Louise Møller Pedersen

Improving safety in small enterprises through an integrated safety management intervention

This study tests the applicability of a participatory behavior-based injury prevention approach integrated with safety culture initiatives. Sixteen small metal industry enterprises (10-19 employees) are randomly assigned to receive the intervention or not. Safety coaching of owners/managers result in the identification of 48 safety tasks, 85% of which are solved at follow-up. Owner/manager led constructive dialogue meetings with workers result in the prioritization of 29 tasks, 79% of which are accomplished at follow-up. Intervention enterprises have significant increases on six of eight safety-perception-survey factors, while comparisons increase on only one factor. Both intervention and comparison enterprises demonstrate significant increases in their safety observation scores. Interview data validate and supplement these results, providing some evidence for behavior change and the initiation of safety culture change. Given that over 95% of enterprises in most countries have less than 20 employees, there is great potential for adapting this integrated approach to other industries.

Safety Training Parks – Cooperative Contribution to Safety and Health Trainings

ABSTRACT Recent debate regarding the possibility for decreasing the risk of accidents within the construction industry has emphasized the need for innovative training methods. Training should combine behavior- and culture-based approaches, simulate real-life situations, and involve multiple methods. The concept of Safety Training Park (STP) has been developed to meet these challenges. Eighty stakeholders from the Finnish construction industry have been involved in the construction and financing of the STP in northern Finland (STPNF). This unique cooperation has contributed to the immediate success of the park. However, little is known regarding the creation process and how the utilization of the STPNF could be improved. This article presents as a case study the concept, joint creation process and lessons learned this far. Detailed descriptions of the STPNF, findings from focus group interviews, and evidence from the literature are presented with a focus on the pros and cons of the STPNF. The STP is a new and innovative method for safety training that stimulates different learning styles and inspires changes in individuals’ behavior and in the organizations’ safety climate. The stakeholders’ high commitment, a long-term perspective, and a strong safety climate are identified as preconditions for the STP concept to work.

Integrated Safety Management as a Starting Point for Changing the Working Environment

The effective management of organizational change involves understanding and appreciating the complex interactions of technology, people, organizations, economical factors, legislation, and aspects of cultural, physical, and psychological context. The behavior based and culture based approaches to safety are two seemingly incompatible approaches to creating organizational change in safety performance. However, combined, the two approaches may provide a new perspective on conducting effective and healthy organizational changes. DeJoy has proposed an integrative approach to safety management based on a combination of a behavior-based ‘problem-solving process’ and a ‘culture change process’. The participatory problem-solving process and the culture change process require involvement and commitment from management and workers. The ‘problem-solving process’ and the ‘culture change process’ work in parallel, and strives towards a self-regulatory system where the right messages reach the right people, enabling these to solve the right problems with the right solutions. The problem solving process leads to visible and focused activities, which can be diffused and disseminated throughout the organization and thereby potentially create cultural change. Communication and mutual trust between managers and workers are essential for the process to succeed. The integrated approach to safety management can be operationalized by aiming interventions towards the safety committee, middle managers, and workers using individual and group based coaching, and group workshops. The approach has been tested at 18 small and medium sized Danish enterprises and the chapter will include examples from this study.

Role Behavior of the Coach and the Participants as Essential for the Results of Individual Coaching

Individual coaching has become a popular intervention tool to increase manager’s (named coaches) affective commitment, competences and effectiveness in conducting healthy organizational changes. The aim of this chapter is to explore the influence of the role behavior of the coach and the participants on intervention outcome. An 8 month individual coaching intervention focusing on the safety-related competencies of the top manager and the safety manager was carried out in a medium-sized Danish company. The coaching interventions towards the top manager generally succeeded and supported substantial changes in the Company’s approach to safety. The safety manager solved 69 % of the coaching tasks. However, the safety manager did not change her role behavior substantially and this intervention was categorized as partly failed. In this case, the role behaviors of the coach and the safety manager and the power relation between these lead to implementation failure. Role behaviors of the coach and the participants are important for the implementation of individual coaching interventions. The theory of individual coaching needs to address these issues. Additional, a clarification of power interest between the coach and the company is a precondition for successful coaching interventions.

Mutual Goals as Essential for the Results of Team Coaching

Facilitated by an external coach, team coaching has been introduced as a method to increase team competency, effectiveness, and learning mainly at the middle manager level (named coachees). However, team coaching also has some pitfalls which will be explored in this chapter. A 13 month team coaching intervention focusing on team safety-related competences, effectiveness, and learning was conducted in three department teams (team X, Y and Z) in a medium-sized Danish company (Company A). However, at the end of the intervention results between the three teams varied. Team Y solved 72 % of the coaching tasks and started an additional 15 %. Six out of seven success criteria for the intervention were fulfilled and the last criteria partly fulfilled. In team X, the equivalent results were 45 % safety tasks completed and 25 % started. Here, two success criteria were fulfilled, four partly fulfilled and one not fulfilled. Due to organizational changes, team Z was excluded from the project half-way through the intervention. Lessons learned and possible solutions: Mutual goals among the team members are identified as important for the success of team coaching. Moreover, organizational changes can interrupt the implementation of team coaching interventions. Clear communication and resolution of differences in opinion are essential for the process and results of team coaching and should be integrated into the theory of team coaching.