Culture of Safety and Security
What is a Culture of Safety?
Leadership at The University of New Mexico (UNM) is committed to the health and safety of all University members. The main goal of this commitment is to reduce injuries among University members on campus. Achieving this requires a culture in which each member of the campus community takes responsibility for the health and safety of themselves and those around them. Instilling a strong “Culture of Health and Safety” supports the UNM 2040 Goal 4 Objective 1 of having a high-quality and sustainable workforce.
University leadership expects that each member of the campus community will follow health and safety rules, regulations, and best practices. However, instilling a strong culture of health and safety requires more than simply following rules; it requires mindful and conscientious attitudes, behaviors, and practices among University members at all levels. Through diligent use of the four core elements listed below, UNM will improve its culture of health and safety and in turn, reduce injuries.
The four core elements of a strong culture of health and safety include:
- Leadership commitment
- Stakeholder engagement
- Continuous improvement through learning and training
- Enforcement of health and safety rules
UNM leadership is committed to fostering a safe and secure environment for all UNM staff, faculty, and students. The goals of this commitment are to reduce crime and injuries at UNM.
ACTing Safely:
Achieving these goals requires a culture in which each member of the campus community actively participates by ACTing safely:
Avoid hazards
- Don’t walk alone at night
- Don’t work alone while using hazardous materials or processes
Care for others
- Speak up if you think something is unsafe
- Write safety protocols and standard operating procedures
Train
- Get information on how to protect yourself and your property
- Provide and participate in on-the-job training
By incorporating the ACT safe model into your daily activities, you can help foster a culture of safety and security at UNM. As the UNM culture of safety and security evolves and matures, it will present opportunities to improve the ways in which we work, learn, and communicate.
The UNM Police, the Office of Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity, and the Environmental Health and Safety departments are the stewards of this culture change. Our campus community is a force multiplier of UNM departments in their commitment to improving the safety and security of the campus. Involvement of all campus community members is a core element of a culture of safety and you can participate by ACTing Safe.
UNM leadership is counting on you to ACT safely and to make use of the valuable resources available within our campus community.
