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Workplace safety

Teddies and toys spark safety at work

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:22

By Jan Hollenbach

It is unfortunate that on an annual basis a large number of work related accidents takes place in SA. Updated accurate statistics are very difficult to come by partly because incidents and accidents are not being reported.

The Compensation Commissioner received no less than 280 631 workplace accident reports in 1998. These figures only reflect accidents of employees engaged under contracts of service and exclude the growing number of self employed workers and independent contractors. These are the most accurate and recently available statistics, but is it the full extent of work related accidents?

Organisations invest huge amounts of resources in the form of training programmes in an attempt to reduce these statistics. Unfortunately the efforts do not seem to have much effect. The latest approach of studying the behaviour of employees like supervision, management and leadership is definitely a step in the right direction.

There is a “BAD” reason why we are reminded ever so often while travelling on our roads that the speeds limit is 120km/h. I would suggest every driver in South Africa with a (valid) drivers licence knows the speed limit. Why is it that so many of us still “get caught?” Is the issue not being caught or adhering to a safe regulatory speed? Maybe we have brought these subconscious behaviours to the workplace.

Is it time for something drastic? Will extreme measures and tactics have an impact?

According to recent research published in the Harvard Business Review: return to innocence (September 2011), all we need is a couple of teddy bears and crayons lying about.

The research found that adults are less likely to cheat and more likely to engage in pro-social behaviours when reminders of children, such as soft toys and crayons are present.

The research further proposes that child-related cues, which are often present in organisations, lead individuals to behave more pro-socially and less unethically because these cues implicitly activate the construct of moral purity. We return to innocence and act pure because of the subconscious motivation to do so. The heart’s emotion overrides the mind’s will.

Could there be a possible link between the return to innocence research and people behaving differently at the workplace? Will employees naturally behave more responsibly and become more safety conscious? Will the workplace become less prone to accidents?

Would it be possible to change the motivation of personnel, from "I am working safely" to stay out of trouble i.e. the MD’s office to, "I am staying safe to be able to enjoy my family when I get home or that lovely holiday we are planning. The decision to be safe and act safely will then come from the heart and not the mind.

The traditional four steps to safety talks to the mind and so do most safety related training interventions.

It is certainly irresponsible to take personal motivation for granted as a magic fix, as well as to presume that the same results with the Harvard experiment will be achieved in South African organisations.

Bringing the family closer to the workplace by giving tea breaks dedicated to facebook or sending an sms to loved ones, encouraging families and children’s photos as screen savers and the like, might just have a positive effect. Would a family reward like a day at the zoo etc not have more value to the heart than another braai?

Is it worth a try?

With at least 300 000 lives affected and the quality of more than double those lives at risk, it is sure worth considering.

We believe in the 4H approach - if you talk to the head and the heart, the hands will do something different and this might become a habit.

If you are brave enough to engage in an experiment in your organisation, please give us a call on 016 420 2303 or visit Maccauvlei Learning Academy.