Walking the Talk

Workplace safety works when everyone follows safety rules and practices. That means the CEO down to the person sweeping the floor must follow the rules. They must also follow the same discipline. If you have rules for hearing protection, head protection, eye protection and others for personal protective equipment, everyone must follow those rules.
Additionally, you should expect your fellow employees to remind you when you need to get better and forget for a moment. Safety is everyones job. There is nothing worth getting hurt over.  We should be working to live. Our families send us off to work with our fingers, toes, eyes (whatever form we are in) and expect us to return home the same way. 
Do not put yourself at risk for injury because you decide to climb on something instead of find a ladder. You forgot your safety glasses and you should be okay walking through the maintenance shop this one time.
Read the labels, follow posted warnings, question people on the hazards in your work area.
You must talk safety and walk safety. Most people learn by watching and doing.  In training use real photos of equipment and practices. Take training walks through your facility. Train your eyes to see hazards and train others to see them also.
If people see the boss follow the rules, then they will be more likely to follow. Be the picture of safety and set the standard. Raise the bar, eliminate risk, eliminate at risk behaviors, eliminate accidents.
I know manufacturing plants that have gone over a year, in some cases multiple years without a recordable injury.  I had the privilege of managing a facility that drove down accidents from 20 per 100K hours worked to less than 1. It can be done, if you challenge the process and be the change that you want to see.

Be safe,
Rudy
rudy@powerinlearning.com