Authentic Involvement

Written by renowned safety consultant Dan Petersen, Authentic Involvement goes beyond behavior-based safety to the involvement of all employees in the safety process. The behavior-based approach encourages peer observations and the correction of unsafe behaviors, and can encourage limited active involvement by management. In contrast, authentic involvement seeks to empower all employees while making management's efforts more visible. By promoting the responsibilities, achievements and recognition of employees, management creates a positive perception of safety involvement. When management has greater participation and accountability, and promotes a culture of authentic involvement by all workers, employees are motivated to work toward greater safety. Topics include: The history of safety involvement, Defining authentic involvement, Shared decision-making, Self-directed work teams in safety, The importance of culture to involvement, The future of authentic involvement, and The role of safety in achieving involvement.