Over the past several years, I have focused on my SMS/HF postings rather than the traditional technical postings. Being a safety pro means we wear many hats. I break these down into just two (2) main categories: 1) Technical and 2) Management Systems, including the soft skills we need to possess. Those who have followed me over the years know I love the technical side. But those who have worked with me outside the process safety arena know my love for Safety Management Systems and the softer/empathetic side of safety. Last year, I created two new sections for my blog posts: SMS and HF. I moved all my articles which had resided in the Chemical Process Safety section, to their rightful place so they could be more easily found.
As you may have figured out, I am a disciple of James Reason and his approach to human behavior. I am also a huge E Scott Geller disciple. I believe joining these two men’s work is the near-perfect blend for taking a business to the next level, above and beyond the OSHA compliance approach to OSH. This passage from one of the many writings of Dr. James Reason is one of my favorites. Suppose you are involved in incident investigations, or you’re worried about how investigations in your workplace are influencing your culture in a negative way rather than creating a LEARNING opportunity. In that case, I highly recommend Reason’s books, even though many are written for the Health Care sector. Here is what he had to say in 1990 after several significant industrial events worldwide. (emphasis by me)