Principles don’t work when safety is not a value among the people they are meant to guide.
In the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“, Stephen R. Covey discusses the difference between principles and values. He does so to show the difference in those “highly effective people”. I want to use the same framework, but through the lens of “highly effective safety”. Many of us have heard the concept of making safety a value rather than a priority. This concept is CORE to building lasting momentum in our safety improvement efforts. But it is VERY DIFFICULT to do; mostly because most people do not understand the difference between a “principle” and a “value”. Let’s discuss the differences and how they impact a shifting safety culture.
So I asked Ai to explain the difference between principles and values, and it actually was a great response:
Values are the core beliefs or intrinsic traits a person or organization holds as important (e.g., integrity, compassion).
Principles are the actionable rules, behaviors, or guidelines derived from those values that determine how one operates (e.g., "tell the truth regardless of consequences").
Values define who you are, while principles act as the compass to guide behavior.
I was always taught that the safety programs/safe work practices, OSHA compliance were “principles”, but it was our values that drove us to make an effort to meet those principles. Now, I am no psychologist, so please bear with me as I explain why all this matters.
You see, literally, how a person behaves says a lot about their values. In fact, what we do is a better indicator of our values toward safety than what we say. So when managers talk about safety, but their observed behaviors and decision-making conflict with their words, workers lose faith in what they say. This loss of faith in their manager can have significant negative impacts, as reflected in workers’ attitudes and behaviors.
Remember, “Principles are objective, foundational rules or laws (e.g., integrity, fairness) that guide behavior.” But it is our values that make us CARE about those foundational rules or laws. Principles don’t work when safety is not a value among the people they are meant to guide. The LOTO program has always said X (principle), yet no one follows X (values).