In early 2006, Spring House Technical Center Management challenged the Spring House Grassroots Site Safety Awareness Team to help move the site's safety culture forward to the next level by inspiring employees to become more comfortable giving and receiving safety feedback.
The Team's Approach:
The team felt that the two biggest barriers to safety feedback were the innate amount of awkwardness in the feedback process and a lack of training on giving/receiving safety feedback. Therefore, the team's approach was twofold:
- We designed a fun safety campaign, featuring "Spike," the "Speak Up and Listen Up" safety mascot, with the idea that our entertaining campaign materials would help create an "ice breaker" and lower discomfort barriers as well as create a common language for employees.
- We provided all employees with training sessions featuring the "Speak Up / Listen Up" training DVD. This particular training program had been successful at several other Rohm and Haas sites in the past, and the team felt that the video was user-friendly, informative, and relevant. Each department was asked to include the Speak Up / Listen up training at an upcoming safety meeting. Within two months, the whole site completed the training. Each session involved small group discussion about why it is so hard to give safety feedback. (Instructions for ordering the video, as well as the discussion questions the team provided to managers are included in the "Campaign Materials" section.)
***It is important to note that both aspects of the campaign-the promotional "Spike" materials AND the Speak Up / Listen Up training-are essential for the success of the campaign.
Keeping the Enthusiasm Going...
Throughout 2006 and into 2007, the team has implemented several creative approaches to keeping employees engaged in the program. Examples include:
"Teasing" the Program:
To build early enthusiasm for the program, we began promoting "Spike" without telling employees the ultimate purpose of the dog. We posted large posters of the dog all over the site, and all the posters said was, "Look Who's Coming to Spring House!" By the time we sent an email describing the purpose of the new program, everyone was buzzing with guesses about the purpose of this new mascot.Kick-Off Celebration:
Soon after we announced the launch of the campaign, we hosted a kick-off celebration, which included:
- Various Spike Giveaways (buttons, magnets, T-shirts, and stickers that said "Talk to me about safety. I won't bite!")
- A Breakfast buffet, including dog bone cookies
- Visits from top management, who mingled with employees to discuss the campaign
- A special visit from Spike himself (see pictures)
Quartlerly SafetyXchange Newsletter:
In the newsletter, we have various safety-related features, including feature stories, notes from the site manager, an "Ask Spike" column, safety humor, and safety and health tips. The newsletter is meant to be interactive, and employees frequently submit their ideas and questions to the newsletter mailbox.Themed Posters Featuring Spike:
We have approximately 30 large posters at highly visible locations around the site that feature special messages from Spike speaking and listening up for safety. The colorful and humorous nature of the posters always attracts attention, particularly when a new poster is revealed.
(To view examples, please visit the "Campaign Materials" section.)Chocolate Bar Reward from Managers:
As a follow-up to the training sessions, managers met with employees to have small group discussions about safety. To "sweeten" the discussion, managers gave the employees "Spike" chocolate bars in recognition of their support.
We have many other activities on the agenda for the remainder of 2007, including another large "Spike" event in 2007, new posters, increased interactivity with the SafetyXchange Newsletter, and a survey at the end of the Second Quarter to gauge the impact of our efforts.
***Many of the materials discussed above are available in the "Campaign Materials" section.
