The Supervisor's Role
As a supervisor, you have four excellent tools that will help you identify and correct hazards:
- Observation
- Inspection
- Analysis
- Investigation
Observation
In effective safety cultures, a Safety Observation Program is developed and maintained. This involves educating managers, supervisors, and safety committees on conducting both informal and formal safety observations.
- Informal Observation: For supervisors to receive proper instruction and training to identify and correct the specific hazards in their departments. Regularly, supervisors should be actively present on the work floor to conduct informal observations.
- Formal Observation: Formal observation is usually conducted using behavior-based safety procedures. In a formal safety observation program, established steps guide the observation process, with results documented in writing. These results are analyzed, leading to the implementation of appropriate control measures.
Safety observation program education includes:
- strategies for hazard identification and control
- techniques for approaching and informing employees about their safety performance
- methods for correcting employee behaviors without resorting to disciplinary actions
- guidelines on reporting safety observations to enhance the safety management system
Supervisors send important safety leadership messages to employees through on-the-spot observations, information sharing, and recognition during random walkarounds. A key message communicated in this way is the supervisor's regard for each employee's safety as a core value. To be successful, observation programs should include a policy that ensures employees who are being observed are not subject to discipline.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. When supervisors regularly conduct safety inspections, one important message sent to employees is that _____.
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