At Lloyd Companies, Culture Of Safety Flourishes Thanks To Dedicated Team

An alert Lloyd Companies employee noticed broken glass while passing by a dumpster station on a property, then saw more on the grass where people walk dogs and cleaned it all up.

Another team member discovered exposed wires from a utility box near a Lloyd property’s sidewalk where residents also walked.

A third was filling some work orders, realized several entrances had sharp icicles above them and knocked them down.

They’re all little things that add up to a companywide focus on safety.

At Lloyd, they’re called “near misses,” and the idea is to identify them before they can cause harm to residents, team members or anyone else connected with Lloyd.

“The fact that our team regularly identifies and reports or manages these shows the type of environment our safety team has created,” chief of staff Becky Word said. “They lead with genuine concern and compassion – not a heavy hand – and employees trust they can report concerns or near misses without repercussions.”

The program also empowers team members to come up with solutions to eliminate safety issues, said Nikki Johnsen, on-site training and special projects coordinator.

“We want them to be excited about sharing what they find – and they are!” she said.

Team members submit near misses to safety coordinator Ken Hawks, who shares findings during team-wide meetings and at all levels within the property management division.

“It allows for good conversation and communicates what we did to solve any issues,” Johnsen said.

That’s just one example of a bigger commitment to safety at Lloyd.

“The culture of safety has evolved significantly over time, transitioning from a reactive approach to a proactive mindset,” safety director Diana Arnold said.

“Initially, safety measures were often implemented as a response to accidents or OSHA requirements. However, as our understanding of safety risks and human factors has deepened, there’s been a shift towards preventive measures and fostering a culture that prioritizes safety at every level.”

June is designated as National Safety Month from the National Safety Council. At Lloyd, that means a chance to celebrate as much as it does an opportunity underscore how focusing on safety has a huge positive ripple effect.

Every June, Novak Sanitary Service sponsors a safety appreciation picnic for Lloyd, thanking all employees for keeping everyone safe. Leading up to it, there’s a fall protection stand down, which means taking time to stop all work and teach about the dangers of falls.

“The team encourages a culture of continuous learning and skill development within the team, providing opportunities for training, knowledge sharing, and professional growth,” Arnold said.

Increasingly at Lloyd, safety-related decisions are based on data and analytics insights, leading indicators to inform strategic planning for proactive, preventative and more predictive measures.

For example, injuries due to slipping and falling were occurring three to five times annually before Lloyd implemented a boot allowance program “so the employees were getting the proper footwear,” Arnold said. “Since the inception of this program, there has only been one slip and fall in six years.”

Other indicators are just as positive. For instance, Lloyd’s rating that is used to price workers compensation insurance premium has dropped steadily in recent years. On that scale, a 1.0 is average, and more than seven years ago some Lloyd divisions averaged above that. Today, every division averages .67 to .9.

“Safety is not a ‘check the box’ program here,” Arnold said. “Each divisions’ employees take ownership of their own safety and the safety of everyone around that. Overall, safety is a core aspect of our company’s values and practices and we are committing to upholding the highest standards in this regard.”

Recently, that’s also meant an increased emphasis on addressing mental health needs as well as enhanced safety training and education within an employee’s first year on the job.

“One notable evolution is the recognition that safety is not just about following rules and regulations but also about creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to identify and mitigate risks,” Arnold said. “Rather than solely relying on top-down directives, Lloyd now encourages participation from all employees, recognizing that they are often the ones most familiar with the specific risks and challenges they face.”

It helps that the safety team takes such a positive and passionate approach, Word said.

Meetings that could be boring are enlivened with humor, cartoons and relatable examples, she said. On hot summer days, you’ll often find the team delivering popsicles to construction sites to say thanks and further connect with the teams.

“It’s hard to put into words, because this is just our culture,” she said.

“It’s not one magical thing but rather the feeling they create within our team. They’re goodhearted people who truly care about the wellbeing of others – and they get emotional about it. And it’s not just our team. They take the same approach with our subcontractors, vendors, residents, tenants and the general public. Our expectation in everything we do is ensuring everyone involved goes home just as safe as when they arrived.”