What unmet needs are safety managers facing? What are the most pressing challenges of workplace safety to organizations today? What is the value in protecting people from harm and threats? Today safety professionals worldwide are dealing with these and other issues of great importance to the workers, employers, and governmental organizations of their respective regions.
Indeed, safe and healthy work and workplaces are fundamental to the sustainability of all our economic and social systems, which are now increasingly global in nature. And we share a common vision. We all want to prevent work-related injury, illness, and disability, so our workers will go home safely to their families at the end of every day and enjoy a healthy retirement in their older years. We all want to provide work environments that are safe, healthy, and productive so society will benefit from the goods and services being produced.
The nature and organization of work are changing rapidly. We know that workforces are changing; they are becoming older and increasingly diverse. New technologies – especially information technologies – are driving changes in how and where people work. And the pace of these changes is not diminishing. There is an entire set of new challenges, including daily workplace health and safety challenges with which you deal directly.
Last year, DuPont interviewed a select group of customers and external influencers to gain insights on a number of topics dealing with workplace safety challenges. The group included C-Suite executives, Safety Managers and thought-leaders/influencers from across the globe.
The topics explored included:
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Challenges of workplace safety to organizations
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Unmet needs
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Advantages/disadvantages of an integrated portfolio of offerings in the personal protection, consulting, services and training category
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Perception of DuPont
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Business models
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Positioning
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Intersection of safety and sustainability
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Future of protecting people from harm and threats
Through a combination of interviews, third party research and independent assessments of the safety industry, we found that C-Suite executives and Safety Managers share some common points of view. But we also found that these two groups of key decision-makers differ somewhat on what they perceive to be the key challenges to worker safety.
The following are highlights of just a few of the topics covered and revealing insights which may be of interest to you as you guide your organization on its own journey to world-class safety.
Key Market Insights on Safety
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There is a sense of very strong ownership of safety by companies who care.
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Although Workplace Safety is talked about in rational language; decisions about safety products and services and its effects on workers are sometimes driven by emotion.
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C-Suite decision-makers trust their organizations to make the right purchase decisions for PPE and safety training services, but not for consulting services.
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Health, environment and safety integrated in most companies. Companies are adopting a more holistic approach as sustainability becomes “hotter” issue.
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The majority of respondents are satisfied overall with the way safety services and products are currently delivered, but at least half are intrigued with the idea of a complete portfolio of safety offerings.
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But customers want control over their safety choices. They want “Full Access” not “Full Service”.
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Convenience is a primary benefit as long as it doesn’t limit choice.
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Customers are seeking industry expertise, not just general safety knowledge.
What the C-Suite Perceives to be its key Worker Safety Challenges:
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Driving safety culture across company
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Improving safety consciousness of staff and reducing accident rate
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Driving line management accountability for safety
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Worker attraction and retention; aging workforce
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Coordination and alignment on same safety program execution
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Global alignment of safety performance standards
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Dealing with local standards, different regulations in different regions
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Emergency and contingency plans
What Safety Managers Believe are their key Worker Safety Challenges:
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Maintaining consistency of safety behavior across the company
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Gaining employee commitment to safety
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Reducing occupational accidents and injuries
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Emergency preparedness
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Diverse workforce leading to communication issues
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Lean organization = lack of resources and power to meet safety goals
Opportunities for Improvement
Most of the C-Suite executives and Safety Managers we contacted did not identify any unmet needs. But both groups of decision-makers did see opportunities for improving an organization’s safety performance in the following areas:
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Safety during times of significant change (mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, major incidents
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Programs geared directly toward regulatory compliance assurance
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Assistance with shutdown operations
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Advice on waste treatment of used PPE and apparel
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Safety in regions/cultures beyond parent company
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Safety performance assessment, audit, metrics
Value of Safety Offerings
When it comes to the perceived value of safety offerings, C-Suite executives believe that an organization and its workers are primarily benefited in two ways. First, safety offerings help organizations internalize a safety mindset. And secondly, these offerings are implemented to help prevent and/or reduce injuries in order to protect employees, to preserve corporate reputation, and to reduce costs.
Safety Managers on the other hand believe that safety offerings provide value in three ways: to mitigate risks; to help improve operating performance; and to help attract and retain workers.
It is the responsibility of line management to lead the organization’s safety process, but safety professionals must support this effort with their expertise. With the elevation of worker safety management to the C-Suite, there is an ever-increasing need for safety professionals at all levels and in all sorts of organizations to acquire new competencies and new resources to measure and manage safety performance. This will enable safety professionals to not only record and maintain safety data but to develop and produce analytical reports that provide actionable information that can help management make better safety decisions.
