Archive for Awakenings

“Show Them You Care” Developing and maintaining a good working relationship with employees is an important part of every safety manager’s job. Employees don’t want to hear you talking about “reducing accident rates”, or worse yet “controlling accident costs”.  Such discussions will make them think that you only care about statistics and money, and not about […]

How To Make A Machine “Invisible” To Safety Inspectors   OSHA suggests that if you find a dangerous or defective piece of equipment or machinery an acceptable method of addressing it is to either place either a “Do Not Use” or an Out Of Service” tag on it. Placing an Out Of Service tag on a piece […]

“Bulletin Board Etiquette”   Safety bulletin boards are an effective and under-utilized way to communicate with employees.   Most employers have only one safety bulletin board.  When it comes to safety bulletin boards, most employers would benefit by having multiple boards.  Consider placing them: at the time clock in lunch rooms  near the tool room […]

– For those of you in the USA, please remember that a company should be very careful before terminating any employee who has an open workers compensation claim.  Doing so could greatly increase the cost of the claim.  If you feel compelled to terminate an employee with an open WC claim, do so only after […]

“Don’t Hire Your Safety Problems”   As a safety consultant, I’ve worked with thousands of employers.  One thing I’ve observed is that many companies “hire their safety problems”.     Oppressive Employers Employers who have low pay, offer few benefits, and treat their employees poorly don’t get many job applicants for their open positions because […]

 “The Inverse Relationship Between Confidence & Competence”   There’s a big difference between being “competent” and having “confidence”. Over 40-years ago I was a newly minted college graduate with an advanced degree in occupational safety and health.  I was extremely confident, maybe even cocky.  I thought that I knew it all, and frankly, I looked […]

“All PPE Is Not Created Equal” Some PPE (personal protective equipment) is high quality products that far exceed the minimum requirements of the applicable standard.  While other PPE are cheaply made foreign imports that fall well short of your county’s safety regulations.   Here are a few tips to consider when purchasing your PPE: Buy products from larger vendors […]

I’ve heard many safety professionals proudly declare that – “I’m not the Safety Police!”. But what’s wrong with being the Safety Police? Police’s mere presence on the road is a visual reminder to follow safe driving rules. People never drive more safely than they are near a patrol car. What’s wrong with that? If a […]

“Feel Their Pain”   – When Bill Clinton was President, he used to say in his speeches to the American public – “I feel your pain”.  This was his way of connecting with his audience, and showing them that he cared and had empathy for them and their problems.   Similarly, Safety Managers can use […]

Is The Safety Occupation A “Career” Or A “Calling”? – Some choose a safety career because in college, safety is one of those degrees that does not require the completion of higher mathematics classes.  Many an aspiring engineer who couldn’t handle the math requirements chose safety instead.  A safety degree is easier to get then […]