Building a safety culture through openness and engagement

Creating a robust safety culture for 25 years requires a commitment to open communication and empowerment at all organizational levels.

This involves fostering an environment where employees feel comfortable addressing safety issues and contributing to safety practices without fear of repercussions.

Successful safety culture is grounded in behavior and person-based principles, emphasizing the need for ongoing attention to environmental, behavioral and personal factors.

Key to this approach is the use of tools that encourage participation, such as feedback cards, which allow workers to highlight good practices and potential hazards anonymously. This proactive communication strategy helps bridge the gap between management and field employees, creating a sense of shared responsibility and continuous improvement.

Leadership's commitment to being present and approachable further strengthens this culture, ensuring that everyone feels heard and valued, ultimately enhancing both safety and morale.

Since 1999, Houston-based Diamond Refractory has helped protect critical industrial facilities and process equipment from destructive corrosion, erosion and temperature. The development of Diamond's safety culture began at the top from the very beginning, 25 years ago, and throughout the years it has continued to trickle down to every employee.

Because of its extraordinary safety culture, Diamond Refractory was awarded Best in Class in the Soft Craft Small category during the 37th Annual Safety Excellence Awards (SEA) ceremony in Galveston, Texas, presented by the Industry Business Roundtable and Health and Safety Council.

This year's award allowed the company to achieve one of the biggest milestones in company history by earning back-to-back recognition for the honor.

The motto at Diamond Refractory is "the safe way is the only way," and it long ago implemented the industry-recognized Total Safety Culture (TSC). This culture, developed with input from employees, allows employees to correct safety hazards when possible and communicate safety-related issues without fear of being reprimanded. TSC is based on principles of behavior and person-based safety and requires continuous attention to factors in three domains: environment, behavior and person.

"At the end of the day, we're all in it together. It starts at the top. It's a top-down culture," said Diamond Refractory President Chase Drake. "Communication is 24/7. This isn't just lip service. It's what we do and what we expect. Open communication at all times.

"The main driving force has been the communication between office and field level, expressing the fact that this is an open-door policy. They have our phone numbers. It's a team effort. We can't do it without everyone's support."

A big part of the success of the safety culture is the use of a HELP (Helping Everyone Learn to Participate) card. These cards allow employees to pinpoint good work practices as part of a behavior-based audit, and Drake says every contractor carries them.

The program was one factor that helped the company come out on top in the Soft Craft category during the SEA ceremony, but the company culture is what gave them the edge, said Diamond Engineering Manager Martin De Leon, who has been with the company for 12 years.

"It's a 3×5 card and employees have the option to include their name, but they don't have to. On the back side, they write down what they've seen. Whether it was a good catch or something not so good," said Dan Mendez, EHS manager who has been with Diamond for five years. "Whether it was a coworker they observed doing something that went above and beyond or something they want to bring to our attention."

The program also helps employees feel empowered in the company culture, De Leon said.

"It gives the employees a platform to get engaged; if you see something, you own it," he said. "If you see it, you say it. That's the challenge that has always been in our industry, getting employee involvement and feedback."

Additionally, the company initiated the OSHA's Stop Work Authority (SWA) program early in its inception, before Drake became company president in 2013. "I believe we were actually the first refractory contractor to implement Stop Work Authority as part of our company's regular safety practice," Drake said.

SWA involves righting safety wrongs and catching potential unsafe action before it happens.

"Our safety culture hasn't been an overnight development; it's been long in the making. Getting the employees to buy in was a major issue," Mendez said. "They always heard about employee participation, but it has grown by leaps and bounds and it's something we plan to continue."

The open-communication policy also helps improve employee morale, Drake said.

"It gives praise to certain individuals. It gives the employees more of a voice," he said. "Maybe it's something they don't necessarily want to say in front of other people, but they'll give a shout out to them.

"When I started in the industry, it was silent. You didn't bring up good or bad. It's open communication with us. You're only as strong as your weakest link and we always try to identify gaps in our culture."

Mendez said depending on what was identified, the employee may receive widespread acknowledgment.

"Sometimes it's the recognition part. These are turned into the safety manager onsite and employees are acknowledged at the safety meeting the next morning, or we'll set up a luncheon if it's something that was a heck of a deal so that we can truly acknowledge this employee," Mendez said. "It brings a lot of good recognition and increases the involvement of our employees knowing that this tool is here, and to use it to make Diamond a more open book. It increases awareness and keeps everybody on the same page.

Company leadership is not afraid to roll up its collective sleeves and get its hands dirty. The autocratic leadership style that once dominated the American business landscape is absent at Diamond, replaced by an immersion by project managers and leaders in the day-to-day workings of the organization.

"I started right out of college and made my way through the varying positions, so I know what it's like out there. I like to be present and show up onsite. I give them that respect, boots on the ground," Drake said. "I try to make it every Tuesday to a safety meeting.

"That's what I think is great with the culture. Bad news doesn't get better with time, so tell it right away. My project managers and superintendents text me, and they call me at various hours. They always give me the heads up first. So, I know what I'm getting myself into. It's a culture of being able to speak honestly."

Diamond Refractory is part of EMCOR Industrial Services — a leader in maintenance and turnarounds in North America — and in August received EMCOR's Safety Excellence in Industrial Services award for the management and execution of its safety programs and cultures.

Positioned and equipped to service refinery and petrochemical clients within the U.S. and select international locations, Diamond specializes in installing and repairing refractory materials during planned and unplanned outages within extreme process environments.

Diamond's dedicated refractory specialists have a nationwide reach. From alloy welders and nozzlemen to safety professionals and skilled laborers, Diamond's team can handle virtually any project.

For more information, visit diamondrefractory.com.