Kevin Burns Blog

Trying to run a safety program on rules enforcement is meeting with stiff opposition. Today’s worker has no appetite for being constricted by rules. Safety is at a crossroads; where the old safety cop is being forced to give way to the new safety leader. It's a bit of a bumpy ride right now but one that we will be over in a few years. Safety leaders will emerge to begin coaching better safety performance from their teams. Safety cops in future will have a tough time finding work. The market is changing and so are the players. This year (2015), finds that over 75% of the North American workforce is either over the age of 50 or under the age of 30: Millennials (Generation Y - under age 32), comprise 45% of the total workforce. Baby Boomers (over age 50) make up only 31% of the market. And Boomers are retiring in droves. As Generation X (21%) moves into the more senior positions of influence, they are siding more with the Millennials. Gen X understands them better.

The “management” part of safety management is as important as the “safety” part. It’s no surprise that safety managers spend a great deal of time staying current on safety legislation. In fact, they invest hours upon hours every month into ensuring they understand rules, processes and procedures for safety. What they don’t do though, is invest an equal amount of time in developing their management and communications skills. It is safety management after all. It’s two equal parts - safety and management. As a result of little attention paid to the management side of skills development, here is a list of seven things that safety managers, supervisors, and advisors do wrong when it comes to managing the safety program and building respect with employees:

Safety is not argued as an economics case. It is presented as an enforcement initiative. (Excerpt taken from Kevin’s new e-book, Running With Scissors - 10 Reasons To Invest in Safety In Slow Times.)

Shooting down one person’s imperfect safety ideas in favor of your own imperfect safety ideas still yield the same results: good people getting hurt. If only social media were treated like safety conferences, or social events, or wine-and-cheese gatherings. People would be considerate of others’ points-of-view. They would listen, consider and digest ideas. They would ask questions. They would be respectful and be willing to accept that perhaps, among all of these diverse minds and experiences, they might get a new perspective that challenges their own. But, it’s social media. Social media is apparently where points-of-view are defended, where others’ opinions are chastised - sometimes, even ridiculed. You’ve seen people offer their opinion to headlines without actually reading the entire article. That would never happen at a party or social event. There, people would be given consideration to finish explaining their idea. People would engage, listen, hear, exchange and probably learn something.

Employees may know logically that safety is the right choice. But, it is the story of why you choose safety that is more compelling to others. What’s your story? Everyone has a story about the time they made the decision to jump on the safety bandwagon. Everyone has a story of why safety is important to them. Some of those stories may be as the result of suffering a workplace injury. Some may be of losing a friend or family member. Some may be from a realization from something someone said that affected them at an emotional level. But before most people choose safety as one of their personal values, there is usually a story. Unfortunately, most stories are sad. Why People Choose Ask someone why they choose a retirement savings plan. You will hear stories of wanting freedom in retirement, to travel, to see the world, to enjoy grandkids, etc. They are not sad stories. They are stories the come from caring about family and loved ones. They also want financial independence.

Your people deserve your best communication effort. Their safety depends on it. Zero-Speak. It’s not just a clever name. It’s a mindset and a safety communications philosophy. Zero-Speak is a way of ensuring that you communicate effectively with your people. To move you closer to the ultimate goal of your safety program requires effective communication. If you have to repeat yourself, your people aren't buying-in to what you're saying. They're tolerating safety rules. What you say and how you say it matters. You need to maximize your Zero-Speak opportunities. Here are four solid ways to begin implementing a Zero-Speak philosophy in your safety program:

A safety leader is someone who influences good decisions and positive behaviors. Safety leadership has nothing to do with being a manager or supervisor. You don’t have to hold a safety management position to be a safety leader. A safety leader is someone who influences good decisions and positive behaviors. Anyone can do it if they are willing to put the work in. And the benefits are huge: to you and the people you lead. Here are five ways that you can start to improve your own safety leadership skills right away.

Help people develop a plan to positively embrace safety instead of negatively avoiding injury. Safety has done a terrible disservice to itself. It has aligned itself with gruesome scare tactics in the hopes of getting workers compliance. “Fail to follow protocols,” you hear them say, “and you too could lose a body part.” What-if’s and maybe’s don’t sell safety. And safety needs to be sold.

Companies that invest in safety during economic downturns fare better, lower costs, reduce turnover and build a reputation as an employer of choice. When the economy lulls and work slows down, the first reaction may be to slash expenditures. That includes the safety budget. And, on paper, it may look like the right move. But it is a predictable move - one that research does not support as being successful long-term.

Let’s count down the Top 10 reasons why every employee should buy-in to the safety program and to own safety as a personal value. There are two ways to do every job: safely or unsafely. That is the choice in every moment of every day. It’s a simple choice. It’s the same choice as voluntarily buying-in to the safety program and being forced to comply against your will.