Members of our team that belong to the American Society of Safety Professionals of the Audubon Chapter were asked to share our experience and knowledge by providing safety resources for a community project. We had the opportunity to volunteer at Mickey’s Kingdom playground.  The Community Project provided safety professionals as a resource and support to provide guidance to the volunteers to help prevent injuries. This community project is no different than any general or construction industry project. The success comes with what resources your organization provides to help coach your employees. Demonstrating a culture by providing the proper guidance, safety resources and tools to do the job is what drives success.

In this particular project nearly 800 businesses, organizations, families and individuals came together to construct a complex playground. It was our task to be a safety resource on a project that consisted of individuals with all levels of knowledge and skill sets throughout the different phases of the build.

It has become a general agreement that volunteering is a major component in a company and community culture that benefits employees and individuals both personally and professionally. In fact, some would argue there is no better team building exercise. I would go further and argue promoting safety in these activities is one of the most influential ways to establish culture. When employees understand we promote safety not only because of the operational liability but more so because their personal health and safety is the key to our underlying success, at that point we have created a lasting foundation for safety success.  Take the time to review and ask yourself the following questions. How often do you find your company promoting safety outside the workplace? Is there room for improvement?  Do you feel your company is promoting safety as merely a key to success in the workplace?