Safety Management System

Over the past decade, we saw a huge swing away from safety being a technical field to one that is more hugs and kisses.  Last year, we even saw the number one organization for safety professionals change their name from Safety Engineers to Safety Professionals.  Along with the name change came a change to topics…...

This is a MUST READ for safety leaders.  It is scientific proof that CULTURE MATTERS to safety, and how we establish a culture of safety is with AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP (w/ empathy) and how this BUILDS TRUST in the organization – most importantly, how this builds trust with the workers who do the dirty and dangerous…...

Most practicing safety professionals in the USA have seen The Wizard of Oz.  This is an excellent movie, and it reminds me of our journey to achieve a safe workplace.  First … the Ruby Red slippers – many managers today state that “safety is #1”, that “our people are our #1 asset”, or “we do…...

This is a simple, linear cause-and-effect model where accidents are seen as the natural culmination of a series of events or circumstances that occur in a specific and recognizable order. The model is often represented by a chain with a weak link or a series of falling dominos. In this model, accidents are prevented by…...

The “Swiss Cheese” model developed by James Reason is an example of the epidemiological model.  This is a complex, linear cause-and-effect model where accidents are seen as the result of a combination of active failures (unsafe acts) and latent conditions (unsafe conditions)… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready...

ISO 45001 is one of my favorite management systems for my non-PSM/RMP clients.  But a lot of folks have no idea of what a Safety Management System is or how it functions, so here is a breakdown of ISO 45001…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member?...

We hear the phrase “safety culture” being tossed around in today’s management like it is some measurable object or goal.  This, in its own right, shows the vast lack of understanding of what a safety culture is.  My first boss, who I will always praise, was all about his employees.  He wanted the very best…...

Excellence in human performance is more likely if front-line workers, support staff, and managers embrace the following underlying truths or principles that provide the bases for the behaviors. Integrating these principles into management and leadership practices, worker practices, and the organization’s processes and values will help guide the development of a philosophy and strategy for…...

After 25 years of being in the industrial safety profession, I have heard the debate about “culture” to the point it has become ridiculous. I was very fortunate to work for two of the finest plant managers early in my career and both of these men were strong leaders and the safety of those in…...

Most managers honestly do not want to see anyone get injured, but most of them have never seen what a fully functioning “safety management system” actually looks like and what it actually takes to have some level of assurance that injury prevention efforts are real. Both “Claude” and “Dale” opened my eyes up to a…...

With the sad revelations coming out of the Slag Tank catastrophe and having spent time with my Dad a couple of weekends ago A thought just popped in my head…   as a child my parents were constantly saying “I don’t care what Johnny is doing” and “if Johnny jumped off a bridge would you?”…...

Westrum (1991, 2004) proposed a description of three (3) levels of safety culture advancement. Hudson (1999), and later Parker, Lawrie & Hudson (2006), built on these and developed five (5) levels of safety culture advancement.  Depending on its level of maturity, safety culture is either characterized as Pathological Reactive Calculative Proactive, or Generative This classification…...