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That’s what Convergys did to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls at their call centre in Glace Bay, NS.
With about 700 employees, there were several slip, trip and fall incidences during the inclement weather seasons even though they took good care to ensure their crosswalks and designated walking areas were salted and cleared of snow.
After taking a deeper look at these incidents from a risk perspective, the company determined they needed to increase awareness with employees around proper use of walkways.
They started a campaign called "Does it matter where you walk? "designed to create a positive habit of entering and exiting the parking lot and building using designated crosswalks.
“The idea came to me during a WCB Nova Scotia partnership meeting with Kelly Johnston-Noseworthy, WCB Relationship Manager, and our senior leadership team," says Natalie Paris, HR Manager, Convergys. “Our goal was to create a habit of safety awareness and get everyone aware of its importance. It will only work if everyone is on board - and it needs to be a constant and consistent practice of awareness.”
Signage was created and posted throughout the building to increase awareness of the initiative. As well, to reinforce the seriousness of the initiative, a document was developed and uploaded into their manager-employee coaching system so employees and managers could acknowledge the initiative by signing the document.
To further support the behaviour change for this initiative, the JOHS Committee, donning brightly colored vests and armed with buckets of treats, lined up one morning at each entrance to the parking lot (see images below). They greeted employees and explained the importance of walking only on designated crosswalk areas and proceeded to guide employees to the safe areas and encouraged them to spread the word to their coworkers. A little candy treat helped with the dialogue.
The awareness initiative was launched in November 2017 right before the start of messy weather.