How Companies Can Use the Safety Pyramid to Improve Their Culture

As I noted earlier in this article, the more serious the incident, the more likely it was preceded by something much less serious. For every fatal workplace accident, there were probably 10,000 unsafe behaviors or hazards in the period preceding it.

A word of caution, though: Don’t interpret this logic as blaming employees for every serious incident that happens. In fact, in many organizations, the excessive frequency of near misses, unsafe behaviors, and hazards points to the need for a stronger safety culture—something that falls under the purview of dedicated safety professionals.

It’s also worth noting that most organizations only document the most serious incidents. This means they lack visibility into lower-level incidents that could easily be prevented. And failure to prevent can have dangerous side effects.

So how can organizations reduce these bottom-of-the-pyramid incidents and strengthen their safety culture? Later in this article, I’ll share four steps that can help.

Step 1: Conduct a security audit

Many companies focus primarily on lagging indicators (i.e. data collected after an incident has occurred). While they are often important for regulatory compliance and historical security analysis, lagging indicators alone do not provide a complete picture of security gaps. They only explain what went wrong – not what power go wrong in the future.

With a safety audit, you can review your safety data collection methods to provide a stronger basis for analysis and prevention. This means tracking leading indicators in the workplace, such as unsafe behaviors, common hazards, and near misses. If someone almost slips in an unmarked wet spot, it could indicate a potential actual a fall may result in injury.

Step 2: Implement Reporting Software

Once you know what data to collect in the future, equip your employees with comprehensive software that allows for real-time reporting and analysis. My recommendation? Use mobile, cloud-based software so employees can report incidents as they happen. That way, they don’t have to wait until they’re at their computer to fill out a form.

It is good practice to encourage employees to report All types of incidents so you can understand the full security posture in your organization.

On the back end, cloud connectivity will ensure that no reports go to waste. What’s more, the right tool will have analytics dashboards to help you identify patterns and trends. This way, you can proactively address potential threats before they become serious incidents. For example, if employees are frequently slipping or tripping in a particular area of ​​the warehouse, it may be time for better “wet floor” or “watch your step” signage.

Step 3: Engage the entire organization

A successful safety culture requires buy-in from both management and frontline workers. With buy-in at every level, safety can become a core value for your organization.

One good place to start is with a solid safety training program. The challenge, however, is finding a way to make each lesson both accessible and engaging. If workers don’t understand safety protocols, they risk injury or worse.

Mobile safety training programs are a solid way to meet employees where they are. These programs allow employees to access training materials anytime, anywhere. And with bite-sized, easy-to-digest modules, employees can complete training at their own pace. This approach enables continuous learning and puts safety first.

Leaders, such as supervisors and foremen, can also have an impact. The key is to make sure they demonstrate good safety habits every day. These people are often role models for younger employees. They can encourage their direct reports to follow safety protocols and protect each other in the process.

If an incident does occur, make sure employees know how to fill out the report in the app—and be transparent about what to expect next. Keep them updated with progress through digital notifications and make sure they know who to turn to for more information. The more transparent you are, the more employees will trust the culture you’ve built.

Step 4: Monitor and adjust

As you go through the above steps, be sure to continually monitor your organization’s safety performance. EHS software can be a powerful asset here; it allows you to track safety progress in real time, from training module completion rates to safety interventions.

From here, you can take an iterative approach to your safety program. Consider making incremental changes as needed to your training program, data collection processes, etc. In this way, you can gradually develop a safety culture that proactively responds to the needs of your organization.

Preventive strategies have a huge impact

The security pyramid has been around for decades, but it still has value. The key to translating theory into action is a multi-pronged strategy that targets incidents at the bottom of the pyramid before they snowball.

The steps we’ve outlined here help organizations do just that. By addressing serious security issues at the source, organizations can better protect their employees and manage their overall risk.