Engaging senior management to improve the safety culture of a chemical development organization thru the SPYDR (Safety as Part of Your Daily Routine) lab visit program

The SPYDR lab visit program is a key component in the Chemical and Synthetic Developments campaign on ‘Safety as Part of Your Daily Routine’ (SPYDR) at Bristol-Myers Squibb. This program was initiated in 2013, which has all the senior leaders in Chemical and Synthetic Development organization visiting laboratories to engage in a safety focused discussion with the laboratory occupants. These meetings are not laboratory inspections per se, but are conversations designed to meet with the laboratory scientists in their working environment, to solicit their safety concerns and to engage the scientists in personal discussions. The visits are scheduled on the calendar three times a year, with each senior leader visiting 4-6 laboratories per year. The participation rate is very high (>90%) and feedback from the staff is consistently positive. An innovative online survey system was set-up for the visitor to easily convey the concerns he/she receives, as well as provide an assessment of the laboratory’s focus on safety. The Safety Culture Team meets monthly to review the survey results and take action on the concerns. The accomplishments from this initiative are beneficial to resolving many specific safety concerns, facilitating access to safety resources, and dramatically improving the safety culture of our organization.