SIF Prevention and Senior Leadership
A series of serious incidents involving electrical workers in Ohio has brought attention to the persistent issue of Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) within the industry. These incidents, including electrocutions and severe injuries, highlight the need for a stronger focus on safety culture and leadership engagement.
The common thread among these incidents is often a lack of attention to safety at multiple organizational levels. “Lack of engagement in safety always results in critical portions of a safety program being left unattended,” said Dwight Miller. The root causes often point to senior leaders’ failure to engage effectively in safety programs or their lack of confidence and understanding.
Senior leaders play a crucial role in setting expectations for an organization’s performance. They influence worker behavior by prioritizing safety over other demands, such as production speed. As Bud Branham noted, about 20% of cooperative CEOs are actively engaged in their safety programs, while around 74% show limited engagement due to uncertainty on how best to participate.
To address this, the RESAP program provides a framework for senior leaders to self-assess their engagement with safety programs every three years. This includes reviewing Safety Improvement Plans (SIP), conducting two-way conversations with employees, discussing crew observations with direct reports, evaluating the effectiveness of safety committees, and recognizing employee contributions to safety.
“Culture is simply the sum of whatever we permit and promote in our organizations,” Miller emphasized. Engaging senior leaders in meaningful weekly meetings that include discussions on near misses can significantly influence worker behavior towards prioritizing safety.
For more information on self-assessment tools, visit: https://resap.cooperative.com/#/new-resource-library
