Kelly’s Best Practices
As the Director of QHSE at PTW Energy Services, a solutions-based energy services company with 40 locations spread across Canada, Kelly Lauritsen shared some tips and tricks he’s been using to create a more proactive approach to safety in our latest webinar: Unlocking Safety Excellence with PTW Energy Services.
With 18 years of experience in the world of health and safety, Kelly focused on three best practices which have helped him enhance workplace safety on site:
Access real-time data for a more proactive approach
Real-time safety metrics and data are key for a proactive approach to safety. This is because you can access the data immediately and pivot, if necessary, to make the changes needed to avoid any accidents or incidents. Speed is so important to help create a safer work environment, because if you don’t have this information in time, you can’t effectively get that data into the hands of operations to make real changes. At PTW Energy Services, any communication which is sent out to employees is based on this data, helping to prepare the workforce with the information needed for a safe workday.
Close the feedback loop
With over 30,000 forms completed by employees at this organization, it can be a challenge to follow up on action items and close the feedback loop. It’s crucial that you finish off this final step by deciding who is responsible for completing a corrective action and exactly what needs to be done. There are certain times where Kelly has audited data and found areas where action items haven't been assigned. He makes it a point to circle back with key stakeholders to figure out the next steps.
Foster a strong safety culture
A strong safety culture can play a key role in a more proactive approach to safety, so do your best to help others truly see its value. One way of doing this is by making safety part of the very fabric of your organization by including it in day-to-day conversations. It should be part of everything that is done and never be seen as a chore or a tick-box exercise. One way to do this is by having a safety moment at the start of every meeting, to stress the importance of safety in the workplace. Another way of doing this is by closing the feedback loop, as mentioned earlier, and sharing important key metrics and data so employees can see the impact of their safe behaviors on site. Once people see safety is everyone’s responsibility and that they play a pivotal role in creating a safer work environment, there will be a clear switch in your organization’s culture.