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“Culture”?
mulch between the highway and the shoreline. As the employee drove into this area, he somehow got himself sunk into a section of mud and wood chips, could not get traction, and could not get his vehicle out.
Instead of calling and reporting the incident
to a supervisor, the employee called another employee to the scene for help. When the second employee arrived, a plan was hatched to privately call a tow truck to pull the vehicle out so that
the supervisors would not know what happened. While the two employees were standing on the shoulder of the freeway waiting for the tow truck to arrive, the engine of the stuck vehicle was
left running so the radio system and on-board equipment would not kill the battery. The heat from the engine/exhaust of the vehicle caught
the wood chips on fire which led to the vehicle becoming engulfed in flames and suffering significant, if not total, damage.
I can only assume this employee was afraid to call his supervisor to report what should have been a minor incident out of fear of what the punishment would be for his error. Did he have too many prior minor violations stacked up and he felt this would be his undoing? Was he incident free, but based on what he knew about discipline in the office, was not willing to take a chance?
If employees are afraid to report work-related incidents or safety issues due to the stress of an unstructured discipline system or one that is heavily punitive, we risk getting the “cover-ups”
or the “fix it so nobody finds out” scenarios that
so often end up being worse than the original issue. We also risk losing valuable information and analysis of incidents that can open discussion, enhance employee training, and prevent similar incidents or hazard mitigation in the future.
Remember, our beliefs, attitudes and values shape the behavior of employees toward safe work practices. Fair, unbiased and thorough analysis
of all facts present, and disciplinary decisions made on a case-by-case basis consistent with documented policy and procedures can go a long way in building trust with employees and lead to an organizational culture that benefits everyone.
Be Safe!
2024, Issue 4
Tennessee 811 • 7