Changing the culture of an organization can be like trying to turn an aircraft carrier: It takes a long time, and progress may be hard to see at times. But once the change gains momentum, smoother sailing lies ahead.
That was the experience at the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority in South Carolina, which renewed its emphasis on safety and significantly reduced injuries, equipment damage and workers’ compensation costs. The turnaround was so dramatic that for 2007 the agency earned an industry-pacesetter Gold Award from the Association of American Water Agencies. It was one of only six water utilities honored.
Many lapses
“Seven years ago, we were paying 86 percent more than the industry average in workers’ compensation insurance premiums,” says Ken Jordan, safety and risk manager. “That means we were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more in premiums.
“In addition, our employees were getting hurt at double the average rate for the water and wastewater industry. We suffered from a general disregard for safety. There was not a lot of emphasis on safety, which in turn led to employee morale problems. Employees felt that if management didn’t care, why should they?”
The safety lapses ranged from chemical spills to failure to follow proper procedures for confined-space entry. Today, the organization pays almost 30 percent less than the industry average in workers’ compensation premiums. And last summer, the 180 employees went 1 million hours without a lost-time injury.
“Safety used to have a negative connotation, but we’ve changed our culture to the point that safety is a value we hold dear,” Jordan notes. “There’s been a real cultural shift; now safety is just how we do business around here.”
Starting from scratch
One of the first things Jordan did when he was hired in 2001 was perform a hazard analysis for the various job classifications within the agency. Then he examined accident reports to detect injury trends and patterns. “We had to get a handle on where and how people were getting hurt,” he says. “Then we needed to establish a safety program that sets employees up for success with proper procedures, training and equipment. We went from reactive to proactive.”
The process was difficult. Looking back, Jordan compares it to peeling back an onion, because the cause of an injury was never as simple as, say, a maintenance employee making contact with a live circuit. The more complex answer might revolve around why the employee didn’t wear insulated gloves or follow safety procedures.
“It was a systematic management issue — a lack of commitment to safety” in terms of equipment, training and procedures, Jordan says. Moreover, the agency wasn’t following up on recommendations for preventing accidents from recurring. “It doesn’t do any good if recommendations come out of an accident report, but no corrections are made,” he says. “Employees buy into it when they see corrective action, which builds credibility, loyalty and pride.”
Jordan’s initial groundwork revealed that many injuries occurred when employees put speed ahead of safety. “Years ago, the priority was the customer without water or the sewage on the ground, so employees would rush in and get hurt,” he says. “We instituted a Take Two for Safety program that essentially tells employees to let the sewage run down the road and let the customer be without water until they are sure the job can be done safely. In other words, take two minutes to plan the job before you rush in and get hurt. It’s now a huge part of our program.”
Management support
The improved safety record hinged directly on support from top management. “You’ve got to have structure, resources and a commitment from top management,” Jordan says. “I can’t say enough about our management leadership here.”
To underscore the commitment, leaders wrote safety accountability into general managers’ and managers’ job performance goals and linked their annual salary increases to their results. “You can’t motivate everyone by just saying that safety is good for you,” Jordan says. “If it affects peoples’ paychecks, you motivate them in a different way.”
Beyond that, management held employees accountable. In some instances, management fired or demoted some employees who refused to buy into the program. Effective promotion also helped. For instance, all employees must attend monthly safety training sessions on topics like fall protection, CPR training, confined-space entry and back injury prevention.
Each department holds weekly meetings to discuss safety issues. “By taking different tacks, 99 percent of our employees bought into the program,” Jordan says.
The last key program component was recognition of safety achievements, companywide and personally. At the end of the fiscal year in June, the agency holds a safety celebration where critical safety information and data is shared with employees. After the meeting, employees get the rest of the day off.
On a personal level, employees in the field get a $20 retail gift card for every quarter they go without an injury. Administrative employees, who are vulnerable to ergonomic-related injuries, receive a $10 gift card. Employees can donate the gift card amount to the local United Way if they wish.
Agency employees are now working toward 2 million hours without a lost-time injury. That goal should be easier to reach than the first million hours, now that the agency has that long, slow, 180-degree turn behind it.
