Effective Safety Teams
Tips to Make Your Safety
Team Go From Average to
Awesome
Ohio Bureau of Workers’
Compensation
Division of Safety and Hygiene
Julie Reynolds
Where to Start?
What is Management Commitment
for a Safety Team?
Participating in setting goals and objectives
Making a commitment to listen to the
team’s suggestions
Providing resources (Money/Time)
How Do You Gain Management
Commitment?
•Safety Pays (www.OSHA.gov)
•Cost of a Claim
•BWC Premium Increase
•Money Talks!!
Assemble a Team
Select Team Members
Labor and management partnering
Represent all key functional areas and
knowledge
What about…..
Appoint, recruit or volunteer?
What about shifts?
Number of members?
Who will choose the members?
How long will members serve on the team?
Where will you meet?
How long/often will you meet?
Team Member Roles
Team Member
Team Leader
Scribe/Note Taker
Timekeeper
Facilitator
Purpose
Goals
Strategies
Why have a Purpose?
It identifies the work of the team and
why it’s important.
Provides the on-going direction for the
team.
All members must share in and be
committed to the purpose.
Should be linked to overall organizational
mission and vision.
Goal Setting
The stated goals should be SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Strategy
Determine how you will meet your goals
and work towards achieving your
purpose.
Tangible tasks that can be accomplished
by team members.
Make team members accountable for the
assigned tasks.
Purpose:
To improve
communication
Goals:
• Improve perception survey results by
10% in 12 months
• Conduct 100 safety contact
opportunities (training, meetings,
one on one’s) this year
• Create two way feedback for safety
related issues and respond in 48 hrs
Strategies:
• Conduct survey in January & December
• Conduct weekly safety talks, monthly
safety meetings & quarterly training
classes
• Create on-line safety mailbox
• Develop accountability system for safety
contacts
Determine What To Work On
Safety Teams should address broad
systems, not symptoms
Symptoms
Broken guard rail near aisle 4
Leaky roof in shipping area
Cluttered, crowded work area in
inspection
Missing machine guard on a press
Five Systems for Safety Teams
 Communication
 Training
 Policies and Procedures
 Climate
 Accountability
Build Team Skills
Specific Training May Include:
Team Process
Team Concepts
Interpersonal Communication
Conflict Resolution
Group Facilitation
Technical Safety Information
Problem Solving/Decision Making
Problem Solving & Decision
Making
Consensus
Brainstorming
Fishbone Diagram
Multi-Voting (DOTS)
Group Normalization
Methods (CARDS)
High-Low Grid
Pareto Chart
Force Field Analysis
Consensus is …
… 70% comfort
… 100% commitment
Meeting Management
Norms
Common group
norms for successful
teams include:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
The Agenda
Keeps the meeting on track
Send out before the meeting
Assign time limits to specific topics
Agenda Items /Person Responsible/Time Frame
Old Business
1. Follow-up of June’s suggestions
2. Review of 2nd quarter inspections
Joe Smith
John Jones
2:00 – 2:10
2:10 – 2:20
New Business
1. Review current new hire process
2. Elect new members (2)
Jean Wilson
Don Doe
2:20 – 2:35
2:35 – 2:45
Monthly training (preventing heat stress) Tammy Trainer 2:45 – 3:00
* Please be on time and bring your departmental housekeeping
inspection.
Parking Lot
Parking Lot
Issues not on the agenda
Documentation
Meeting agendas
Meeting minutes
Action plans
Other reports requested
by management
Action Planning
Action Item
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who When Status
People fail to accomplish their goals
for three reasons:
1) they fail to write them down
2) they have no one to hold them accountable
3) no deadlines
Communication Plan aka:
Marketing!!
Every Step
• As the team is being organized
• As members are chosen
• As roles are determined
• As goals are established (and met)
• When success is achieved
Evaluate Team Effectiveness
Team effectiveness should be evaluated on:
• Task Completion (results)
• Building of Relationships (team process)
Evaluating Team Performance
Do at least an annual self-evaluation
Review Purpose-Goals-Strategies