Recognize safety success stories

It gets frustrating when we only get bad news or we fail to recognize leadership. Safety success stories must be repeated and we must recognize that effort daily.

Here are a few good news safety stories:

Responding to a leak call from a commercial (restaurant) customer, the service tech found a leaking flex connector that had been damaged from the frequent moving of an appliance during cleaning. The leak was repaired without incident and the marketer advised the restaurant to use care when moving appliances and to install leak detection devices to prevent future problems. The commercial customer, its employees and its customers are safe for the experience.

A residential customer did not want to change out a 1962 regulator. Rather than get the customer to sign off on the liability (a limited defense) the marketer offered incentives for the regulator exchange. The marketer took control of the situation by recognizing the proactive advocacy of risk prevention.

The supplying marketer took the time to educate a commercial contractor about interruption of service, leak checks and training required when employees regularly changed out 100-lb. cylinders. The customer understood their responsibility to adhere to code and, in this case, the marketer assisted with that education.

This type of good safety stuff happens every day, yet too often we fail to recognize successful safety leadership. For example, it has been three years since any individual or company has been recognized with the National Propane Gas Association’s Safety Award.

It seems to me that an important issue like safety performance ought to be recognized. Without recognition, you may be sending a signal to your employees that safety is a low priority. We know that is not the case, but in what ways do you demonstrate that support of such a vital key to the safe growth of your operation?

Positive motivation works best. Some companies use safety meetings as points of recognition throughout the year, celebrating accident-free years of driving or service and repair. Others take the opportunity to recognize educational accomplishments such as completed CETP modules or HM 126 courses. Safety certificates, gifts or cash are all ways to recognize great results.

Negative motivation can also work, but you have to be careful. I’ve seen everything from fines to manager branch expense charges on liability costs used as back-end recognition. The problem is that the cattle are already out of the barn and you are recognizing bad news; the goal should be to keep bad news from happening.

It should be priority number one to catch people doing the right thing every day and recognize those efforts verbally as well as with incentive programs. I would like to take a moment to recognize a all safety leaders who represent the best the propane industry has to offer when it comes to safety dedication. You folks help keep our industry safe and defendable. There are thousands of industry ambassadors delivering, servicing or communicating with customers safely every day. Please join me in recognizing their contribution to safety and successful growth.