I’ve commented several times about the way we measure safety. Many companies measure accumulated hours worked without incident, but injury rates, or failure rates, are the most common benchmark. We look at the number of failures of the system compared to the number of hours worked in the same time period. This leads to a…
Tag Archive: people
Beyond Compliance–Obligation #3
In my two most recent posts, I explained that I have seen safety performance improve when management puts in place a series of obligations – and then does everything they can to support them. I explained the first two obligations, which are: Refuse to do work that you cannot perform safely. If you see someone…
Beyond Compliance – Creating a Culture of Preparedness
Last week, my friend Trisha McFarlane wrote about her recent tornado experience, and how it applied to the workplace. One of the things I saw was a difference between compliance and preparedness. Trish was prepared. She knew where things were, she calmly instructed her children, and followed the plan. In a safety audit, she would…
Signage – Do We Care About the Font?
You may have heard the story at the end of September that a Federal mandate is requiring that all street signs be changed to a font called “Clearview” and that signs are not ALL CAPS. The reason is simple enough – the easier a sign is to read, the less a driver’s attention is taken…
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Important at Home, Too
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 or share the costs are all topics that sometime even…
6 Safety Ideas For Your Wallet
My interest in safety began when I experienced a “near-hit” incident early in my engineering career, and when I realized how many of the equipment operators I had known were missing some of their digits. At that time of my life, I was enjoying playing piano and guitar, and I couldn’t imagine what it would…
When Workflows Change
It was busy at my house over the holidays. The kids and their spouses, our college son, and 3 dogs were all there at once. When there are special events in your home, work patterns change. In particular, there is more time spent in the kitchen preparing, serving, eating and cleaning. The kitchen is full…
7 Things That Require Special Attention at the End Of the Year
Our neighborhood has our version of the Griswalds. They really decorate for Halloween, but as soon as November rolls around, they begin converting their decorations to Christmas themes. Rain or shine, on the weekend they have ladders up and wires run all over the place. They do seem to take their time to do it…
Unlucky Day For Your Safety?
Do you consider the number 13 to be unlucky? Or maybe you have an actual fear of the number, which is called triskaidekaphobia. If you do, you wouldn’t be alone. Thirteen is frequently left out when numbering floors in a building or even aisles in an airplane. Yet there are some who consider this a…
6 Contemplations During My Run Today
I am in training for another event. I can’t reveal it yet because I haven’t finalized all the details. I have to travel a long way to get there and I want everything just right. It’s not Boston. It’s not even a marathon. But for me, it’s a big deal. So today’s run was 7…
