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across the company. Merging Safety with Operations and the strategies for introducing the change on-site were part of a larger Transformative Safety effort at GLDD developed through a partner- ship with the Illinois-based safety consultancy, the Hile Group. The goal was to move the company toward a process approach to safety, where safety initiatives are developed and implemented by the field and safety professionals are a resource for the front line and help facilitate field- developed processes. Since 2007, the goals of Transformative Safety have also led GLDD to put a greater focus on the leadership role of their Safety Leadership Teams, redesign its New Hire Orientation program, develop a Job Safety Analysis process with booklets capturing standard tasks, revamp the structure of Project Launch Meetings, and, most recent- ly, develop a safety rule book written and vetted by the front line. According to Johnson, one key fea- ture in the implementation of the departmental merger was the focus on face-to-face safety discussions. In the months following the merger, Safety employees travelled from dredge-to-dredge, site-to-site to talk, in part, directly with front-line crew about the new organizational chart. The visits gave Safety employees the opportunity to demonstrate interest in learning from Operations crew and inject stronger safety conversa- tions into where and when the work is actually done. You are trying to overcome the production mentality of over 100 years, so people have to see it [dedi- cation to Operations-led safety] in your eyes, see it on your face, hear it in your voice,? Johnson said. GLDD made sure, Johnson said, that Safety employees were on-site during the good, the bad, and the indifferent? to help teach crew to integrate safety into day-to-day communications andreinforce the message that a task is only done right if it is done safely. SAFETY : LEADINGFROMTHE TOPAt the same time, the interactions happening on site were being rein- forced at the highest levels of the company. The demonstrated belief executives had in the processes and their efforts to model the type of dis- cussions and behavior the companywas aiming for helped GLDD getthrough some of the initial hesitancy from employees in both depart- ments. It is a whole lot easier, and your success is much higher, when you have the commitment from the top leader,? Johnson said. I had a very strong VP and that was key. If the VP wasnt into it, it could have been dis- astrous.? But perhaps most important to the successful integration of Safety and Operations at GLDD is the commit- ment the company has fostered in individuals, from the front line to the executive offices, to working safely themselves and ensuring that others have the knowledge, resources, and organizational support needed for everyone to go home safe. Companies often try different things, but when it gets difficult theyquit instead of recognizing that that difficulty or challenge is what isgoing to make them stronger.? Johnson said. If anyone thinks that transforming your company is going to be easy?it is not. It is not a 9:00 to 5:00 thing, but the rewards at the end are huge.? Anjanette Riley is a performance consultant for the safety consultancythe Hile Group. mmÜÜWW==EEPPPPTTFFOOPPTTJJRRMMNNNN

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