling, won the WSPS Award for CEO of the Year. He wasn’t in attendance, so Caron accepted it on his behalf.
She says Cowling is the kind of CEO who makes sure safety as a core value is clearly and consistently communicated throughout the organization. “And if anything were to potentially threaten that, he is the first one to step in and correct it. They say that it comes from the top…and I really feel like that has a lot to do with our success.”
Perhaps there is a lot of truth in cliches.
