Leonard Hayes, manager of Environmental Services culture and training in the Northwest, oversees workplace safety for 125 outpatient EVS workers in five service areas. This includes the East Side service area, whose EVS unit he directly supervises and which has recorded no injuries for nearly five years. In February 2014, Hayes won the National Workplace Safety Individual Award. He spoke recently with Jennifer Gladwell, LMP communications consultant, about how he engages teams to work more safely.

Q. You and your department have achieved a great turnaround in workplace safety. How did you do it?

A. You have to give people information and recognition. Workplace safety is a standing item on our UBT agendas. We talk about working safely, acknowledge how well our teams do and tell them “thank you.” I’ve been put in this job to take away the myths that injuries are inevitable, so people can go home at the end of their shift and enjoy their time outside of KP.

Q. What do you do personally to engage your staff on safety?

A. I’m in there with them physically.  I’ve been a worker and I take interest in what the teams are doing. I try to make sure people know I care for them by being available to them and making sure they have the tools to do their job. I am committed to responding to issues as quickly as possible and resolving them. I have a great labor partner and co-lead, Sherri Pang. She’s been my anchor with the campus and the (East Side) team. She helps me a lot by sending emails, creating fliers, understanding and encouraging the team.