Jenkins Restorations

Steven Lowry

Project Delivery Shaper

I have found that organizations rarely embark on a true safety journey until something tragic happens. Unfortunately, owners and executives are often more reactive than proactive when it comes to building a safety program or Safety Management System (SMS). In many cases, it takes a serious injury or fatality (SIF), or even an OSHA visit, before leadership asks, “What are we doing about safety?”

One major flaw in this reactive approach is that safety failures are often blamed on frontline workers when the real responsibility lies with leadership. The phrase “safety starts at the top” is absolutely true. I firmly believe that you cannot build a positive safety culture without full commitment from the CEO, president, or owner of an organization. An effective safety professional understands this and must communicate the importance of safety in a way leadership can understand, support and champion. In my experience, this is one of the most challenging aspects of the role.

Conversely, once leadership is fully engaged, the rest becomes significantly easier. Other key steps in building a strong safety culture and Safety Management System from the ground up include:

1. Develop a Safety Policy Statement from Leadership

The CEO, president, owner, or highest-ranking leader in the organization must take ownership of the policy and actively participate in its development. The statement should be clear, definitive and fully supported by leadership. Once established, the organization can begin working backward to identify areas where the greatest and quickest impact can be made.

2. Identify Lagging Metrics

Establish a baseline using measurable data that reflects past performance and cannot be changed, such as Experience Modification Rate (EMR) or Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR). These metrics should be reviewed regularly and reassessed annually.

3. Identify the Highest-Risk Positions and Activities

Determine the three to five riskiest positions within the organization, then identify the two to five highest-risk activities associated with those roles.

4. Build Protocols Around the Highest-Risk Activity

Start with the single highest-risk activity and develop safety protocols around it. Engage frontline workers in the process and gather their input. Review procedures with supervisors and managers to ensure alignment and practicality.

5. Establish a Strong Feedback Process

Feedback is critical to continuous improvement. Review the effectiveness of new protocols within 30 to 45 days after implementation and again after three to six months. Evaluate both the physical and emotional impact of the changes. How do employees feel about the process? What improvements do they suggest? Was there measurable progress? This creates a repeatable framework for building effective safety teams and improvement initiatives.

“Effective communication requires multiple channels and repeated touchpoints throughout the organization.”

6. Develop Leading Metrics

Once measurable protocols are in place, shift focus toward leading indicators. Leading metrics are based on activities designed to prevent incidents, though they can be more difficult to quantify because they measure events that did not happen. Activities such as toolbox talks, equipment inspections and facility walkthroughs are all preventative measures. By tracking the frequency of these activities and comparing them against incident rates, organizations can begin identifying meaningful correlations. At this stage, the foundation of a true Safety Management System begins to emerge.

Based on my experience, the most common challenges organizations face when implementing an SMS are communication, engagement and accountability.

Communication is always difficult within organizations, particularly when introducing new ideas and attempting to influence culture. Effective communication requires multiple channels and repeated touchpoints throughout the organization. There is no universal approach.

Some communication strategies that have worked well for me include:

● Monthly executive leadership safety review meetings

● Bi-monthly updates on leading indicator compliance for management

 ● Monthly company-wide safety newsletters

● A monthly safety committee meeting

● Bi-annual reporting on safety program performance

● Annual company-wide safety surveys with published results

There will always be some trial and error in refining communication methods and tailoring messages to different audiences. The important thing is to keep safety visible and consistently reinforce its importance.

Soliciting feedback from employees at all levels is equally important. Ask yourself whether the message is not only being heard, but also understood as intended. Involving workers in the process encourages ownership and buy-in. The safety program becomes their program, not simply a management initiative.

Recognition also plays a critical role in engagement and culture development. Employees who actively support and promote a positive safety culture deserve recognition. Safety is rarely achieved individually; it is typically demonstrated through team performance and collective accountability. Recognizing both individuals and high-performing teams strengthens accountability organically, without relying solely on top-down enforcement.

Now more than ever, the role of safety leadership is critical within the construction industry. While overall injury rates have shown some improvement in recent years, serious injuries and fatalities continue to rise. This may be driven by compressed production schedules, increasingly complex equipment and growing expectations for workers to accomplish more with fewer resources. All of these trends reinforce the need for skilled safety professionals. The role is not disappearing. If anything, demand for safety leadership will continue to grow.

Looking ahead, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a major role in creating safer work environments and shaping the future of workplace safety. In fact, my strongest advice to emerging safety professionals is to learn how to leverage AI, whether through predictive analytics, AI-assisted safety planning, or virtual reality training programs. Understanding how to effectively apply these technologies will create a meaningful advantage and help define the next generation of safety leadership.