An innovative approach to creating a global safety culture

JMJ co-developed a virtual platform to deliver our client’s safety vision to its global organization and suppliers

Challenge

Our client, a global communications infrastructure company, wanted to transform its safety culture following an increase in fatalities involving people carrying out work on its behalf. Initially, the company’s leadership approached this as a supplier issue that could be addressed through technical, and process based HSE improvements. However, having selected JMJ as a strategic partner, and participated in JMJ-led workshops and meetings, they recognized the need to first elevate their internal culture of safety and leadership. The vision was to develop and communicate a global safety culture that would be readily adopted across the company, from the CEO to suppliers’ workers.

The company has people working in remote locations where safety conditions, culture, and work regulations vary greatly. This increased the complexity of creating and embedding a coherent safety culture. Leadership recognized that to achieve their vision, they would need an innovative approach.

Solution

JMJ’s global team worked in partnership with the communications infrastructure company to develop a committed ‘Journey to Zero’ safety culture across multiple geographic locations, cultures, and languages:

  • Designed bespoke online safety workshops incorporating the client’s specific content to reignite senior leaders’ commitment to their safety culture
  • Delivered the initial series of workshops to global leaders in multiple languages
  • Interviewed members of the global suppliers community and our client’s teams and shared their different perspectives
  • Highlighted the critical importance of ensuring suppliers are active participants in the safety transformation journey
This has been the most valuable six hours in my entire year.
Executive Leadership Team Member

Results

In this initial phase, JMJ delivered over 200 workshops to 2000 employees. Participation in workshops and meetings helped people develop a sense of responsibility for the well-being of others, placing safety in the hands of all leaders and managers, rather than solely with HSE personnel. For the first time, safety and ‘Journey to Zero’ became a standing agenda item at all Executive Leadership meetings.

Key takeaways

  • With an innovative approach you can create an aligned and personally engaging safety culture at scale across a complex global organization
  • Virtual delivery offers an environmentally sustainable, cost effective, resource efficient, and measurable way to instill a strong safety culture
  • Being unable to meet face-to-face doesn’t have to be a barrier to developing and embedding a ‘one company’ approach to safety