HVAC: A Simple Safety Culture: a Little Goes a Long Way to Reduce Costs

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There is a difference between "unsafe" and "hazardous." The nature of work in the sheet metal and HVAC industry is inherently hazardous (tools and equipment, working from heights, chemicals, etc.) but it is only as unsafe as the employers and employees allow it to be.

What is the "culture" of safety at your company? Do you have a 100 percent mandatory eye protection policy? Or do your workers wear eye protection on a "hit or miss" basis? When an employee reminds a fellow employee to wear his safety glasses, is that considered negative feedback? Or does the fellow employee appreciate the concern being put forward?

The idea of establishing a safety culture versus simply following a safety program is not a new concept, although it appears that forming a company safety culture is recent trend. A very simple definition of a "safety culture" is described by Sue and Tom Cox in "The Structure of Employee Attitudes To Safety - A European Example."

"A safety culture is a term often used to describe the way in which safety is managed in the workplace, and often reflects the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety."

Don't let a safety culture for your business get distracted by behavioral safety studies and complicated measurements. A safety culture can simply be established by management taking the attitude and belief that safety is a priority and working with employees to perceive and value safety at that same priority level.

As a result, every employee, including management, then takes the responsibility to ensure that safety remains a focus in daily operations. Moving toward a positive safety culture is not an "overnight" occurrence. It often takes many months, maybe several years, to promote safety at a very high level. But companies who have made a safety culture part of the business have seen many benefits including reduced workers compensation costs, higher employee productivity, and other positive outcomes.

For more information on safety cultures and how to improve your company safety and health efforts, go to the SMACNA safety web page.