AKING EXERCISES EXERCISE 14.1: SAFETY FOR ALL You are the sole safety officer in this small company of 50 employees. The company is fairly young-5 years old but it is growing rapidly with the high rate of construction in your metropolitan area. And so far, things are going You are working for a construction company specializing in interior and exterior painting of newly built homes. well from a safety perspective, with no severe accidents or injuries yet reported. The company posts the required publications about employee rights and employer responsibilities. In addition, the company encourages you to provide safety training to employees. However, you notice that the owner and the three lead supervisors in the company see safety as your role, not theirs . For example, the owner of the company rarely follows the company's own rules regarding safety, especially with regard to the handling of chemicals (e.g., solvents) that are used in painting work. He and the three supervi- sors are very much focused on company growth and encourage workers to work quickly, this is sometimes at the expense of safety. You have noticed that when employees voice a concern or suggestion about a safety problem, the suggestion is not welcomed by your supervisorsat least not in terms of their body language. You are trying to decide on your next steps in managing the safety function in the company. Questions 1. What concerns do you have with the safety climate of this company? In what ways might these issues have a negative impact on worker safety? 2 What steps could you take in your role as safety officer to illustrate to management the safety isues that you are observing in this company? 3. What arguments could you make to these top managers about the importance of safety climate and the role they play in it? What suggestions would you make to them as to how they might fostera positive safety climate? ESS PROGRAM