Document xm71R05yeEa101pnawR097wm

, What is it? SAFETY CLIMATE SURVEY OVERVIEW "' I The Safety Climate Survey was developed within Du Pont as part of the Corporate Safety Study, based on information from employees at 11 Du Pont sites. It is designed to measure how plant wage roll employees feel safety is managed in their organization. A questionnaire is used to obtain Survey data. How can it help a site manage safety better? First, the Safety Climate Survey can help a site more clearly understand the safety attitudes and opinions of its employees. Because safety attitudes shape behavior which, in turn, determines injury performance, better understanding of how people think about safety can lead management to direct their safety efforts more effectively. Second, by comparing responses of site employees with the data base created during the Safety Study, significant differences between site data and data from "average" and "better performing" sites can be identified and analyzed, and the results used to suggest specific areas where the existing program could be strengthened. How is the Survey conducted? A random sample (about 15%) of wage roll employees is selected to respond anonymously to questions about safety. The Survey consists of 89 multiple choice questions and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Sites may "customize" the Survey by adding questions of specific interest to the site. What is the role of the S&OH Division? The Safety & Occupational Health Division will provide administrative procedures, sample communication materials, a summary and analysis of results, suggested ways to feedback information to employees, and other assistance as necessary. All information is confidential and will be reported only to site management; further reporting to line management is at the discretion of site management. How do I go about having a Safety Climate Survey? To obtain more information or to initiate a Survey, contact your S&OH consultant. LEH/RHC:msh 6/14/84 0101S-1268S DUP 0501219 DU 001280.40 SAFETY CLIMATE SURVEY INFORMATION FOR MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND A primary objective of the 1982 Corporate Safety Study was to determine if certain perceptions, beliefs, and reported practices of plant wage-roll employees are associated with site injury performance. Four questionnaires with a total of 180 items were administered to approximately 850 employees at eleven U.S. sites, representing a wide range of total record able* injury performance. Employee responses to each item were statistically correlated with_site TRC rate. The items with the highest statistically significant correlation (plus other questions which were of general interest) were extracted to become the Safety Climate Survey. VALUE OF THE SURVEY First, by categorizing items and summarizing employee responses, management can better understand how employees view various aspects of safety management; analysis can then reveal relative strengths and weaknesses. Second, by comparing Survey results with those of the original "Best Performers" sample, significiant differences can be determined. If analysis, using the Survey and other data, indicates these differences are weaknesses, management can be guided toward understanding and correcting the problems. In areas where site responses correspond to those of the better performing sites and analysis confirms these areas are strengths, management can be encouraged to maintain these strengths. Once a Survey is undertaken, employees will expect to receive Information on the outcome of the Survey. Feedback and discussion can be effectively used by site management, depend ing on site "culture" and management style, as a way of refocusing the organization on its overall safety objectives. The ultimate value of the Survey, then, is its use as a self-assessment aid for guiding site safety improvement efforts. LIMITATIONS OF THE SURVEY The degree to which this or any survey accurately and completely characterizes that which it attempts to measure can be no better than the survey itself and its method of use. No answers are obtained to questions which were not asked, and useful correlations cannot be obtained from questions which were asked improperly, since it is possible that some areas of Total Recordables (TRC) = Lost Workday Cases + Restricted Workday Cases + Medical Treatment Cases DUP 0501220 DU 001280.41 inquiry which are truly important to safety performance were not included, or did not correlate with performance for one reason or another, it must be understood that the Survey will not provide a complete picture of the site's "climate"--in the sense that one could expect a definitive blueprint of what must be done to reduce injuries, or that one could predict with certainty whether a site's injury performance is actually "good" or "less good" by simply looking at Survey results. rt is also possible (but unlikely) that the Survey will yield no new information about the safety attitudes and opinions of employees; this would, nevertheless, be an important finding because it would confirm the accuracy of management's knowledge and understanding of their people. To summarize, the Survey is a potentially valuable self-assessment tool which will help the site better understand itself. Data from this Survey, when carefully considered in combination with other relevant information, can be used by site management, with assistance from their S&OH consultant, to formulate constructive action. OPTIONS The following are two ways to enhance the value of this inquiry No changes can be made in the Survey questions, in order to retain the statistical validity of the Survey. However, sites may wish to include a supplemental questionnaire of their own development (perhaps in conjunction with their S&OH consul tant) , which will cover areas of special interest to the site. "Customizing" the inquiry in this way is encouraged, since it will help focus on issues which are site-specific or which the Survey may not have addressed as comprehensively as the site would like. Because data on those additional items would be obtained in the controlled environment and from the same people as the Safety Climate Survey, it would be an efficient way to maximize the collec tion of useful data. (Feedback from a supplemental inquiry will be raw data and percents; comparisons are not possible.) e Management may choose to repeat the Survey after one or two years. By doing so, trends can be identified and tracked which will help monitor progress toward long-term safety goals. RHCsmsh 8/23/84 0101S-1229S 2 DUP 0501221 KaaMaBHWiiaiFB^^ , -tihetggek WIW^j ^tfrk ^~-^ryHc,t| GENERAL SAFETY CLIMATE SURVEY ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS The Survey consists of a questionnaire with 89 statements and questions dealing with site safety, to which a randomly-selected sample of nonexempt production, mechanical and laboratory employees will be requested to respond anony mously. The questionnaire statements and questions are grouped into 11 categories for convenience of analysis. The categories are: General Safety Safety Practices Co-worker Safety Supervision Management Working Conditions Health ft. Program Effectiveness Employee Involvement Safety/Medical Capabilities Employee Comments ` Site management requests for a Safety Climate Survey should be addressed to their S&OH Consultant. EMPLOYEE SELECTION The actual number of employees involved will depend on factors such as the need to obtain statistically reliable results, resurvey plans, or the importance of using a larger sample to increase employee involvement. The minimum sample size is 10%-20% of these groups or SO people, whichever is larger. To allow for attrition (e.g., a selected employee not completing the Survey), an additional 2%-5% is recommended. After the site has determined the sample size, S&OH will supply the site with the random numbers to be used for the selection of eligible employees. To use these numbers, a listing of sequentially numbered (beginning with 1) employee names must be generated. (This listing may include other data and the names may be in any order.) ADMINISTERING THE SURVEY The site will assign an unbiased site person, prefer ably one with some training experience, to administer the Survey. Although it is desirable to have one person administer the Survey to all participants, the sample size may require that more than one administrator be appointed. The number of administrators should, however, be kept to a minimum. Adequate time must be provided to complete the questionnaire without distraction. Approximately 30 minutes are required for the Climate Survey, plus time for the supple mental questionnaire if one is used. The choice of facilities is important; having adequate space among desks, suitable DUP 0501222 DV 001280.43 writing materials and proper lighting are essential. Refresh ments have frequently been provided when participants ace finished. The site will establish when the Survey is to be conducted based on the needs of the operation, personnel schedules, etc. The sessions should not be scheduled at the end of the shift, if possible. There ace no restrictions as to how many sessions can be held to include all of the partici pants, nor on the size of each session. At the conclusion of each session, participants will seal their questionnaire in an envelop for mailing to the Safety and Occupational Healthr Division for processing. COMMUNICATIONS prior to the survey It is very important that all site personnel under stand that the Survey will be taking place, what its objectives are and are not, and how employees were selected. This typi cally takes the form of a communication to supervision, who in turn communicate the information to their employees. A commu nications package will be supplied which can be used as a guide. COMMUNICATING THE RESULTS Management should communicate Survey findings to all site personnel, containing as much detail with as much inter pretation and plans for future action as is practical. One benefit of the Survey will be its value to stimulate the entire organization to think in new ways about how to resolve issues that are impeding improved performance. The S&OH Consultant will prepare an analysis based on a review of the comparisons made from the Climate Survey and his personal knowledge of the site's safety posture. The S&OH Consultant will visit the site and discuss the analysis and its implications in detail approximately one month after completion of the questionnaires. At this time, follow-up plans will also be made. RHC:msh 6/5/84 0101S-1261S OOP 0501223 DU 001280.44 SAFETY CLIMATE SURVEY BARGAINING GUIDELINES Good employee and labor relations practices require informing the union before arranging for employee participation in the Safety Climate Survey. Some key points to keep in mind during discussions with the union are: The study is being made to better understand the site's safety performance and ways this performance can be improved in the future. Employee participation is voluntary; however, those selected to participate will be encouraged to do so since their input is important to the Survey. All questionnaires will be anonymous, and man agement will see none of the individual Survey responses. The questionnaires will be analysed by the Safety & Occupational Health Division in Wilmington. Management will review the Survey results with the union. Should any union object to the survey being conducted at their plant, management should explore the reasons for the union's objection. If the objection persists, consultation with the Nonexempt Relations Section and Labor Law Division through the usual departmental channels is advised prior to further management action. A list of possible questions and answers is attached. JAH/RHC:msh 0101S-1226S 6/5/84 DUP 0501224 DU 001280.45 SAFETY CLIMATE SURVEY BARGAINING GUIDELINES QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. Q: We, the union, object to the Company's using the employees at this plant in the Survey and ask that you not proceed here. A: The Survey involves only making inquiries and in no way involves a change in working conditions. Therefore, we want you to be informed of the Survey and hope you will be supportive of an activity that potentially can improve safety, we hope you will reconsider your posi tion since the results could be beneficial to employees. 2. Q: Do people have to participate? A: We will encourage each designated employee to parti cipate. Those who will be asked have been randomly selected in such a way as to provide statistical valid ity to the Survey. However, participation will be voluntary and no employee will be forced to participate against their will. 3. Q: Can we see the questionnaire ahead of time? A: The Safety & Occupational Health Division, who will analyze the information, prefers that the responses to the questionnaire be spontaneous in order to preserve the validity of the results. Therefore, no advance copies are provided. 4. Q: Can the members of the Union Council be included in the test group? A: Due to random sampling, chances are that one or more of the Union Council is included; however, if not, one or two members could be added to the group. Inclusion of the whole Council would destroy the random sampling method used to assure statistical validity. 5. Qs Will any information or responses to questions be used to discipline employees or otherwise influence manage ment's perception of them? As No. All of the individual questionnaires will go directly to the Safety & Occupational Health Division in Wilmington and under no circumstance will they be made available to management. The anonymity of the individual replies will be fully preserved and only group information will be reported. At the conclusion of the Survey, all questionnaires will be destroyed. DUP 0501225 DU 001280.46 We want a copy of the report. Will you provide one? We will be glad to share with you the information we receive. 2 DUP 0501226 DU 001280.47