A connections culture of safety heightens awareness, reduces risk and fosters the zero incident mindset. Factors that are especially important at post-collection facilities where vehicles, heavy equipment, pedestrian traffic and other physical hazards are present.
Shawn Mandel
When evaluating risk and safety performance in the solid waste industry, many companies focus the majority of their efforts and resources on the collection aspect of the business. Let’s face it, collection vehicles operating on public roadways, rear-load and automated vehicles in residential neighborhoods and dealing with distracted drivers and pedestrians can be difficult and pose a big risk, but post-collection facilities have their share of serious hazards to deal with as well. So how does an organization successfully build a “World-Class Culture of Safety” in these difficult work environments? Answer: Relationships Build Culture.
Creating a Connections Culture
Advancements in equipment and systems technology have certainly played a part in creating safer work environments, but it still comes down to personal ownership for safety at every level that creates a “Connections Culture” of safety.
Research studies have found human connection is necessary to thrive and a lack of connection contributes to anxiety, depression, addiction and even pre-mature death. This is not the mindset we want for any employee, but America and most affluent nations have become more disconnected over the past 50 years and a recent study of 16 to 29 year olds in affluent countries rated connection as their greatest need.
Unfortunately, many leaders are not intentional about developing relationship excellence and a sense of connection, community and unity among the people they lead. However, almost everything in leadership comes back to relationships. This is especially true about safety and building a culture of safety.
The key to developing a connection with the people you lead can be summarized by the following: Vision + Value + Voice. When members of an organization share a vision that makes them feel proud, valued and feel that they have a voice to express their ideas and opinions, it creates a connection, a common bond or feeling of esprit de corps.
In organizations where connection is high, the employees give their best efforts and align their behavior (safety) with the organizations values. In difficult times, organizations with connection pull together rather than apart. Connection is a force that differentiates organizations.
Taking Personal Ownership for Safety
Realizing that conversations build relationships and the connections build culture, Waste Connections began a series of supervisor and manager training known as S.A.F.E. Conversations. The training was developed to provide the frontline leader with the mindset, skillset and toolset to connect with the people they lead. With Waste Connections vision and values as the cornerstone for the training, the frontline leaders have been able to further the safety culture through this consistent connection.
Having adopted a servant leadership approach almost a decade ago, Waste Connections has been able to foster a culture of safety that encourages everyone in the organization to take personal ownership for safety. This safety connections culture is constantly working to heighten awareness, reduce risk and foster the zero incident mindset. This is especially important at post-collection facilities where vehicles, heavy equipment, pedestrian traffic and other physical hazards are present.
The success of the safety connections culture is evident in the results. As one of the largest waste services companies in the industry, Waste connections is an industry leader with some of the lowest TRIR’s (Total Recordable Injury Rates), historic low incident and severity rates and over 10 years without a work related fatality at one of their post-collection facilities.
Shawn Mandel is the Director of Safety for Waste Connections, Inc. (The Woodlands, TX). In this role, he is responsible for the development, support and implementation of safety and compliance processes throughout Waste Connections. Shawn has more than 25 years of experience as a safety professional and joined Waste Connections in 2011. Prior to his role at Waste Connections, Shawn was the Director of Safety for Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste) and began his career in the waste industry with BFI as an EH&S Manager in 1995.
He is Co-Chair of the Environmental Industry Association Safety Committee, a member of ANSI Z245 committee and a member of the NIOSH/NORA service sector committee. Shawn can be reached at (832) 442-2200 or via e-mail at [email protected].