Short cuts. As a kid this meant cutting through a neighbors yard, or through a path in the woods at the park. I don’t know when I first heard the word used to mean “anything that shortens the time it takes to accomplish a task”, but that is the way the term is used most [...]
A little thought can make all the difference
Tag Archive: excuses
5 Reasons We Aren’t Always As Safe As We Could Be
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, [...]
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 [...]
10 Excuses for Exceeding the Speed Limit
Driving within posted speed limits is not all that complicated. Most are 35, 45, 55, or 65 miles per hour. There are exceptions of course, but experienced drivers should know the established speed limit for the roads they travel. If you asked most of us where on those roads the speed is posted, we [...]
You ARE the Culture!
Company Culture. Our safety culture. The culture of the team. These are all frequently cited as the reason programs succeed or fail. And yet many safety programs are aimed at affecting the culture. Changing attitudes and actions.
Culture is, in a way, a misleading word. It is a collective noun. It represents a collection of attitudes, [...]
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 not [...]
In a Hurry? Breathe!
If you were invited to review a pile of accident reports from a company that utilizes a good investigation process, you will see that several factors contribute to most accidents. A very consistent error is related to human behavior. Accidents happen most frequently when people feel rushed, or when they are frustrated by the problems [...]
Is Safety an Illusion?
I have been in dozens of manufacturing facilities. Everything from steel foundries to car assembly plants to wire brush manufacturing. Safety is promoted in many ways in each of them, and some companies are able to brag about their significant accomplishments in safety.
Anyone who has seen this knows that the measures are most often given [...]
The Big But Problem
No, I didn’t spell it wrong, I don’t mean that kind of butt!
This BBP stems from making excuses:
I’d wear my seat belt BUT I don’t want to wrinkle my clothes
I’d go get the ladder to change that light bulb, BUT it is out in the garage and this chair is much more handy.
I wouldn’t be [...]
13 Frequently Given Answers – Supervisory Edition
A few weeks, ago, my Monday list was fueled by the many excuses I have heard when doing accident investigations. This week, I offer the supervisory side of the FGA’s, based on actual investigations I have been part of through the years. Fortunately, most of these represent the the first 15 years of my [...]
