Are you an effective safety supervisor? You can use the checklist in last week's article to find out. But no matter how you scored on that checklist, there is always room for improvement. I hope you will dedicate 2008 to that goal. Here are some hints on how to accomplish it.

The 5 Key Tasks

Keep your eye on the following five tasks. They are the key to effective safety supervision:

#1 Planning

What new initiatives is your company planning for 2008? Have you reviewed these from a safety perspective? A good safety supervisor looks ahead to anticipate potential hazards and take preventive measures. He or she plans for safety as for any other part of the job.

#2 Training

Job safety instruction is one of the most important parts of supervision. Personal, point-by-point demonstrations of the operations of machinery, tools and processes are insurance that money cannot buy. Tell them, show them and let them try - and do it again and again. Has there been a change in any of your machinery lately? Or do you plan on any changes? If so, plan now to properly train your workers. If not, is it time for you to conduct a review of existing machinery operations?

#3 Production

Production safety is a big responsibility and much of it can be broken down into manageable parts. For example, look at your production process from the perspectives of:

• Efficiency: An efficient operation is one that produces the most at the lowest cost. Wherever unsafe conditions or unsafe work methods require workers to pay less attention to production because they must spend more time trying not to be injured, or where an accident occurs, the operation is that much less efficient. A safe operation is an efficient operation - and vice-versa. The supervisor should make certain that every worker knows this.
• Safe conditions: A safety supervisor makes an effort to understand the hazards associated with each task performed by the workers and supplies all necessary precautions. The supervisor then works to keep the conditions safe by discussing safety practices with the workers and requesting their ideas.

#4 Displaying a Safety Attitude

Developing and maintaining a good safety attitude in all workers is essential. It's also difficult. The task requires a combination of tact, psychology, teaching, selling, diplomacy, discipline and example. A worker without a good safety attitude can have an accident in an "accident-proof" operation. The good supervisor learns all the angles of creating safety attitudes and uses them continually. For example, a good safety supervisor can instill a safety attitude in workers by:

• Leading by example;
• Involving workers in safety issues;
• Encouraging feedback on matters involving safety; and
• Responding to all safety matters raised.

#5 Fostering Morale

Morale is the underpinnings of safety effort. Workers who have high morale and attitudes can be trusted to work safely even when the supervisor isn't looking. A workforce where the morale is low, by contrast, is at greater risk of injury and illness. If morale is low at your organization, you should resolve to improve it or, at the very least, not allow it to result in incidents. Because the fact of the matter is that while you may not be able to address the underlying reasons for the current state of morale, a good safety supervisor makes it a point to track morale and how it affects workers' attitudes and safety habits.

Conclusion

Wanting to be a better safety supervisor is an admirable and achievable goal. But to reach our goals they need to be broken down into manageable parts. By focusing your efforts on at least these five tasks, you can become a better safety supervisor in 2008.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

The London Underground: Then...

January 10, 1863

By Ted Morrison

The first section of the world's first underground urban railway opened 144 years ago on this date. The London Underground, known as the Tube, was built using the "cut-and-cover" method. The section that opened on January 10, 1863 was between Bishop's Road (now Paddington Station) and Farringdon. By 1880, the system was carrying 40 million passengers per year.

Arguably, the Tube's "finest hour" occurred in 1940 when Londoners used it as a bomb shelter during the Battle of Britain. In addition to providing shelter from the Luftwaffe, the Tube became literally a center of unity and a symbol of the determined resistance of the people of London.

... And now

Today, the Tube has more than 250 miles (400 km) of track and serves three million riders per day. And it experiences only one fatal accident per 300 million journeys. Perhaps the most public aspect of the Tube's systematic passenger safety efforts were the ubiquitous "Mind the Gap" warnings recorded by voiceover artist Emma Clarke. The gaps to which Ms. Clarke was referring were those between the train and the platform. In 2007, the Tube terminated its contract with Clarke after humorless officials discovered several harmless spoofs of the announcements on her website.

The Tube's recent worker safety record has been less impressive than its efforts in protecting passengers. In 2002, the Tube was fined £225,000 for violating safety standards. To keep the system running, workers had been instructed to work in dark tunnels without turning off power to the electric rails, and several workers had received electrical shocks as a result.

SafetyXChange wishes the Tube a happy birthday.

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