Safety walk-round (management safety walk)

Explanation

A safety walk-round is a regular round by a manager or the directors through the workplace, construction site or production floor. You look at how the work is really done, pay attention to behaviour and conditions and talk to the people doing the work. The aim is contact, visible leadership and insight into what does not show up in reports. It is not a check to point out who is to blame.

The walk-round differs from a workplace inspection and an audit. A workplace inspection follows a checklist with fixed check points, such as the condition of work equipment and housekeeping, and is usually carried out by a designated person. An audit independently tests whether the system meets the set requirements. The walk-round is more informal, is about behaviour and conversation and is done by line managers. The three complement each other.

A walk-round works if you schedule it on a fixed basis and choose one or two focus points each time. Vary the time and the place, ask open questions such as what makes this work hard to do safely, name what goes well too and address unsafe behaviour directly. Note agreements with a name and a date and return to them on the next round. Pitfalls are walking irregularly and doing nothing with what you hear, because then people will tell you nothing next time.

Briefly record for each round where you were, what you saw and what you agreed, and put actions in your action list. That way you see recurring themes, can discuss them in team meetings and the management review, and show that leadership is visible in practice.

Example from practice