Archive for Awakenings

“You” Do Not Determine Your Company’s Safety Culture – A company’s safety culture is determined by its’ chief executive .   Does your CEO really care about safety?  The degree to which your CEO values safety is reflected in the responsibilities and accountabilities he (or she) establishes for the executives and managers. A CEO that places a […]

“Lead From The Front” – As a safety professional, you need to be a leader who is willing to do whatever you suggest your employees do.  Don’t approve (or supervise) a hazardous operation from your office – get out there on the front line and “lead from the front”. Don’t throw the employee into a dangerous […]

“Don’t Dress For Success” – The old saying goes – “don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job that you want.”   While this might be good advice for other professions, when it comes to safety professionals, the opposite is true! Early in my career, I was a consultant who wore a […]

Many companies brain wash new young safety professionals into viewing labor unions as the enemy.  As a part of the management team, safety professionals are expected to be anti-union like the other managers are.  Early in my career I gave in to this pressure and adopted the anti-union management line. Then as I got older, […]

“Walk In Their Shoes” – Many years ago, I was going to recommend to a consulting client that they require their finishing department employees wear half-face, air-purifying respirators for the entire shift.  But before actually making this recommendation, I thought that I’d try wearing this respirator while working around the house on a weekend. Well, I […]

 “Repetition, Repetition, Repetition” We all know that even the best safety training is not 100% effective.  Some employees may not have been paying attention during the training, while others will forget the information you covered in just a few days.  That’s why signs are so important – they remind employees of safety rules, hazards and safety […]

“What If?” When performing a safety inspection, there are two words that I’m continuously thinking about – “What if?”   What if this happens?   Or, what if that fails?   Below are photos of some potential hazards I was able to identify by asking “What if?” Here’s a restaurant kitchen employee sharpening a knife. […]

“Get Dirty & Get Effective” Most of the corporate safety positions I held required: the supervision of departmental employees, development of EHS policies, and lots of documentation/recordkeeping/statistical analysis/paperwork.  While not technically “deskbound“, for many years I did spend the majority of my time in the office. Then I went to a new company where the […]

In the early part of my career as a safety professional, I considered myself to be a “safety generalist”.  I’d visit companies and consult with them on:  safety culture,  safety policies, training, and OSHA compliance. I was a “generalist because when I was young and had limited knowledge of  industry specific practices and exposures.   […]

“Everyone Likes Recognition”   – Years ago my boss asked me to help him write a speech he was to give at a big national convention.  I worked hard on the speech and ended up writing most of it.   I attended the conference and was in the audience when our speech was delivered.  To […]