As an advocate for personal safety, the tools I use most often are awareness of possibilities and appreciation of risk. If you make yourself aware of what could go wrong in a situation, and weigh that against the risks involved, you can make the best choices for your safety. Here are a few items, some…
Tag Archive: blame
Avoiding the Birds
On a Weekend Update Thursday edition last week, the Saturday Night Live team came up with a pretty funny story about Captain Sully Sullenberger returning to the cockpit. Sully is now famous for his emergency landing of a USAir flight in the Hudson River. In case you don’t know the details, birds were sucked into…
Do You Motivate With Fear or Reward?
I like a good safety incentive as much as the next person. Although I haven’t kept them all, I would guess I have received dozens of items ranging from imprinted pens, flashlights, and portfolios to jackets, gift cards and parking spaces. Each one of them was designed to be a reminder of the importance of…
Unemployment Hearing or Funeral?
Several weeks ago, I wrote about a Culture of Challenge. This is a concept of an open organization where it is OK, or even required, to confront actions which you think could be done more safely. A corresponding attribute needed in a culture of challenge is Courage. It might not seem to be a brave…
8 Frequently Given Answers – Management Response
Accident investigations are essential for improving safety. There are many American companies who manage safety well and do a good job of investigation and resolving problems. I have submitted lists before of employee answers and supervisor answers to investigations questions. This last list in the series are the answers that management gives in companies do…
Always Make New Mistakes
Does someone have to be blamed for every accident? Isn’t it OK, at least once and a while, to conclude that “shit happens” at the end of an accident investigation? As long as we avoid ever making this mistake in the future? For many people, closure seems to require that someone is blamed. Whether you…
