The programmatic approach to safety and health, while problematic for all businesses, is more destine for failure in commercial industries like financial and service than when applied in industrial/manufacturing industries. With the exception of computer hardware and software, service and financial industries major investment is in people versus investment in equipment, facilities and materials as for industrial operations. Asking those who do not perform their functions in a programmatic manner to address their safety as a series of programs, is not only outside their corporate culture but is counter to their personal work culture. Their work culture is an open process or system. It is not composed of a number of standalone programs that may or may not have a direct relationship (often determined by specific regulations).
Businesses overall, are not run or operated by a series of definitive programs. And, if the business is not run in that manner, why try to instill safety methodology as a series of individual programs. It should be no surprise when push back is encountered with this approach nor should it be a surprise when there is longer-term failure.
When CNA established a new position of Chief Safety Officer in 2000, the company was seeking a fresh start and a refocus on the safety and health of all CNA employees, contractors, and guests. This refocus stemmed from a direct interest and desire by the CEO and Senior Staff as well as from business organizational changes that had taken place over the prior few years.
In initial meetings with the CEO, the broad safety objectives became quite clear:
Develop and implement a model safety system for our industry;
Be nationally recognized for our safety system and;
Design a system that would succeed and continue to function effectively with current and future changes in our business and organization.
Implicit in these goals and in the goals of all business units and corporate center groups was the direct support of eight newly established strategies for the company and their implementation plans. The organizational approach for safety and health had been initially formulated prior to introduction of the eight strategies. However, the safety organizational approach and system meshed with and supported many of these strategies for several reasons:
the approach was information, guidance, and support versus a series of programs;
more recent successes involving multiple business units and/or corporate departments were identified;
the direction of the company was incorporated versus asking those in the company to take a different direction and philosophy for safety.
To meet the larger objectives, it was evident that the more traditional top down only approach was not suitable nor was it the manner in which a number of highly successful company projects had been completed. What had worked more recently for issues affecting the broader spectrum of the company were highly focused teams with champions at the senior management level.
