The combined product of individual team members and park values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behavior are what determine and influence the commitment to the value and impact of your overall safety program.
When you have been working in this industry for as long as I have, you have a very clear understanding of where safety sits within our industry. It is at the very heart of what we do every day. From the day of your recruitment, safety needs to become part of your attractions industry DNA.
When discussing safety culture, I always base and measure it against three simple principles: the right ownership, the right attitude, and the all-important commitment. Each principle contributes to your overall safety culture within an organization—no matter what type or size of visitor attraction you are.
For any organization, it is important to get the buy-in, and this must be from the top down. From the CEO to the operator on the platform, we all must work together to create a safety team.
To do this, it is crucial to empower and support all your team members by providing clear ownership of safety and the programs supporting it within your organization.
Safety Should Not Be About Enforcement, but Engagement
Involve your team when writing programs and procedures to give them a degree of ownership and to yield a higher level of engagement. Communication is a key element of any safety program by providing clear, unobstructed channels and removing barriers to reporting and program delivery.
To promote safety culture in our industry, we must consider our guests and how to communicate safety features to them in a way that will encourage positive behaviors. This is proving to be one of the greatest challenges facing our industry, wherever you operate in the world.
From my observations, understanding the perception of risk is lower today than previous years. From climbing neighbors’ trees to playing in a digital online environment have certainly changed.
Communication is the Key
To promote a positive change in guest behaviors, we must provide clear and concise messaging for participation in rides and attractions. This engagement needs to be promoted early, including the pre-visit stage.
For many years, we have relied on safety and instructional signage to deliver our safety message on or about the rides and attractions. However, we must question that in today’s digital age, can we do it better? Is printed signage alone still effective? Is there a better method of engagement?
No matter whether you are an attraction park, water park, or a family entertainment center, it remains our job to provide fantastic, safe experiences and lasting memories for our guests. Doing this safely is paramount.
As industry creatives, it’s also our job to continue to push the boundaries of entertainment to go higher and faster, often taking guests to the very edge and bringing them back safely—with a smile on their faces.
This is why as safety practitioners—and that’s all of you reading this article—we must stay focused on our mission in promoting a strong safety culture across our industry.
David Bromilow is director of parks and attractions at Mobaro. An attractions safety professional with 46 years in the industry, he also serves on the IAAPA Safety Committee. Connect with him onn LinkedIn.
- This original reporting from IAAPA News first appeared in Funworld magazine. For more stories and videos covering the global attractions industry and to read a digital version of Funworld magazine, click here.
