July 28, 2008

New Publication on Transforming Health & Safety Culture

Workforce_renewalSure, national security, counter-terrorism and emergency management are hot topics, but if you want to save lives and reduce injuries, health and safety is where you can make a big difference.

Bjorn Rutten and I have just published a new report called Workforce Renewal: New Opportunities to Transform Health and Safety Culture. This report looks at what CEOs and presidents can do to make changes to their health and safety culture in the midst of a major transformation of their workforce.

Many organizations are finding that they have a staff comprised of four different generational groups -- Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y -- and each group brings with them different perspectives, values and practices. As a result, building or strengthening a health and safety culture has become more complex. The following is a brief summary of the main suggestions made.

  • Develop a clear and nuanced understanding of health and safety issues.
  • Model the behaviour you want to see in others.
  • Fully integrate health and safety into every aspect of work and make it non-negotiable.
  • Create an environment of trust to motivate employees to take ownership of health and safety.
  • Demonstrate and demand accountability.
  • Engage your "silver liners" in knowledge transfer and training activities for new employees.
  • Use succession planning and develop the next generation of health and safety champions.
  • Tailor your health and safety message to the expectations of your (demographic) audience.

To get a copy of this report, search for it at www.e-Library.ca after filling in the profile. There is no charge to search this library at The Conference Board of Canada.

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My (Selected) Publications

  • Workforce Renewal: New Opportunities to Transform Health and Safety Culture (2008)
    This report discusses the challenge of building a strong health and safety culture in a workforce comprised of diverse demographic cohorts.
  • "Building Resilience: Leadership and Accountability" (2008)
    This report focuses on ways to establish effective leadership during emergencies. It acknowledges that crises are becoming increasingly complex, requiring responses from many organizations beyond conventional first responders.
  • "A Resilient Canada: Governance for National Security and Public Safety" (2007)
    This report outlines six key principles Canadian public and private sector organizations need to focus on to ensure they can respond effectively to national security and public safety incidents.
  • "Tough Times in the Big Easy: Lessons From a Catastrophe" (2007)
    This report describes the factors that led to the collapse of good governance in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and outlines lessons Canada’s private and public sectors can learn from the disaster.
  • "Lessons in Public-Private Research Collaboration: Improving Interactions Between Individuals" (2006)
    This report focuses on collaborative projects between business and university or government researchers and identifies the practices that underlie successful collaborative projects as well as barriers to be overcome.
  • "Lessons in Public-Private Research Collaboration: Improving Interactions Between Individuals" (2006)
    This report focuses on collaborative projects between business and university or government researchers and identifies the practices that underlie successful collaborative projects as well as barriers to be overcome.
  • "La biotechnologie au Canada: Une plateforme technologique pour la croissance" (2005)
    Les pays à la recherche de la prochaine plateforme technologique qui stimulera l'innovation regardent du côté de la biotechnologie. Le Canada ne fait pas exception. Il est temps d'arrêter de se demander si, oui ou non, il faut s'engager dans cette voie. Le Canada doit agir sans tarder s'il veut tirer parti de la biotechnologie.
  • "Biotechnology in Canada: A Technology Platform for Growth" (2005)
    Countries in search of the next technology platform that will drive innovation are eyeing biotechnology—Canada included. It's time to stop discussing whether or not to embrace biotechnology. Canada should act quickly in order to capitalize on it.
  • "Six Quick Hits for Canadian Commercialization: Leaders' Roundtable on Commercialization" (2005)
    The Leaders’ Roundtable on Commercialization is a blue ribbon panel of leaders from government, academia and various industries. Its mandate is to establish an action plan to improve commercialization success in Canada. In this, its first report, the Roundtable outlines a series of “quick hits” to help Canada compete better globally.
  • "Annual Innovation Report 2004: Don’t Overlook the 'MEs'" (2004)
    Medium-sized firms, often overlooked in favour of larger firms or start-ups, may be the best model for how Canadian companies can succeed globally. Don’t Overlook the 'MEs': Medium-sized Firms Show the Way to Global Success discusses what sets medium-sized firms apart and the importance of building more innovative Canadian companies ahead of larger Canadian companies.