In all my years in manufacturing, the subject of Personal Protective Equipment caused more debate and dissension than you might imagine. What you have to wear, when you have to wear it, if you can have facial hair, your obligation to care for the equipment ...
Tag Archive: excuses
Frequently Given Answers – 8 Reasons to Take Short Cuts
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
