All About You: Be a coach and a counselor

EDITOR’S NOTE: Motivating employees to work safely is part of the safety professional’s job. But who motivates the motivator? In this monthly column, veteran safety pro and professional speaker Richard Hawk offers his entertaining brand of wisdom to inspire safety pros to perform at their best.

We safety and health pros mostly engage in three types of interactions with our fellow employees: coaching, counseling and disciplining.

I enjoy the first one because it’s fun. For example, teaching someone how to wear a harness properly and giving them tips that I’ve learned over the years uplifts me. Just as sports coaches train and spur athletes to perform better, coaching someone to work safely is fulfilling.

Counseling is a bit tricky. When someone violates a safety procedure, we have to approach the situation differently than when we’re acting as a coach. Telling someone they didn’t fill out a permit correctly isn’t the same as complimenting a crew on its housekeeping. I don’t mind counseling, especially if it’s a minor offense. I’ve often had fun counseling co-workers, if what they’re doing isn’t risky.

Discipline can be disturbing. I don’t like it. But sometimes it’s necessary. Once, for example, I encountered two workers in a trench without the trench box required to prevent cave-ins. And the dirt removed from the trench was closer than allowed. I had to stop the job and report the situation to the project manager. The employees and their supervisor were dismissed from working at the site.

Thankfully, this kind of event hasn’t happened often in my 40-plus years in the safety and health field. But I welcome opportunities to be a coach and a counselor. Here’s what you can do to strengthen those two skills.

Build relationships

When I arrive at a workplace, the first thing I do is get to know as many people as possible. I find out where they’re from, if they have children, their hobbies, what we have in common, etc. This effort goes a long way in making my coaching and counseling more effective.

If I do have to tell a worker that they’re doing something wrong, it’s easier for them to accept it if we have a friendly relationship. When I can, I use humor – as long as it still gets the point across. I once sent a mechanic a poem about her hands and a rubber finger (complete with fake blood) because she was working without her gloves while using a hacksaw. She was surprised by it and posted the poem on her shop locker. Everybody knew about the finger and poem, which boosted my reputation with the mechanics.

Of course, a playful response may be inappropriate for more severe or repeated violations. In the situation with the mechanic, however, I’d never seen her violate a safety protocol before, and she got the message about the need to wear gloves when cutting. Just as important, it strengthened – rather than weakened – our relationship.

Be reasonable

Nothing tarnishes your reputation as a safety pro more than being unreasonable. Being stern and quick to find fault is counterproductive and causes bad feelings. I’ve seen crew members mumble and curse about a specific safety supervisor who consistently (and only) finds fault.

Yes, I want workers to look around and check that everything is fine when they see me. But I like when they do it smiling and teasingly saying things like, “Here comes Safety Hazard Hawk!” That welcoming and playful attitude helps my coaching and counseling have more substantial impact.

Coach way more than counsel

At times, you’ll have to point out minor infractions. Having worked in the nuclear industry for years, I know what it’s like to counsel on minor violations – not because the hazards are significant but because the industry is strict, with hundreds of radiological safety rules.

But I still give out tons of praise and only a few pounds of corrections. Even when I must tell someone that they didn’t tape their protective clothing properly, I do it in a friendly way. And I’m sure to compliment workers about their safe behavior. Let’s be good coaches by cheering workers on.

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