September 2011 Safety Message

In order to build a strong safety culture and improve on our safety performance by getting closer to achieving our goal of zero harm across the operations we need to strengthen our existing safety culture by addressing the human element. A strong safety culture will overcome any obstacle or challenge we face at any project site or office no matter where it is since human behaviour is the same wherever we go.

Our focus needs to be on those things people have in common no matter who they are and where they are. With our vision of eliminating injuries we have developed a foundation for a safety culture that matches the desire of every employee to go home safe from work by achieving zero harm and it is also just as important to return to work in the same shape by ensuring we extend our safety culture to our friends and family while we are away from work.

Within every one of us and every single new employee we must have that common motivation and desire for working safely. Safety is not a priority nor is it number one it must be interdependent with everything we do at work and at home. Remember safety is everyone’s responsibility no matter who you are or where you are.

Just as we are developing skills for those in our organization to allow us to be bigger and better, those same skills are needed to be a good safety leader. They include building a foundation of trust, setting clear goals with high expectations, giving positive recognition for behavioural changes that lead to change and having the courage and strength to keep going.

We can achieve zero harm having shown it on many of our projects and offices and this is because incidents that lead to injury or harm are preventable. It takes a willingness to speak up and it also takes a person’s willingness to listen.

When nothing happens, safety happens and it does so by choice and in most cases so do incidents. We need everyone in our organization to be a safety leader since every individual can make a difference.