The purpose of Management Safety Discussions is to facilitate meaningful conversations between management and workers that create a culture of safety. The process is a loosely structured, hands-on approach where managers engage in work-related discussions with their colleagues. The process is casual, friendly, and helps build respectful relationships. This process stands in contrast with other work planning and control processes where management assigns work then monitors progress.
"Management by walking around” is a tactic utilized by large organizations, such as Disney and American Express. By building quality relationships between managers and employees, it also motivates employees. In this process, managers are able to monitor their organization by listening to feedback and witnessing results first-hand.
Other benefits include:
- Knowledge distribution - JSA managers are oftentimes the most experienced team members. These discussions can be a great opportunity to pass down hard-earned knowledge to others.
- Organizational identity - Discussions will raise awareness and serve to build culture around JSA goals, and how they flow down to the organization and individual worker.
- Policy interpretation - Increased discussions will clarify new or unclear policies and their applications, as well as reinforce existing policy.
For questions about this new approach, contact Bob May at may@jlab.org or Bill Rainey at wrainey@jlab.org.
A collection of resources for implementing MSDs, including a brochure, training videos, and basic steps for conducting a MSD.
Learn what MSD is, its purpose, how it should be conducted, tools for conducting it, and other general information.
Learn about the tools used for conducting an MSD, how to access them, and suggestions for using them.
