Safety Management Practices - Research Paper Example

Safety Management Practices of the of the Safety Management Practices Introduction Safety management enhances safety in the work place and in turn results in a productive working environment. Hence, it is crucial to assess the effectiveness of interventions in the safety management systems of the organisation. In addition, safety management is an important process of the organization that deals with a specific activity in an organization. Therefore, safety management systems provide the assurance of reducing any risks in the work place, while carrying out the task. The hypothesis of this work is: Interventions with the employee behavior in implementing safety measures are beneficial to organizations and result in improved and safer work practices. This research work claims that interventions with employee behavior result in safe work practices in an organization. In addition, this research work analyses the relationship between various issues of the organization such as management commitment, safety measures and workers involvement and outcomes. Some examples are also included which pertains to interventions of behavioural feedbacks, allotted tasks, incongruity, mutual trust, lacunae in the management systems (Ford & Tetrick, 2008, Smith, 2014, Pedersen & Nielsen, 2013). The following five literature reviews support this hypothesis. Wachter and Yorio (2014) have emphasized that system management is a system of policies, procedures, processes, and programs that is subject to formal supervision. The latter being with regard to the development, implementation, and administration of these policies, procedures, processes, programs. In general, these are disseminated as written and approved documents that stipulate the accountabilities, authorities, functions, and responsibilities. It is possible to view the practices of safety management as global data points (Wachter & Yorio, 2014, p. 119). The latter have been defined by some scholars as having a top-down nature that is principally under the control of the organizational managers. Literature Review As highlighted by Wachter et al., some researchers, Klien & Kozlowski (2000) have described practices of safety management as being objective group properties that change with the group, whilst remaining unaltered within the group. These global data points either exist or do not exist, from the objective perspective. As such, they generate a context, wherein workers perform their allotted tasks (Wachter & Yorio, 2014, p. 119). The present study of Wachter et al., analyzing the works of Bliese and Jex (2002) stress upon the reality that it is important to realize that a form of context is not represented by these practices that involve perceptual practices of the workers, including management commitment and safety environment. Consequently, measures that delve into the perceptions of the employees can be regarded as the outcomes of the objective safety management practices that are being implemented (Wachter & Yorio, 2014, p. 119). These researchers argue that measures which examine the perceptions of employees can be considered as the consequences of safety management practices that had been implemented in the work place. This study supports the hypothesis that interventions with employee perceptions can be deemed as the consequences of fair safe management practices implemented in the work place. In another study, Ford and Tetrick (2008) emphasize the importance of evaluating the manner in which behavioral factors integrate into a wider safety intervention system. The control of workplace hazards is effected via several interventions. The latter can be categorized as, eliminating the hazard, preventing access to the hazard, and assisting people in acting safely and thereby averting injuries and hazards. The first class is that of eliminating hazards by replacing hazardous materials with non-hazardous materials and altering the environment, processes and tools (Ford & Tetrick, 2008, p. 1473). This has been recognized as the optimal alternative. As such, another category of interventions, as bought to the fore by Ford and Tetrick (2008) pertains to blocking access of employees to hazards. This can be achieved by having barriers in place, which prevent individuals from entering hazardous areas; ensuring that machines come to a standstill, automatically, when people approach dangerously close to them; and installing movable guards that protect individuals from the hazardous areas of operation. The first two classes of interventions have been labelled as engineering interventions to safety-associated issues. Such engineering solutions, in certain medical applications, have achieved a substantial reduction in injuries (Ford & Tetrick, 2008, p. 1473). According to Ford and Tetrick, interventions, such as eliminating hazardous materials or blocking access to hazardous areas would reduce injuries and enhance work place safety. Nevertheless, in another study, Smith (2014) attributed the cause of accidents to the system and not to the action of individuals. This was concluded on the basis of the System Deming. Smith claims that concentrating upon the approach of System Deming will enable managements to comprehend the reason why the majority of employee accidents result from the system and not by individual actions. In addition, such focus will ensure that managements concentrate upon studying the causes of the outcomes, rather than upon the outcomes of the system (Smith, 2014, p. 50). In essence, it is of paramount significance for safety leadership to establish whether an accident had been caused by the system or had transpired as an incongruity, In another innovative study by Geller, Carter, DePasquale, Pettinger, & Williams (2001), it was pointed out that individuals and groups can procure important response by noting and recording the rate of recurrence of safe and at-risk behavior on a checklist. Individuals and groups obtain information, upon being provided with the outcomes of behavioral observation, which enables them to improve performance. There is a considerable body of research regarding improvement in safety performance. Such improvement is achieved when workers are provided with feedback regarding their safe and at-risk conduct, which proves to be a cost-effective intervention (Geller, Carter, DePasquale, Pettinger, & Williams, 2001, p. 69). Furthermore, as highlighted by Geller et al., several intervention strategies had been identified by researchers that improved safe work practices. These include, behavioral feedback, worker-designed safety slogans, safe behavior promise cards, individual and group goal-setting, safety coaching, and incentive programs for groups or individuals (Geller, Carter, DePasquale, Pettinger, & Williams, 2001, p. 69). This study by Geller et al., disclosed several interesting outcomes of interventions with the workers’ behavior and goal setting. Such interventions proved to enhance the safe work environment of the organization. Pedersen and Nielsen (2013) claim that the theory of integrated safety management provides several benefits. This theory is unambiguous and provides an efficient means for working safely at any level of an organization. The intervention process and results are critically dependent upon the presence of mutual trust between managers and workers, and the commitment of the former (Pedersen & Nielsen, 2013, p. 288). The theory of integrated safety management furnishes novel approaches in the area of health and safety management. This eliminates the lacunae in contemporary environment research and practice. In the present study, Pedersen et al., examined the theory of integrated safety management and its effectiveness in providing safety environment in various levels of the organization. For example, integrated management system combines the elements of business management into one system to undertake management operations in an easy manner. Conclusion According to the above research reviews, interventions into the workers’ behavior pertaining to safety measures result in a safe work environment for the organization. In addition, it helps in the positive development for the overall growth of the organization. The majority of the studies support this thesis. According to the research by Pederson et al., it was revealed that due to the integration of all sections of management, coordination among all branches improves and simplifies the task of safety management. Consequently, integration of all the management systems will result in an improved safety environment of the organization. Moreover, it will have a positive effect on workers’ behavior. The study by Geller et al. revealed that intervention with workers’ behavior, including behavioral feedback, worker designed safety slogans, safe behavior promise cards, individual or group goal setting, and incentive programs would have a positive effect on safety management. The study by Ford et al., focused on blocking access of employees to hazards. This type of intervention would ensure positive developments in safety management. As such, this work substantiates the hypothesis that interference with workers’ behavior, vis-à-vis safety management proves to be beneficial to the organization and results in a safe work environment. The reviews analyzed in this work, mainly focused on the conceptual part of the problem. They discussed the underlying concepts and theories of management and their effect on the work environment. Therefore, several more practical and actual examples should be examined by means of quantitative methods involving data collection. Thereafter, workers; behavior in organizations, after such interventions, has to be analyzed. List of References Ford, M. T., & Tetrick, L. E. (2008). Safety motivation and human resource management in North America. International Journal of Human Resource, 19(8), 1472-1485. Geller, E. S., Carter, N., DePasquale, J., Pettinger, C., & Williams, J. (2001). Applications of Behavioral Science to Improve Mine Safety. In M. Karmis, Mine Health and Safety Management (pp. 65-82). Littleton, Colorado, USA: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Pedersen , L. M., & Nielsen, K. J. (2013). Integrated Safety Management as a Starting Point for Changing the Working Environment. In G. F. Bauer, & G. J. Jenny, Salutogenic organizations and change (pp. 275-290). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media. Smith, T. A. (2014). What Dr. Deming can teach us about safety management. EHS Today, 7(6), 50-51. Wachter, J. K., & Yorio, P. L. (2014). A system of safety management practices and worker engagement for reducing and preventing accidents: An empirical and theoretical investigation. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 68, 117-130. Read More