Is trust an important factor for site safety?

With so much policy to follow, it’s easy to lose sight of the human factors associated with site safety. So today, we’re going to talk about trust and distrust in a safety-at-work context.

• TRUST
  When someone’s prepared to rely on another person in a risky situation
  When a person believes in and is ready to act on the decisions, actions and words of that person

• DISTRUST
  Forming negative beliefs because someone doesn’t do what they say they will do
  When a person doesn’t believe that others will act in their best interest
  

Studies show that high levels of trust correlate with reduced injury frequency. Conversely, levels of distrust correlate with increased injury rates and reduced safety performance.

This means that site safety can’t be maintained by policy alone. Indeed, it is significantly impacted by a work crew’s relationship with each other, and with their supervisors. Collaboration among interdependent teams and effective leadership are crucial to establishing a solid safety culture onsite.

How is trust developed among supervisors and crew members?

The top-scoring qualities for trust development are care and openness. It’s natural that people who display preparedness, reliability, careful decision-making and a strong work-ethic are perceived as more trustworthy. When supervisors are willing to listen to multiple viewpoints, receptive to change, honest and flexible, crew members are more likely to feel that a supervisor’s instructions will not put them in harm’s way.

Can situational awareness improve safety behaviours?

Situational awareness (SA) links in with trust and site safety too. SA involves switching on to what is happening in your surroundings. When you’re situationally aware, you can also see what is likely to happen. That’s only possible when you can be confident of the behaviours of those around you.

If you believe that those around you will listen, you can also feel confident in speaking up when you see something that needs attention and trust that they will do the same.

When it comes to your crew - what are your thoughts? Does your crew trust you?