We have all heard it and seen the countless banners/signs proclaiming “safety first”. And I have at least 50 shocker photos at SAFTENG of some crazy, unsafe acts caught while hanging such proclamations.
I worked for some bosses who I had no doubt were dedicated to worker safety, and none of them liked the “safety first” slogan. Two of them, instead, said “safety always” as they believed every business discussion must include the impact on the S&H of the workforce. This did not mean safety trumped everything, but it was ALWAYS part of the discussion.
I worked at two plants that laid off workers while I was there. In both situations, I was consulted on the impacts of the planned layoffs on OSH/PS. These were all-day sessions where we mapped out what needed to be done within the OSH/PS management systems, who was responsible for it, etc. The biggest concern was that both plants were unionized, and in these plants, younger workers made up the majority of our Emergency Response Teams. Meaning we would take a major hit to the ERT (Fire/Hazmat/PRCS Rescue/Medical), and in both plants, the offsite response would be “weak” and not timely. Both businesses considered these impacts at the highest level of the organization. In one such company, the PM and I had to go to the global headquarters and present our concerns before the layoff plan was finalized. We saved some jobs, got approvals to hire contractors to perform some critical functions that had been done in-house, but ultimately, the layoffs happened.
Not sure there are many businesses today that consult the EHS, Safety, Process Safety leaders at a plant to understand how a significant layoff is going to affect EHS performance, and even fewer that have a plan to address those impacts.
But that is how we made “Safety Always”, never “safety first”. This is also why I have such respect for my former bosses, as I never doubted their commitment to the men and women doing our dirty and dangerous work. It had to be done, and it was always RISKY work, but we ALWAYS made sure safety was part of the planning and execution.
What say you? Safety First or Safety Always?
