Title : Pandemic prevention using the seven Golden Rules of Vision Zero
Abstract:
When companies hire employees they promise them – at least implicitly – that they will stay safe and healthy at their place of work. The seven Golden Rules help management to convert this promise into reality. The Covid virus has enlarged the spectrum of risks by a threat that comes from outside and has root causes that cannot be banned by the companies. What, therefore, can and should management teams do to keep their promise of safety, health and wellbeing?
This presentation shows that the seven Golden Rules of Vision Zero stay “golden” also when attempting to prevent a pandemic. Take leadership – the first rule – becomes even more important: when managers explain and justify behavioral measures to avoid infections, using language their employees are familiar with and understand, then employees will follow those measures more willingly than complying with rules imposed by distant governments. Measures connected to a place of work are concrete and specific, which fosters acceptance. Improve qualifications and develop competencies, says rule number 6. When a company lives a safety culture based on Vision Zero, managers are trusted when they convey knowledge. This trust serves as a foundation upon which managers can build when trying to bring order to the often-conflicting opinions about the current pandemic. One more example: rule 3 – define targets -renders prevention more effective because company-internal objectives are more practical than general reproduction rates. They concern frequency of cleaning surfaces, testing before work, drawing distance lines on the floor.
Furthermore, the use of the seven Golden Rules is important to stay consistent and to refrain from a proliferation of rules. Although the virus threatens directly “only” the health of each individual, it also has secondary effects on safety and wellbeing. Using masks renders communication more difficult; comprehension problems impair safety. And working at home can create psychological problems with a negative impact on wellbeing. A coherent approach as proved by the seven Golden Rules, is kind of a “must”.
