INJURY PREVENTION & WORKSITE WELLNESS
A JUST CULTURE :
CHANGING THE WAY WE LOOK AT ACCOUNTABILITY
BY : RITA BARRETT-COSBY , CWPC , INJURY PREVENTION & WORKSITE WELLNESS CONSULTANT , A . I . M . MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES
JUST CULTURE :
Creating An Open & Fair Culture
Creating A Learning Culture
Designing Safe Systems
Managing Behavioral Choices
Just Culture is a system that holds itself accountable , holds staff members accountable , and has staff members who hold themselves accountable .
DO YOUR EMPLOYEES think twice before alerting you to a deficiency in your systems ? Is your response to workplace accidents too narrow in scope ?
If so , it may be time to consider Just Culture , a concept first associated with health care but with clear mainstream benefits . Just Culture places less focus on events , errors , and outcomes and more focus on risk , system design , and the management of behavioral choices . This culture fosters continual improvement , safety , and employee satisfaction .
In essence , your employees understand they are accountable for their actions in the workplace but they are not punished for system faults outside their control . Just Culture encourages staff members to voice their opinions and feel supported in doing so . In turn , the organization learns and improves by openly identifying and addressing its weaknesses .
Here are the four main objectives in a Just Culture .
# 1 CREATING AN OPEN AND FAIR CULTURE
When discussing a true open and fair culture , consider all the components . At XYZ Roofing Company , two workplace accidents happened a month apart . Two employees fell off a roof at different job sites , and , fortunately , neither was injured . They both failed to wear the fall protection gear that is required .
One roofer was a long-term , respected employee with a stellar employment record . She knew the safety policy but thought she ’ d be able to go quickly to the roof without protection . The other roofer was a short-term employee whose probation period for minor infractions had been extended .
XYZ Roofing opted to respond in two different ways . The long-term employee received “ coaching ” on the importance of fall protection when working at heights , while her coworker received disciplinary action .
Both responses may seem appropriate , but the root cause of the behavior choice was never determined . A company ’ s response to failures and near misses will create or negate a Just Culture .
The investigation should move beyond the employment record and determine why this behavior — foregoing fall protection — took place . How prevalent is it ? It ’ s important to uncover what happened , what normally happens , and what the procedure requires ; in other words , how the system was designed to work .
Coaching or discipline does not enable us to learn what we might do differently to minimize the chances of causing the same adverse outcome . This is not to say a company should adopt a “ no blame ” culture . Conscious disregard of clear risks or gross misconduct can ’ t be tolerated . But if noncompliance with a safety policy is common practice , that ’ s cause for concern .
What if the employees were injured in
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