Most organizations that deal with hazardous operations have rules, procedures, and training in place as part of their efforts to minimize workplace risk. However, experience shows that rules and procedures are not enough to achieve changes in behavior among the employees and subcontractors whose lives and health are most at risk when things go wrong.
[continue reading…]

On a recent flight from Newark to Chicago, I sat next to an American Airlines pilot, with whom I struck up a conversation. In the midst of our discussion, the flight attendant began the usual speech on safety instructions, seat belts, and evacuation. The pilot stopped talking and said, “I need to listen to these
[continue reading…]

Although safety professionals have long acknowledged that the promotion of safety is an important component of a safety management system, many organizations have had limited success in promoting safety throughout their own companies. For example, one way many companies attempt to promote safety is through the use of slogans. Safety slogans such as “Think Safety”
[continue reading…]

The clichéd phrase “incidents and accidents are unavoidable” is not acceptable to today’s safety management professional. Everything happens for a reason, including incidents and accidents. For years, safety professionals have been striving to detect, prevent, and eliminate incidents. We tend to assume that the majority of safety incidents are caused by untrained or inexperienced workers.
[continue reading…]

Safety management systems stabilize safety performance and provide greater management clarity and structure, but to what extent do they affect safety culture and promote employee safety? This article explores the relationship between safety management systems and safety culture and introduces a new model showing the complex interplay of systems and culture.