The importance of engaging frontline workers in critical control management

Last week I had the pleasure of facilitating an online refresher course on skills, tips and tricks for engaging with frontline workers for a major healthcare business. The session focussed on improving these skills to assess the use and effectiveness of critical controls by these workers. Attendees included 40 health, safety and wellbeing professionals from around Australia who work in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres and mental health clinics.

In the session we emphasised the importance of ensuring a two-way conversation, being curious, treating the frontline worker as the expert and ensuring the conversation doesn't drift into a hazard spotting exercise, an audit or a 'blame game'. We focussed on some fundamental skills, including appreciative inquiry, the use of open ended questions and active listening skills, to understand how the critical controls are performing and whether or not they continue to be effective.

The end goal was to brush up this team's skills, so that they are more confident in coaching leaders in the business to go out and start conversations with frontline workers about what helps and hinders the work they do every day.

If we can help you to improve your leaders skill in engaging with frontline workers to assess how critical controls are performing, drop me a message.