b'In engineering and construction, safety is the chain that holdsuncomplicated to manage. As more and more employees the organization together. Every effort is a link that buildsadopted the practice, it transformed into a cultural proof point and strengthens an organizations risk management program.and change management lever. Lazar reports, Once you have RETTEW, a top engineering consulting firm headquartered inlarge-scale compliance here, it heralds a shift and an opening Lancaster, PA, believes that their company culture is an anchorto expand the culture into other areas.for their safety chain.ELIMINATE RISK WITH REWARDS:RETTEW, with 11 offices across the country, has been inTHE HAZARD I.D. INITIATIVEoperation for 50 years. One of their fastest growing serviceFinding and eliminating hazards is foundational for any risk areas is safety consulting, headed by Luke Lazar, certifiedmanagement program, but its not always fun or easy. Thats safety professional. Lazar has leveraged two decades of safetywhy Lazar gamified the process. To keep employees excited and consulting experience to lead a cross-discipline team ofabout the hazard identification practice, they were asked to fill safety professionals for a variety of targeted projectsout a simple online form whenever they discovered a hazard, and organizations.from a tripping danger caused by an extension cord to a melted When RETTEW first started in 1969, they focused on civil,ice cube on the break room floor. They were asked to submit municipal, transportation, and land development projects.it, even if they discovered it outside of work. Each submission In 2008, they expanded their presence into the natural gascame with a monetary reward. Employees that addressed or industry. This meant more time on job sites and an elevatedfixed a hazard were given an even larger reward. level of risk. As a result, the team at RETTEW quickly realizedLazar notes, We are seeing an increase in situational that they needed to close the gaps in their safety culture.awareness across the organization. Sometimes you need to CREATING A SCALABLE SAFETY CULTUREuse the carrot method, and this is one great example. Since its Lazar was tasked with a single missioninstill a scalable safetyinception, about 350 Hazard I.D.s are submitted each year. culture throughout the companys footprint. Easier said than done. He decided to start with a clean slatereframing everyLuke Lazar, pictured here, manages the safety program, consulting, and part of the companys safety mindset, from top to bottom.training at RETTEW.Lazar notes that elevating the priority of safety within the culture was vital. Visible and consistent reminders needed to be incorporated into everyday routines, backed up with accountability. This was a sweeping initiative at RETTEW,which meant that Lazar require, and receive, the backingof leadership at every level. START SMALL: THE SAFETY MINUTEBeginning meetings with safety and quality messages, called a Safety Minute, isnt new. But Lazar wanted to make it a foundational part of the culture. Lazar needed to find ways to remind and reinforce the commitment to the Safety Minute. He started with reference cards featuring safety messages designed to share in group settings. Over the first weeks and months of the program, repeated use of reference cards helped employees recognize and share safety and quality moments in their work lives. After the initial launch, the culture embraced the Safety Minute, and reference cards were eliminated.CONSIDER EVERY ANGLE: THE FIRST MOVEFORWARD POLICYParking lot accidents are one of the most common causes of fleet vehicle damage. Backing into parking spaces, or reverse parking, improves safety by eliminating the dangers of blind spots and parking lot hazards, like moving cars or hard-to-see pedestrians. It also provides better visibility and control over the vehicle. Having all RETTEW employees follow the First Move Forward policy created a striking visual in the company lots and made a statement that was hard to ignore. The policy was straightforward (no pun intended) to implement and THIRTEEN'