Kevin Burns Blog

The 10% Who Build Your Safety Culture (But You're Ignoring Them)

Posted by Kevin Burns on January 30, 2026

who is your safety messaging talking to? not everyone

Your safety messaging is failing because you're committing marketing's biggest sin: trying to talk to "everyone." When you aim for everyone, you reach no one. The solution? Identify the critical 10% who actually influence your safety culture, and it's not who most safety departments think it is.

The One Person Your Safety Program Is Afraid to Name

Posted by Kevin Burns on January 16, 2026

name the person who controls your safety culture

Every safety program talks about "people" doing things right. Procedures target "people." Behavior-based safety observes "people." The hierarchy of controls protects "people." But ask any anyone to identify exactly which people have the most control over safety culture, and they'll talk about engagement, systems, and culture—anything to avoid naming the specific person who determines whether safety works or fails. And that avoidance isn't accidental. It's deliberate. Because naming that person means admitting your approach has been wrong.

Building Frontline Safety Culture Without Senior Management Support

Posted by Kevin Burns on November 21, 2025

The safety industry insists that a strong safety culture requires senior management support. This belief has become the favorite excuse for poor frontline performance. The truth is, supervisors create a culture through daily relationships with their crews, not through executive endorsements or corporate policies. The supervisor IS the culture for their crew. Companies that equip supervisors with relationship skills get the safety culture they want, regardless of how visible senior management support appears to be.

Operational Problems Aren't System Failures, They're Relationship Failures!

Posted by Kevin Burns on September 11, 2025

every operational, safety, and retention metric flows through one relationship the one between employee and their supervisor

When your safety numbers are bad, you blame the safety system. When productivity drops, you blame the equipment. When good people quit, you blame the job market. But you're looking in the wrong place. Here's the truth: your operational, safety, and retention problems aren't systems problems. They're relationship problems. And the person who creates or destroys those relationships is your supervisor.

Your Safety Department Is Wasting Money Training the Wrong People

Posted by Kevin Burns on July 4, 2025

Your safety programs are well-designed, but they're missing crucial advocates. While most training budgets focus on safety professionals and managers, the real leverage point is developing the one person who either champions or undermines every initiative you launch. It's time to create safety allies where culture is actually made.

Your Supervisors Are Costing You Millions (And You Don't Even Know It)

Posted by Kevin Burns on June 20, 2025

companies bleed millions yearly from an expense they don't even track

Most industrial companies think their biggest expenses are equipment, materials, and labor costs. They're wrong. There's a hidden expense bleeding millions from their operations every single year—one that never appears on financial statements and rarely gets discussed in board meetings. This silent profit killer is operating right under management's nose, creating chaos in productivity, safety, and morale. The companies that have identified and eliminated this hidden cost are dominating their markets while their competitors struggle to understand why they can't keep up.

You Need An Enemy

Posted by Kevin Burns on June 6, 2025

Every senior manager knows the pain: you promote your best technical worker to supervisor, then watch helplessly as good employees underperform, then eventually quit, because your new supervisor doesn't know how to lead. The trial-and-error approach to supervisor development isn't just inefficient—it's destroying your teams and killing your safety culture. It's time to identify your real enemy and fight back with proven leadership development that works from day one.

Why Your Company Standardizes Everything Except What Matters Most

Posted by Kevin Burns on May 23, 2025

Most companies standardize everything except the leadership skills of supervisors who actually run operations, creating costly performance variations.

Why Supervisor Development Must Matter to Safety

Posted by Kevin Burns on April 25, 2025

investing in frontline supervisor development transforms safety culture

Even the best safety programs can fall short of their potential when frontline supervisors lack proper development. Discover how strategic investment in supervisor leadership skills creates a foundation for exceptional safety performance, increased employee engagement, and a thriving safety culture that extends beyond compliance.

How Strong Supervisor-Employee Relationships Drive Business Results

Posted by Kevin Burns on March 28, 2025

supervisors must create meaningful relationships with employees

Want to know how top companies get better work from their teams? Supervisors who build real connections with team members create safer workplaces, higher productivity, and employees who stay longer. Learn simple ways to help supervisors move beyond just giving orders to building relationships that help the whole business succeed. (Bonus: download a free resource, Supervisors & Safety Culture ebook)

Leadership for frontline industrial supervisors.