So You're The New Safety Manager?
Part 2

By Allen F. Weitzel
OK, new safety manager, you have laid the foundation for a successful safety program at your park or zoo, you have grasped the lay of the organization’s land, and the Maintenance Director is pleased with how quickly you sent over that new Respirator information. Now what?

You need to begin your long-term planning and start to implement your safety philosophy. You're not going to get safety psyche instilled in everyone overnight. Resign yourself to small wins and a long commitment.

Remember, safety is not a good news department. Many people will run when they see you coming; normally you bring more work for them to do or news they don't want to hear. So you need to work on YOU. You must be a pleasant person to your fellow workers. Work at making sure people feel comfortable talking to you. Develop your people skills. Sign up for some "people" courses or talk with an experienced receptionist, flight attendant or waitress who can teach you plenty of "people power" tricks.

Always deliver the facts. Do not taint or skew statistics to support your case. Be known as a person who tells it like it is, politely, of course. Keep accurate records. Additionally, never burn a source. If you receive confidential information and you need, for the safety reasons, to forward the data to someone who has the power to generate change, do not reveal from whom you received that information. If asked, let the questioning party know that you are of no use to either side if you reveal your source. If you blow the whistle, you will lose the opportunity to receive unadulterated information.

Find out the topics important to other departments or specific staff members. Try to provide service and information on that topic. Also provide information in the manner that key staff prefers. If your General Manager likes short emails, communicate data in that succinct format. Make sure you go to other manager's offices for meetings rather than ask them to come to you.

The primary persons or departments, aside from the General Manager, that you need to have in your corner are the Maintenance Department, the company insurance carrier and the company legal counsel. If those folks are supportive of your goals and programs, the rest of the company will follow along.

One way to gain respect for your position is to volunteer your services to industryorganizations. The International Association of Amusment Parks and Attractions, AIMS, and local ASSE Chapters are always looking for industry experts to speak at annual conventions and monthly luncheons. You may not feel like an industry veteran, yet, but you are an expert about your facility and such experiences are extremely valuable. Volunteer to submit "how-to" or park experience articles to industry publications. Once you've established your track record at outside organizations, company staff will appreciate your efforts and expertise, as well. Plus, you'll pick up lots of tips from your counterparts at these functions.

Keep your door open to ideas and criticism. Learn to take suggestions with grace. Once people feel comfortable with you, they will open up and tell you about safety concerns they notice. You will become their sounding board. Some of their comments will be brilliant, well thought out and valid. Some will be fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants crazy or come across as trivial gripes. Listen carefully to each one and address them objectively, culling the real problem from the verbiage surrounding it. Never blow off an employee or guest who has, at least to them, a legitimate safety concern. The company will hear from this person again if you didn’t address a situation you were aware of and it ends up causing harm.

Do not tell people how to do their jobs. If you have a safety concern to discuss with a department, educate them on the concern, offer possible solutions if you have some, but let the department decide the best solution. Just make sure you communicate your concerns so the critical elements of the "fix" are not overlooked. Your goal is safety, not to nitpick the process. You'll receive more support if the correcting department has input in resolving the issue.

What happens if you have no solution for an issue? This is where networking pays off. Develop a mentor or confidant and cultivate a nucleus of safety manager friends. You want colleagues you can contact on short notice who will brainstorm the problem with you. You want this fellow counterpart to be a person who will not take you or your predicament lightly. You want a peer who can offer you a quick, objective solution. Normally, a solution is only a second opinion away.

A Safety Manager must provide balance and overview to the company safety program. Avoid getting bogged down in tiny details, even though they may seem fascinating to you. If another department, your insurance carrier or your claims administrator can handle a job just as effectively as you can, delegate that task to them. This gives you the time to keep your eye on the ball and continue to revisit the company safety goals.

Avoid placing yourself in a position where you are the single judge, jury and executioner on the resolution of all safety concerns, guest claims, lawsuits or Worker's Compensation cases. Be sure you have an associate who can review safety issues and provide guidance in resolving a case or a concern. Third Party Administrators (TPAs) are ideal individuals for this purpose. Having an unbiased third party will ensure an objective outlook at each action and distance you from the day-to-day confusion of case management.

Here are a few ideas to strengthen the safety fiber of your company.

— Safety Action Plans: Require that each department meet with the Safety Department once per year to establish departmental Safety Action Plans. Establish programs that can reduce employee injuries or increase safety education and awareness. Review the year-end results and reward the best plans.

— Safety Council: Establish a group of company executives who can make critical safety decisions and execute action quickly.

— Safety Committee Members: Assign a safety expert in each department. Train these individuals on day-to-day safety procedures. Send a monthly safety log to these employees, have them inspect their areas for hazards and return them to the Safety Department for review and retention. This documentation, as well as other program documents, will prove the strength of your park’s safety program to insurance carriers.

— Emergency Evacuation Drill Training Checklist: Create a document that individual departments can follow to set up, execute and evaluate an emergency evacuation drill. The Safety or Security Department staff can assist departments with their evacuation drills, but you want the Department Heads to be in a position to set up and implement a drill without waiting for permission from the Safety Department.

— Safety Handbook: If your park does not have one, create a handbook outlining only employee related safety procedures. This booklet should be issued to every employee during their orientation and training.

— Safety Incentive and Award Programs: It is important to reward safety performed over and above the "call of duty." Such programs should reward immediate single safety actions, as well as long-term safety awareness or safety record.

— Safety Procedures In Guides: All employee training guides should include safety, emergency, and evacuation procedures for every job function. The Safety Department should proof all guides before they are issued to employees.

— Recertification: Evaluate training programs to be sure they contain a recertification contingent, addressing workers who have been on the job for more than two years. Veteran employees should receive as much retraining as new employees receive initial training.

— Off-Hours Incident Investigation: Establish procedures and protocols that Managers On Duty and Security can use to initiate incident investigations when the Safety Department is not on property. Always remember, after an incident, do not correct a hazard without taking pictures of it first.

— Emergency Supplies: Determine what type of supplies your facility needs should an emergency of any magnitude occur. Set up a secure location for these supplies away from normal buildings. Make sure they are inspected and refreshed on a regular basis. Your local first-aid kit supplier company can assist you with this task.

— Safety Feedback: Create a means for guests and employees to provide feedback on safety issues. Comment cards are one way to make this happen.

If you are doing a good job in protecting the assets of the company, you will soon discover the staff has gotten a little complacent. You have done a good job, you have kept claims and Worker’s Comp costs down, you have kept the company out of court, and this kind of success can actually lead to trouble if you are not diligent. Some directors and vice presidents will start making more daring decisions you feel are jeopardizing the park's safety program. You are part of this dilemma: the staff has not had to answer any interrogatories, be grilled by Plaintiff Counsel at any depositions or had to testify in court. They have become comfortable. You need to conduct an educational campaign. From time to time, send interrogatories to key Execs. Suggest that legal counsel come on site and present a mock deposition. Present safety classes to management staff once per year. Train the staff on legally required safety programs and provide annual updates to key staff on new regulations as they are enacted. Sell your job and success to the managers. They need to know how the programs you developed have kept the park on a safe path.

As a safety manager, your job is not to know how much to torque down a #3 Bowman bolt on a specific ride. Your task is to know that there is a program in place to address such a task and assure it is safely followed.

For 15 of Allen F. Weitzel's 36 seasons in the amusement industry, he has been immersed in the occupation of managing safety and training functions. In the past 3 years, 22 different articles, attributed to Allen, have appeared in industry publications, including FunWorld, Standardization News (ASTM), Tourist Attractions and Parks and THE LOOP. Allen is also a member of the Original Fall Guys, a western gunfight and stunt group, and performs shows with that group in his spare time.