Private security solutions firm G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. implemented its Safety Starts with Me at Home/Work/Play program in the fourth quarter of 2016 to educate its employees, their families, co-workers, and customers on the importance of safety not only at work but at home and play, ensuring it’s always the priority. The firm recognizes that its employees are its greatest asset—to the company, their families, clients, and co-workers. G4S recognizes that safety is a trait that employees also can be taught to focus on at home and play.
Educating employees in the three areas of home, work, and play helps reduce the number and severity of incidents and ensures they return home safely to their families every night. G4S cares about the health and welfare of its employees even when they are not at work. Whether they are home with family, working at a customer site, or simply playing at the park, safety must remain their top priority.
Creating a culture of safety happens one person at a time. That’s why the firm gave the program a name employees can relate to and remember: “Safety Starts with Me.”
Program Details
At the core of the program are monthly safety training topics employees are trained on via G4Su (the firm’s learning management system) that they then incorporate into their daily work. Topics include:
- Slips and falls
- Ladder safety
- Stair safety
- Prevention of back injuries
- Distracted and drowsy driving
- Proper clothing
- Staying in shape
- Prevention of eye injuries
- Good housekeeping
- Heat-related incidents
- Fatigue-related incidents
- Emergency actions
To kick off the program, G4S distributed 2,000-plus Site-Level Kits to its 110 field offices, region and business HQ locations, and client sites across the U.S. Each kit included training materials and resources needed to implement the 12-month program at all G4S and client sites. Kits contain a training instruction booklet outlining program implementation at each site, multiple themed posters, customer cards, a “Why I Work Safely” cork board, stickers, a Zero Harm/Stand Down poster, a calendar featuring one safety topic per month, risk assessments, and near-miss reporting forms.
Risk assessments teach employees to identify potential safety concerns and include training activities on conducting daily inspection. Zero Harm/Stand Down posters require supervisors to lead “Safety Stand Down Talks” to review assessments, discuss solutions, and propose ways to reduce the risk of injury. Near-miss reporting educates employees on recognizing/preventing near misses—habits that lead to more serious injury—helping make the connection between at home/play injuries and how they impact work.
Results
Since implementation, total incident claims have decreased 0.4 percent and record-only claims decreased 1.4 percent. G4S also was recognized by two major clients for zero incidents in the first and second quarters of 2017.
