In Lapland, management safety walks were raised to annual management goals, and management site visits have been conducted at YIT for a long time. Many companies have noticed that having top management visible on the site works and produces results – in both directions.
"We decided in the management team to raise the level of safety management, so that management can be seen more by example on construction sites. At the same time, practical goals were drawn up for management safety walks," says Lapti's CEO. Jussi Karjula.
According to Karjula, occupational safety and advancing the safety culture are at the heart of the company's thinking at Lapti. This is best achieved by descending from the "ivory tower" and making what is important truly visible.
"The goals of safe working and the creation of a safety culture always start from the company's management. When management is seen in the field in a genuine way, it shows everyone that safety is highly valued in the company," says Lapti's Occupational Safety and Quality Director. Jukka Moilanen.
You don't need to know everything.
When the walks in Lapti were launched at the beginning of the year with a new concept, a small-scale introduction was organized for senior management. This meant that the walk was not intended to be an audit tour to address deficiencies in skirting boards and railings, but rather an engaging, interactive event on the construction site.
Managers should also not think that they should be able to answer all possible questions during the tour. According to Jussi Karjula, the walks are a good part of managing the corporate culture. The reception on the construction sites has been surprisingly enthusiastic, and the results from the reporting also encourage us to continue the walks.
"The discussions that have taken place on the construction sites have been positive. People who have participated in the discussions say that it is motivating when they get to tell management about their own work. And when safety issues are raised on the construction site, they also start to improve their safety skills on their own initiative," Jukka Moilanen adds.
"This is responsible work. Employees need to feel that they are cared about and that things are being done together. When we go to the construction site, it must not be a police attitude," says Jussi Karjula.
"Small everyday issues are easily brought up in them. It's an interactive situation where we exchange stories, what has gone well and where there are challenges. A shared issue is always easier to resolve in every way," he summarizes.
"The observations, what was discussed and whether the walk left a positive impression, shed a lot of light on walking. For example, you can talk to an employee about how they have taken safety into account in their work and what risks their work involves in terms of accidents," explains Jukka Moilanen.
If clear deficiencies are detected, they are normally pointed out and the construction site begins to correct them.
In Lapland, in addition to the CEO, regional managers participate in the site walks, each of whom aims to do at least one safety walk per month. Jussi Karjula has had a lot of walks since the beginning of the year, and has already completed six walks during his three-week regional tour.
Let's discuss and reflect
For over ten years, YIT has been conducting management site visits, where safety is a key consideration.
“The goal of people with the title of manager is to make at least one such site visit per month,” says YIT's Uusimaa region public construction division manager. Heikki K. HannukkalaHe says that he usually makes a couple of discussion-based construction site visits a month, and that he gets excited every time he gets to see the projects on the construction sites.
According to Hannukkala, the entire project line organization is invited to the site visit, or more broadly, anyone from YIT, for example the entire management team of the profit unit.
A long-standing good practice has become an established habit in the company. There is a dedicated reporting system for visits, which makes it easy to track them and measure results.
At YIT, management's discussion site visits are special walks that are scheduled in management's calendars well in advance. The visits themselves resemble normal interactions on the site.
"We first gather at the construction site office and usually reserve a couple of hours for the visit. We go over the situation on the construction site, talk about safety as well as logistics, or whatever is relevant at the time. During the tour, observations are made and photographs are taken as normal. Finally, the results of the tour are summarized and the observations made during the visit and the notes from the visit are saved in the system," says Heikki K. Hannukkala.
According to Hannukkala, it is the reflection on the summary at the end of the construction site visit that is the essence of the walk.
"Let's tell you what we saw and spark a discussion. At that time, it's especially important to talk about positive things, to inspire and encourage the construction site."
Every month, YIT highlights its own occupational safety-related themes. At the time of the interview, the focus was on hand tools and personal protective equipment. It is natural to also highlight these during discussion-based construction site visits.
Management safety walks are a good idea for companies of all sizes. RT has produced a short material that will help your company get started easily.