In the fast-paced hustle and bustle that characterizes many
hospitality industry workplaces, the management of safety issues is an
ever-present challenge. Whether the setting is a café during the morning rush
or a restaurant kitchen as the dinner shift kicks into high gear, the risk of
an accident or injury is always a very real concern.
To their credit, most hospitality industry managers are very
aware of safety issues, and over the last several decades, major strides have
been made toward decreasing the risk of workplace accidents in the industry.
Many risky practices that were once common in restaurants, hotels, and other
hospitality industry organizations have been phased out due to government
regulations and voluntary reforms, and today, extensive training in safe
workplace procedures is a common feature of the typical hospitality industry
workplace.
However, while the progress made toward establishing safe work
practices in the hospitality industry has been significant, work safety experts
point out that the industry can still often be found near the top of the annual
lists of the most employee injuries and accidents per capita. In other words,
there is still much room for improvement when it comes to workplace safety in
the hospitality industry.
One criticism that has been leveled at the current status
quo of workplace safety in the industry contends that many past reform efforts
have been directed at improving one specific area of practice, rather than
seeking to make broad-based changes. Instead, experts suggest that this
narrowly-focused approach should be replaced by a more strategic, comprehensive
approach to workplace safety.
According to workplace safety researcher Dr. William
Selkirk, more than 90% of all workplace injuries are rooted in employees’
attitude, behavior, and culture, rather than dangerous working conditions or
unsafe circumstances. A growing chorus of workplace safety experts has endorsed
the notion of building safety into the very foundation of the organizational
culture itself.
In this way, an ongoing emphasis on avoiding risky practices
and behaviors will likely emerge as a natural outgrowth of the organizational
dynamics. Here are some steps you can take to help cultivate a culture of
safety in your workplace:
Safety Starts during the Employee Selection Process.
Build safety-oriented questions and
screening into your standard interview and hiring procedures. Focus on choosing
candidates who demonstrate genuine safety awareness, while passing over any
potential hires who display a careless or cavalier attitude towards safe work
procedures. This will help you create a safety-oriented culture by “stacking
the deck” with employees who already think in these terms.Train, train, train.
Whether your new employee is a
rookie or a veteran with decades of experience, they should be subjected to the
same thorough course of safety training. It’s not enough to assume that they
already know how to work safely -- invest the time necessary to make sure they
know what safety means and how it is achieved in your organization.Make Safety Everyone’s Job.
From the bussing staff to the CEO, make sure that everyone keeps
an eye out for potential safety hazards. Use slideshows and role-playing
scenarios to teach your employees what “wrong” looks like, and how best to
respond if they suspect a problem. Maintenance Isn’t Just for Equipment.
It goes without saying that keeping your equipment in tip-top shape
is a major part of maintaining a safe workplace, but your employees need
“maintenance,” too. Make sure your staff receives ongoing training in the
latest safety practices and emerging trouble-shooting techniques. A culture of
safety also relies on your team’s “fresh eyes,” so do what you can to ensure
that they have plenty of rest and downtime between shifts.Make Safety Pay.
One of the most effective methods you
can use to instill safety as part of the organizational culture is to develop a
system of incentives. Some businesses use a cash bonus system to reward
employees who report potential hazards. Others arrange competitions between
departments to see who can go the longest without an injury or accident,
bestowing cash, prizes, vacation days, or other desirable rewards upon the
quarterly or annual winners.
As with any comprehensive effort to instill culture change
within an organization, it will probably take some time before your efforts
begin to pay off in visible results. Experts estimate that it may be anywhere
from one to five years before a safety-oriented culture truly takes root. But
if you’ve invested the time and effort to create policies, procedures,
programs, and organizational structures that promote safety-oriented thinking,
your organization’s culture is destined to reflect these changes.