ARTICLE

Promising findings from frontline worker study

24 October 2024

HEALTH AND safety leaders and their improvement initiatives are perceived positively by frontline workers, according to a study commissioned by global technology company SafetyCulture.

More than two-thirds of survey respondents (68%) who are aware of health, safety and quality (HSQ) improvements in their organisation, say the initiatives have positively impacted their day-to-day work. 

Similarly, UK workers who are aware of HSQ leaders in their organisation were most likely to describe them as “helpful”, “effective” and “valuable”.

Those positively impacted say that HSQ initiatives have made them “feel safer at work” (44%) and that incidents have reduced in volume or frequency (38%). These workers cited a halo effect of various other benefits, such as learning new skills and solving complex or long-term issues. 

But the report, titled Feedback from the Field, also suggests health and safety professionals can do more to improve trust and increase awareness of their work. Four in five respondents (81%) aware of HSQ leaders in their organisation believe they could offer even more value. Of these, 43% would value assurance that feedback will be heard and actioned, and improvements encouraged through positive reinforcement rather than fear (38%). Workers also feel somewhat out of the loop, seeking more regular or clearer updates on the business impact of their HSQ initiatives (33%).

The minority of respondents who are aware of HSQ initiatives in their organisation and view them negatively say they have added “compliance clutter” which costs time, haven’t addressed the root cause of an issue, and haven’t left workers feeling any safer.

Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland says. “These are promising findings for health, safety and quality leaders and the reward for a lot of hard work. With safety professionals having many plates to spin – trying to manage risk, drive improvements and embed culture change, all against the backdrop of current fiscal pressures – the view from the frontline is that they’re succeeding.

“Of course there is more to be done – we wouldn’t expect anything other than continuous improvement across the profession. And frontline employees and managers alike have given a clear indication of how this can be done: reassurance that risks and issues will be taken seriously, and greater clarity and visibility on initiatives and the health, safety and quality role itself.”

SafetyCulture surveyed more than 2,000 UK workers in frontline and management roles across the construction, energy, hospitality, logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors. 

SafetyCulture’s mobile-first workplace operations platform is used by more than 18,000 organisations in the UK including the NHS, National Grid and Transport for London. The company aims to reach over 100 million deskless workers globally by 2032.

For more information and to download the report, visit https://safetyculture.com/feedback-from-the-field-time-for-change/  

 
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