Elwood “Woody” Hamilton works in the electrical utility First Line Response department for ENMAX Power Company in Calgary, Alberta. He is currently serving as chairperson of the VBS Steering Committee for his department for the second time. Woody’s initiative and innovative contributions have been a major factor in the development of a thriving VBSP at ENMAX. Woody’s past and present contributions to the VBSP are numerous. He was involved in designing the VBSP as a member of the Process Planning team, arranged a company-wide kick off event, organized the supplies for Observation and Feedback during the rollout of VBSP, and is also a one of the company’s top Certified Observation and Feedback class Trainers. Woody has been genuinely concerned with resolving safety issues in the workplace throughout his career. His interest in safety developed in the 1970s when he was working as a young foreman. During that time, an apprentice was badly injured on the job. After the incident Woody struggled to understand how it had occurred despite his best preventative efforts. He searched for answers, but was never able to come to a resolution about the incident. Over the years, Woody came to accept that on-the-job injuries were inevitable as he felt workers often become complacent and take short cuts that put them at risk. When the VBSP was introduced at ENMAX Woody eagerly volunteered to be part of the design of the process, but was hesitant to completely believe in its promise. He did not become truly invested in the process until he witnessed the influence of peer-to-peer conversations about safety on behavior for himself. During the VBSP design phase, Woody was working as a lead hand with a utility worker in a new truck. Their task was to collect cones from the road. As Woody was picking up the cones, his co-worker reminded him that he would have to bend down repeatedly, so he should do it in a safe manner. Woody thought, “Come on, cones are light.” But, the next day when performing the same task, his behavior changed and he began bending at the knees when lifting the cones. Woody said that his own behavior change showed him that injuries could be prevented through communication about safety in the workplace, “That realization solved a puzzle for me that started back in 1978,” Woody commented, “it was the last piece of the puzzle and it has been so gratifying for me.” As VBS chairperson, Woody recognized that communicating with the people in his expansive department was the biggest challenge. The First Line Response department employs 1,600 workers and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with 12 rotating shifts. Woody has worked tirelessly to gain support from employees across all shifts, coming into to work at different hours of the day and night to talk with workers about the VBSP. To sustain support and regular talk about safety in the department, Woody and his co-workers organized and implemented a three-part reminder system. The system involves an e-mail chain among managers, VBSP committee members, and other employee volunteers. The e-mails prompt everyone to keep discussion of the VBSP on the agenda in key meetings and in their everyday interactions. The collective efforts of Woody and others in the First Line Response department have resulted in many positive changes. After the implementation of the reminder system, employee participation in the voluntary safety observation and feedback process increased from 20% to 46% in three months. In addition, the department recently went close to 300 days without a lost-workday injury. The VBSP is also becoming more socially acceptable in the department overall, which was resistance to this new approach at the start. According to Woody, the most remarkable change is at the individual level. He explained that some of the biggest opponents to the process are now regularly conducting safety observations and feedback, “It’s just been a thrill. I almost fall over when I open the observation box and see names I never thought I’d see in there.” Woody’s personal appreciation and public recognition of employees who make a difference in the process surely support such improvements. Woody’s contributions have been integral to the success of the VBSP at ENMAX and he looks forward to future progress. “We’re really just getting going,” he commented. “We had some huge obstacles, we got over them, and now on to other things.” Woody’s excitement and ideas for the future of the VBSP in his department really keep him talking, and this enthusiasm is only matched when asked about one other topic, “The only other thing than safety that will really get me talking is ballroom dancing!” Here’s to Woody, a true Safety Champion!
