Workplace Safety and Health - How to Engage Stakeholders Involvement and Support Through Motivation

Engaging Stakeholders involvement and support through motivation

The job of management in the workplace is to get things done safely through

employees and motivation is a key factor to achieve this

Motivation refers to both internal and external factors that stimulate energy in

people to be continuously committed to a job and to pursue a goal with

persistence

Research and observations have shown that well motivated employees are more

productive, creative and safety conscious. Hence organization should grasp a

good understanding of the principles and practices of motivation to understand

the human nature, that is understands what motivates their workers

A good understanding of human motivation involves understanding the 7

strategies of motivation which encompass:

•

Positive reinforcement

•

Effective discipline and punishment

•

Treating people fairly

•

Satisfying employees needs

•

Setting work related goals

•

Restructuring jobs• Reward on job performance

Break down change process to encourage stakeholders participation

Organization should break down the change process into manageable phases

and types so as to encourage stakeholders to participate in the workplace health

and safety program through the following change processes :

•

Induction and other training programs;

•

Company policy and procedures manuals;

•

Employee guidebook

•

Health and Safety policy and procedure manuals;

•

Standard job procedures manuals;

•

Reference in job descriptions

Develop means and monitor progress towards achieving the set objectives

Organization should identify mechanism for obtaining feedback from its

stakeholders by establishing suitable channels as a mode of obtaining

feedbacks from stakeholders in order to improve and implement the WSH policy

successfully.

Typical channels used in obtaining feedbacks from stakeholders are

:

• Small group meetings and activities

• Feedback sessions

• Email/Electronics/Hardcopy Surveys

• Interview sessions

Means to monitor the progress of WSH policy implementation may include

• The use Gantt Charting. As Gantt charts provides an easy reference for

how to carry out a given project by breaking it down into specific phases

and tasks and its visual charting make it easily to identify visually the

bottlenecks associated with a project.

• Periodic review of the workplace inspection reports, accident

investigations, and health and safety program evaluations as well as

the recommendations by health and safety committee or representative’s