Hello again and welcome to Spring (it takes awhile for it to arrive in Minnesota)! In the previous issue I introduced you to the third of the 10 energy sources I address in my "Batteries Not Included" process: Consistency.

For a quick review... the 10 energy sources include:

1. Commitment
2. Communication
3. Consistency
4. Accountability
5. Flexibility
6. Creativity
7. Inclusion
8. Respect
9. Recognition
10. Fun

In this issue I will introduce the fourth of the 10 critical energy sources: Accountability.

It is pretty clear that in order for a work environment to truly be safe, every individual in a company must feel responsible for the safety of themselves and their co-workers. The million dollar question is how to make this happen. It is one thing for a company to tell employees that they are responsible or hang signs up on the wall that say “safety is everyone’s responsibility’, but it is a whole other thing to have this practiced on a consistent basis.

How do you teach a child to cross the street safely? In this situation it is essential that they feel a strong sense of self-responsibility. I don’t imagine that those of you who are parents or grandparents sit children down and give them a one hour presentation on the physics of moving vehicles. Why not; because information is not the most powerful tool for gaining accountability. With children, we don’t try to influence their level of self responsibility by influencing what they know…instead, we try to influence how they feel. We make it abundantly clear to them that they are important to us, and because we value them so much we are depending on them to be careful. We make sure they know we would be devastated if something bad happened to them. This sense of value influences their decision making process.

As an occupational therapist I was always impressed by how hard some people would work in therapy to get better. In some situations patients would be working so hard that we would literally have to force them to take breaks. What they would say when asked why they were working so hard was that someone; somewhere was depending on them to get well. Someone needed them. They had value to someone and they had a responsibility to get back on their feet as quickly as possible. I have worked with hundreds of employees who experienced back injuries and I observed the same thing with many of them. When asked why they were so dedicated to getting back to work, they would tell me that their employer and co-workers were counting on them and they needed to get back to share the load. What these patients were describing was their sense of value, and the increased level of accountability that goes with it. Here’s the question companies need to ask. How often and in how many ways does the company let the employees know that they have value?

Who gets more attention in your company, employees who are injured or employees who are working safely? When a company waits until an employee is injured, and then focuses energy and attention on him or her, what is the message? The message is that when you are healthy and productive you have little value, but when you are injured, non-productive and costing the company money your value goes up.

Imagine this scenario. One day an employee picks something up and feels a sharp pain in his back. Within minutes the employee has the attention of his supervisor and the company nurse. The employees doctor, a physical therapist, the insurance company, and the employees friends and family become involved and committed to the employees well being. Where was all this energy and attention when the employee was healthy and productive? Suddenly, the employee has value.

Nothing says “YOU HAVE VALUE’ better than a great safety program.

What can a company do to increase the level of self-responsibility of its employees? It’s fairly simple. Implement great safety programs and acknowledge employees contributions and value before they get injured.

One last energizing tip: If you really want employees to feel accountable in your safety programs, make it clear that the program is not something that is being done TO them, but rather something that is being done WITH them. Also, a safety program that focuses primarily on the dollar savings will never achieve the same level of energy, accountability and success that comes from a program that emphasizes that safety is the right thing to do. It is the difference between programs that come from the wallet….and programs that come from the heart. Employees know the difference and will act accordingly.

Welcome: I would like to introduce you to a new member of the Prevention Plus team. Jeni Smith recently joined us as the V.P. of Business Development. I invite you to give her a call with any questions about our products and services. You can reach her at jeni@preventionplusinc.com or call 651-747-7490. Also, if you are going to be attending either the ASSE Conference in Seattle or the Eastern Ergonomics Conference in Boston stop by our booth or come hear me speak on June 12 at 4:15pm. Hope to see you there.

Thanks to all the companies who have allowed me to participate in their safety efforts and programs during the last month or so: Captive Resources, General Mills, Connexus Energy, Northwest Airlines, Quad Cities Employers’ Association, State of Minnesota, Alcoa, Saint-Gobain Containers, The Rocky Mountain Safety and Health Conference, Southern California Gas Company and UCLA.

Specials: Check out our newsletter special. Simply go to our website, pick out the products you like, and 20% will automatically be deducted from your total when you enter the word “Newsletter’ in the special code box. All our products come with a 30 day free preview and we offer substantial discounts on multiple purchase orders. Give us a call at 952-525-2255 to find out more.

As always, keep your questions, comments and ideas coming. We’re always glad to hear from you. Be safe, have fun and keep in touch.