Suggestion Programs
Employee involvement is crucial to the company's success, so they should be encouraged to make safety suggestions to help improve the CSMS. Suggestions include ways to improve:
- materials, equipment, tools, machinery, and the work environment, and
- safety policies, programs, plans, processes, procedures, and practices.
In some companies, suggestions are given to the safety committee to handle. However, in world-class safety cultures, where trust between labor and management is high, employees give suggestions directly to their supervisors. In either case, the most effective method should be the one that's used.
Stay Away From Using Suggestion Boxes
Suggestion forms may be used in a formal suggestion box program, however, we do not encourage a policy that allows anonymous suggestions unless management demonstrates tough-caring leadership.
If management allows anonymous suggestions, the subtle message to employees may be that their concerns about suffering negative consequences when suggestions are submitted may be valid. The fear of retribution and a lack of trust between labor and management is common in fear-based safety cultures.
Below is an example of what can happen using a safety suggestion box method in a safety culture suffering from a low level of trust.
Real-life Scenario
I set up a new suggestion box at my last office. Employees were informed it was there to use for any suggestions they may have. I would check it once a day and they could either sign their suggestion or not. All suggestions would be looked into and [the] person making the suggestion would be advised of the outcome within (5) days or, if the suggestion was unsigned, the outcome would be announced at our next safety meeting.
Because of the feeling it was all a big joke and no one really cared, only one person in 12 months made a suggestion. I handled it just as I said I would. If the employee's suggestion was such that I could fix it without getting approval, I did so. Didn't seem to encourage others. The real problem was they had heard it all before and just didn't believe anymore.As the example above illustrates, a formal safety suggestion program only works within a framework of strong leadership: Management gives each suggestion attention, responds, and thanks the employee making the suggestion. In the best-case scenario where there is the presence of strong tough-caring safety leadership, a formal program may not be needed because leaders respond immediately to suggestions and provide meaningful informal one-on-one recognition.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-8. In world-class safety cultures, where trust between labor and management is high, employees give suggestions _____.
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