Improving Safety at the Grassroots Level

Employee-led safety teams are helping to create solutions that prevent injuries and result in safer work sites and an enhanced culture of accountability. Photo: Lewis Stewart

Grassroots safety teams are helping to create a culture of ownership and accountability for safety at PG&E. These employee-led safety teams are demonstrating that passionate, engaged employees can work together to create effective safety solutions that prevent injuries and result in safer work environments.

To support these grassroots safety leaders, PG&E's centralized learning organization partnered with the lines of business to pilot a program that will be rolled out in 2010 throughout the Energy Delivery organization. The program teaches grassroots safety leaders how to strengthen team effectiveness as they build a culture of ownership and accountability. It gives them tools and practices to build a strong team, communicate effectively, problem solve and hold members accountable.

The teams continue to grow throughout PG&E. For example, the grassroots teams in our Energy Delivery organization include a supervisor-nominated safety lead from each crew, as well as supervisors and superintendents to support and empower the teams to reach their stated goals. A cross-departmental team also meets monthly to share ideas and tackle safety issues.

The teams create shared responsibilities between management and union-represented employees. They also give employees the courage to speak up to address safety concerns, underscoring the importance of looking out for one another in the workplace. For example, if someone forgets to put on safety goggles, fellow crew members take responsibility by reminding the employee to wear appropriate personal protective equipment. By mobilizing employees from the ground up, the teams are leading the way toward PG&E's goal of zero incidents.