If there's truth to the cliche that 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus,' there's also some truth to the view that safety managers and risk managers see the same values differently depending on their point of view.
Key to making sure that different viewpoints converge is to create a marriage of sorts between the two parties. Soon enough, if the marriage is strong, the happy couple will adjust their individual thoughts to a common outlook that's best for decisive decision-making.
Why the need for a common outlook between safety and risk? Quite simply to ensure that existing safety programs remain intact at the very least, and ideally receive greater support from upper management well into the future. At issue: the need to promote the value of safety programs so as to sustain year-to-year reductions in workplace injuries.
To ensure continued growth of a corporate safety journey, safety managers must engage the risk department on an equal footing. Start by asking yourself this question: How often do you talk to your risk manager? Daily, weekly, monthly? Never?
When you do talk, how different is the language you both speak? Common vocabulary differences include:
Table (available in full paper)
These simple differences should not become an insurmountable barrier to communication. Together, safety and risk manage the total costs associated with injuries. Together, you can build the case for your management to create a safer workplace, substantially reduce costs, and add value to the bottom line.
Naturally, there are differences between your two roles. The safety side of the equation focuses on injury prevention, and the action required to change at-risk behaviors.
The risk manager looks at intervention. That is, s/he investigates the best insurance approach for workers' compensation insurance coverage - whether self-insured or purchased coverage - and controls costs once a claim has been filed. Risk also handles litigation resulting from the claim or recovery.
Together, safety and risk - prevention plus intervention - represent a total risk management picture. Managing after an injury is expected. But saving money by managing injury prevention is the vital component to driving down costs and reducing human suffering.
Costs associated with an injury come in two parts represented by the image of an iceberg.
The iceberg tip represents easy-to-calculate costs that directly result from an injury. This includes workers' compensation costs, the cost of claims administration, and any wage continuance.
The iceberg's much larger invisible bulk beneath the surface represents hidden or other costs associated with an injury. This bottom section represents loss from overtime, equipment or property damage, product quality, missed deliveries, and any litigation. In many cases, these costs can range from one to 10 times the workers' compensation.
If the entire iceberg represents your company's total costs, then safety and risk need to collaborate to calculate and communicate the figure to management. While some costs can be found on your company's balance sheet, others will be unknown.
