How do you unite teams around a prevention plan ?

We notice it every time : the success of a prevention plan (and more generally any workplace health and safety project) depends on how effectively the company mobilizes all stakeholders. It’s about uniting all layers of the company so that all teams become active participants in the prevention plan. Here’s the essence, drawn from our experience, for creating such an internal dynamic. 

Depending on the size of the company, its organization, sector, and specific occupational hazards, the stakeholders involved in workplace health and safety projects may differ. 

In general, the following professionals are involved in the steering committee (COPIL): 

• The General Manager ; 
• Regional Directors ; 
• The QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety & Environment) Director ; 
• Project Manager or Production Manager ; 
• Prevention specialists ; 
• Occupational health physicians ; 
• Employee representatives ; 
• CSR managers ; 
• HR Director or HR managers ; 
• Ergonomists (internal or external). 

These professionals, working in various sectors, are the ones who need to be brought together as the primary front-line collaborators.  

Quickly, for the project to succeed, it will then be necessary to involve the operators, who are the main stakeholders in workplace health and safety issues, in the movement. 

Raising awareness of health prevention and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)

Not all employees have the same level of knowledge regarding health prevention. While it’s expected that a prevention specialist or occupational health physician would know what musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are, an operator, who is directly confronted with these issues, may not be familiar with them. 

If the company wants all stakeholders to be mobilized, every employee must understand the importance of prevention and why the company is involved in a prevention plan. Conducting awareness campaigns and even providing training for the most exposed employees (e.g., operators and frontline managers) is a solution we prioritize. 

Moovency offers a service that raises awareness of musculoskeletal disorders coupled with practical training provided by a certified ergonomist. Objective: to understand MSDs better and prevent them effectively. A shorter format on a one-day awareness session focuses on using KIMEA Lite for prevention purposes. 

Adapting the work mode to foster collaboration between teams 

The way the prevention plan is implemented in the field influences how the team embraces it (or not). Therefore, collaborative work methods, which involve employees at all stages of the project, facilitate employee mobilization and involvement. 

These principles can also be applied to project management itself. For example, ensuring that information is effectively communicated to all members of the steering committee (COPIL – Project steering committee). A shared schedule, including various milestones, and invitations to brainstorming sessions and co-design workshops allow each stakeholder to provide input. 

Exploring digital tools is also a good idea, as these tools often present information in a fun and accessible way, like KIMEA, which encourages employee engagement. 

Properly preparing meetings : providing the right information to the right stakeholders 

Each actor in the company perceives a project through their training, skills, preferences, responsibilities, and usual scope. 

Therefore, each person approaches prevention with their own sensitivity. To facilitate engagement, the information and the way the project is presented must address the concerns of each stakeholder. 

For example, with Top Management, we propose tracking indicators, especially financial ones, that highlight the company’s prevention efforts and link health prevention with performance. For CSR teams and operators, we emphasize the human dimensions of the project and the improvement of well-being and working conditions (QVCT). 

Internal communication as a binding factor throughout the project 

Internal communication plays an important role in uniting the company around a prevention approach. 

Communicating about the progress of the project, the objectives, and the methods used to promote the health and safety of employees has only advantages: the employer demonstrates through action their commitment to their employees, the company shows transparency, and employees feel valued.
Internal communication is also invaluable for change management. If employees understand why the company is asking them to change their behaviors, they are more likely to adopt new practices more easily and quickly. 

With KIMEA, you can use the reports, graphs, and analysis elements to create an informative communication campaign that helps everyone feel involved. 

When we intervene in a company to implement actions for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, we ensure to adopt a unifying approach. 

During risk mapping and analysis of workstations within the company, we have direct contact with the operators. We are interested in their feelings and involve them in finding solutions applicable on the ground. These co-constructed prevention measures promote the reduction of MSDs. Operators and employees become actors in their own prevention. 

Sources de l’article : 

• « Mise en œuvre d’une démarche de prévention« , INRS, 16 mai 2022