I have uploaded one of my more popular “culture” presentations/exercises I do with senior leaders and their safety leaders. It is a 2-day “reflective” workshop that intends to identify opportunities to improve the culture around safety at an organization. Experienced safety leaders can facilitate this exercise in-house and gain a lot of traction in putting…...
A Culture of Safety_the endless journey_2025 Read More »
Maybe I’m just old school, but I have seen a strong focus on the safety fundamentals make tremendous progress in both performance and culture. Once we have milked the fundamentals for all they have to offer, then (maybe) our management system and culture will have matured to a point where we could manage a nice…...
Maybe I’m just old school Read More »
Inspired by Stefan Kühl’s metaphor, the Safety Theater is a stage where people in an organization play their parts. From left to right:(1) A worker in full PPE flashes a big smile for the audit,(2) A corporate safety manager holds up a script labeled “Zero Harm”,(3) Backstage, a couple of managers whisper warnings about the…...
Stefan Kühl’s metaphor, the Safety Theater Read More »
A video I posted over two years ago has come full circle. A citizen (some may call him homeless) was allowed to sit (and smoke) within 20′ of a gasoline tanker unloading operation at a gas station. His actions may not have been his sole demise, as we can see in the video evidence that…...
Failing to control flammable vapor results in severe injuries for by-stander (video) Read More »
If you have read any of my posts about safety management and what a safety management system should look like, you know I am all about “walking the talk” and how this simple failure of the senior leadership team is the most effective manner of destroying TRUST and CREDIBILITY within the safety movement. Workers, especially…...
Safety and the “Stroop Effect” Read More »
I have uploaded both my 2023-2024 and the 2025 editions of the PowerPoint presentations “Culture of Safety”. These are the presentations I use at the C-Suite Level and when presenting at Company EHS Conferences. Feel free to revise to meet your needs. The presentations were developed using materials from OSHA, The UK’s HSE, and Scotland’s…...
I have uploaded my “Culture of Safety” presentations to the Document Library Read More »
The recent news of Boeing announcing its selection for the Chief Aerospace Safety Officer who has been an executive with over 36+ years with the company. He is not a safety professional nor did the announcement indicate any specialized training or experience in building a culture of safety or even rebuilding a Safety Management System…...
Safety Thought of the Week… Are you building bridges or moats Read More »
If we have NO records of training personnel on the Elements of our Safety Management System (SMS), but decades of records on Compliance Program(s) training, well then we do NOT HAVE A FUNCTIONING SMS. We may have an SMS on paper and it may be plastered all around the workplace, but if the workforce is…...
Your brutal Safety Fact of the Month… Safety Management System Read More »
Many workplaces struggle with one of the most critical elements of any attempt to manage safety and health via a safety management system – Incident Investigations. From the struggles of getting personnel to REPORT incidents (including near misses) to management recognizing these reports are GIFTS handed to us! But what normally happens, is we get…...
UK’s HSE “Adverse Events” publication (HSG245) Read More »
I like the fact the thieves wore “high vis” clothing to make themselves look “legitimate”. But as the story points out they were getting injured in arc flash events. I support Hi Vis workwear, as it can’t hurt to be more visible in a busy workplace, especially with a lot of mobile equipment around. My…...
Safety masquerading behind Hi-Vis gear Read More »
The recent news from Boeing’s CEO regarding their cultural challenges reminded me of a discussion I had with one of my favorite plant managers, Dale Fannin, in 1996. It was an uncomfortable discussion, as I had my a_s handed to me, regarding all my “cheerleading” rather than being a safety leader. Dale, as were two…...
[My] Safety Thought of the Week… Culture of Safety Read More »
There’s a massive difference that may require massively different approaches in how we respond to failures in administrative controls such as LOTO. Scenario #1: a worker with less than a year of experience, is tasked with isolating a PRCS that has 29 isolation points. It was his first time to do this isolation and was…...
Learning Opportunity vs Discipline Read More »
