Sadly, a worker dies on the job every 90 minutes in the United States. If you’ve ever lost a team member due to an accident at work, you know how it can rip the heart out of your organization.

Additionally, there are nearly 3 million workplace injuries reported in the U.S. each year, and research suggests another 3 million injuries go unreported.

So why is it often challenging to get people on board with safety? Because many people see safety protocols and procedures as an operational inconvenience.

I used to feel this way too. Perhaps that’s one reason my commanding officer assigned me the role of Director of Safety and Standardization (DOSS) for his Marine Aircraft Group. The following year I was slated to command an FA-18 squadron where I would be responsible for training newly-winged FA-18 pilots and weapons systems officers for combat. In the meantime, I was responsible for managing ground and aviation safety policies for 3,500 people and 120 aircraft. Honestly, I would have preferred any other job than this one.

In hindsight, it was the best job I could have had at the time. The FA-18 squadron I eventually commanded had over 600 people and 50 aircraft, and the risks were higher than any environment I’d experienced to that point. Serving as the DOSS taught me the importance of a strong safety culture and that safety actually improves organizational performance. Then serving as a squadron commanding officer proved to me that safety is essential for operational excellence because safety instills discipline, helps you protect and optimize resources, and enables you to remain focused on your mission rather than being consumed by the emotional and legal toll that a serious accident creates.

Current research across a wide range of industries shows the following benefits of a strong safety culture:

• Reduced absenteeism
  • Effective safety and health programs can reduce injury and illness rates by 20 to 40 percent.
  • Companies with strong safety programs see up to a 67% reduction in employee absenteeism.
• Increased productivity
  • Organizations focusing on safety can see a 24% increase in employee productivity.
  • Firms investing just 2.5% of project costs into safety training and procedures see profits increase by 4 to 7 percent per project.
• Cost savings
  • For every $1 invested in safety programs, companies can expect a return of $4 to $6.
  • The average cost of a workplace injury is $42,000, while the cost of implementing safety measures is significantly lower.
• Employee engagement and retention
  • 97% of employees say feeling safe is an important factor in deciding where to work.
  • Companies with strong safety cultures have 50% fewer accidents and injuries, resulting in a positive work environment, with up to 30% higher employee engagement.
• Overall performance improvement
  • Companies with a strong safety culture report reduced errors and up to 25% less downtime.
  • They also report up to a 35% improvement in operational efficiency.

So how do you build a strong safety culture that supports operational excellence and generates buy-in from your people? Focus on setting the right tone, setting the right standards, and setting the right example.

1. Set the Right Tone

The foundation of a strong safety culture begins with setting the right tone. Communication, clarity, and commitment are key elements in demonstrating that safety is not just a priority – it’s a core value.

Communication starts at the top. Leaders need to clearly explain why safety is important and demonstrate that it’s an integral part of the organization’s success. It’s crucial to communicate that safety excellence is essential for operational excellence. Accidents hurt people, and our people are the most valuable assets we have. Beyond the personal toll, accidents also consume time and resources, which distract from our mission and diminish operational efficiency. When leaders emphasize these points, employees understand the role that safety plays not only in protecting individuals but also in achieving organizational goals.

Clarity is the next essential part of setting the right tone. Identifying your organization’s top risks provides a clear focus. Some of the most common risks include not anticipating hazards, a lack of training, time pressure that can lead to shortcuts, distractions that affect situational awareness, and complacency that sets in after repeated routine activities. Acknowledging these risks upfront allows employees to recognize potential dangers and take proactive steps to mitigate them.

Finally, commitment is what turns intentions into action. Leaders must commit to providing necessary tools, training, and support so their teams can effectively manage risks. Furthermore, safety is not an individual responsibility – it’s a team effort. This commitment requires everyone on your team to hold each other accountable for protecting your people and resources. When leadership visibly supports safety initiatives, employees are inspired to do the same, resulting in a shared culture of care and vigilance.

2. Set the Right Standards

Once the tone is set, establishing and maintaining the right standards is critical. These standards embody professionalism, discipline, and accountability.

Professionalism in safety means doing the right thing and doing things right. It involves having the character to make safe decisions and the competence to perform tasks correctly. Setting the right standards means putting concrete measures in place to assess and mitigate risks. For example:

• Establish a safety council consisting of cross-functional experts to identify and address top safety concerns.
• Implement periodic training, such as quarterly sessions, that focuses on mitigating the most significant risks.
• Encourage the use of safety “time outs” when someone feels rushed or believes safety may be compromised, and recognize those who take action to ensure everyone remains safe.
• Enforce measures to minimize distractions that could lead to an accident, leveraging your safety council to help identify these measures.
• Fight complacency by consistently showing how each individual’s work contributes to the organization’s mission, and why vigilance is key to your collective success.

Discipline is also central to maintaining the right standards. There must be strict adherence to safety policies and procedures, with a clear understanding of boundaries that define your safety “box.” Everyone needs to know the expectations for operating within these safety boundaries and the importance of avoiding actions that may lead to accidents. Defining this “box” helps create an environment where everyone knows what is acceptable and what crosses the line into unsafe and unacceptable territory.

Accountability means that everyone must be held responsible for their actions, and repercussions are necessary when someone fails to uphold safety standards. However, accountability isn’t just about enforcement – it’s also about recognition. Noteworthy contributions to safety should be acknowledged, for instance with a “Safety Pro of the Quarter” award. By rewarding those who go above and beyond to uphold safety, you create a positive incentive for others to follow suit.

3. Set the Right Example

The third key to building a safety culture that endures is setting the right example. Actions speak louder than words, and leaders must embody the values they wish to instill in their teams. To set the right example: follow the rules, follow your gut, and follow through.

Follow the rules. One of the most common reasons why efforts to change safety culture fail is the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality. When leaders ignore safety policies, they send a message that these rules aren’t truly important. Leading by example means showing through actions that safety is a priority, which encourages others to follow the rules as well.

Follow your gut. Safety rules are often based on lessons learned from past incidents, but new risks can evolve in a rapidly changing environment. Leaders must use their experience and judgment to anticipate new risks that may not be explicitly covered by current procedures. By trusting their instincts, leaders can identify potential hazards before they become an issue and help their teams prepare accordingly.

Follow through. Safety is not something that can be treated as optional or situational. It is a continuous commitment that requires constant vigilance. There will always be pressures to cut corners – whether to save time or reduce cost – but compromising on safety often leads to bigger problems down the road. Leaders must resist the urge to take shortcuts, even when the correct approach takes more time or effort. True operational excellence requires an uncompromising commitment to safety.

Conclusion

Building a strong safety culture that supports operational excellence isn’t about a single initiative or a checklist of actions. It’s about setting the right tone, setting the right standards, and setting the right example every day. When you communicate why safety matters, set clear expectations, and follow through with your actions, you create an environment where employees feel supported and empowered to prioritize safety. This begins at the top and grows through the commitment of every team member. By fostering a workplace culture that values people, professionalism, discipline, and accountability, your organization not only reduces risks and prevents accidents, but also enhances its ability to perform at its best.

If you need support building a stronger safety culture in your organization, we can help.

Sources

U.S. Department of Labor: OSHA Statistics

OSHA: How OSHA Improves Workplace Safety (Facts and Statistics)

SafetyLine: Does Safety Create a Productive and Safe Work Environment?

EHS Today: Workplace Safety and Productivity Go Hand in Hand

SafetyDocs: Safety as a Culture – Benefits and Importance of Safety Culture