Supervisors and employees are important drivers for effective safety and health programs. But that means they can also present obstacles to the success of these programs if they are not trained effectively.

After evaluating the safety and health program in your facility, you should work toward solutions for any issues, obstacles, and problems that arose during the evaluation.

Typically, there are certain obstacles facing the management and supervisors. And, those tend to differ from those that the employees working under the plan face. 

The common obstacles, along with actions that lead to solutions, include:

Supervisor Obstacles

  • Fear of losing their job
  • No money for needed changes
  • Afraid to take responsibility for change
  • No support from upper management
  • No time or follow-through from upper management
  • Competing priorities (e.g., production is number one ahead of safety)
  • Overwhelmed with workload
  • Turnover too high
  • Double standards
  • Lack of trust and poor ethics within the organization
  • Lack of open communication and listening

Possible Solutions for Supervisor’s Obstacles

To address these valid concerns and obstacles from the supervisor, management must take some deliberate action. They must:

  • Support
  • Provide time and resources
  • Hold people accountable
  • Balance competing pressures

Everyone must play by the same rules. And to address their personal concerns, the supervisor must take personal responsibility, stop worrying, trust, and risk.

Employee Obstacles

  • Supervisor is not willing to listen and support
  • Communication is one way (top-down)
  • Organization is not in alignment on safety (e.g., production, not safety, is number one)
  • Supervisors are not willing to hear problems and receive feedback
  • People are not willing to take personal responsibility and are too quick to shift blame
  • Lack of consistency and follow-through causes past successful efforts to fade away

Possible Solutions for Employee’s Obstacles

To address these valid concerns and obstacles from the employee, supervisors must take the following deliberate actions:

  • Support
  • Be open
  • Risk being vulnerable
  • Convince management to support and provide time and resources
  • Realize and commit that this is a long-term effort

The employee must also be willing and eager to take personal responsibility, commit to the cause, trust, and communicate.

For more information or assistance with your Environmental and Health & Safety regulatory compliance needs, contact Ralph Carito at Total Environmental & safety, LLC (Total) at rcarito@TotalEnviron.com or 908-442-8599.