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Utility Safety Podcast – Deep Dive – Using Safety to Drive Operational Excellence – Written By Doug Hill, CUSP

Written by Podbean Account on . Posted in Built In, Not Bolted On Podcast.

“Built In, Not Bolted On” explores the critical integration of safety into the core of organizational operations rather than treating it as a secondary, compliance-based add-on. Author Doug Hill argues that when safety is established as a fundamental organizational value—rather than just a priority—it naturally drives improvements in quality, productivity, and overall operational excellence. By utilizing Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles, the article highlights how a “safety-first” culture motivates employees to follow standards even when unobserved, ultimately reducing rework and fostering a more efficient workforce.

Read the article by Doug Hill, CUSP – Built In, Not Bolted On: Using Safety to Drive Operational Excellence

Key Takeaways

  • Safety as a Value, Not a Priority: Priorities can shift depending on the day’s demands, but values remain constant. When safety is a value, employees adhere to standards because they see the inherent worth in them.
  • The Interconnectivity of Success: Safety, quality, and productivity are not silos. A safe process is often a high-quality process that leads to productive outcomes.
  • Human and Organizational Performance (HOP): Systems should be designed so that processes are easy to follow and make sense to the people actually doing the work.
  • The Power of “Why”: Employees are more likely to follow protocols (like wearing PPE) when they understand the personal stakes (family, health, well-being) rather than just trying to avoid a reprimand.
  • Learning from Success: Organizations should focus on learning from what goes right just as much as they learn from failures to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

3 Questions and Answers

Q1: What is the main difference between safety being a “priority” versus a “value”? A1: A priority is something that can change based on circumstances or pressure (like a deadline), whereas a value is a core belief that remains constant regardless of the situation. When safety is a value, it is integrated into every action naturally.

Q2: How does the article suggest safety impacts productivity and quality? A2: The author uses the analogy of building a child’s bicycle: because you care about the safety of the rider, you follow instructions more carefully (Quality), which ensures the bike works correctly the first time and doesn’t require repairs (Productivity/Efficiency).

Q3: Why is “peer-to-peer support” mentioned as a critical factor in safety culture? A3: Because supervisors cannot be everywhere at once. A strong safety culture relies on workers looking out for one another and holding each other accountable to standards even when leadership is not present.

#UtilitySafety #OperationalExcellence #OccupationalSafety #HOP #WorkplaceCulture #IncidentPrevention

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