Today at work, employees and leaders alike will work hard to control risk exposure on the job. Hazard identification training will take place, new risks will be identified and barriers to safety excellence removed. The vast majority of these same individuals will leave at the end of their day to return home to go trick-or-treating with family members, or stay home to hand out candy. We are increasing our ability to identify hazards and control risks on the job, how well are we doing with Halloween?
My earliest memories of the joys of Halloween are also coupled with the horror stories of apples with needles in them, pixie sticks with PCP (Phencyclidine) or cyanide, child predators, and blades in lollipops. Many of these were myths, but there were truths as well. In 1964, a woman in Long Island, New York, frustrated with the increasing age of trick-or treaters, handed out items containing steel wool, dog biscuits and ant buttons. Thankfully she was prosecuted. In Detroit the same year, lye-filled gum made the news, along with rat-poison as treats in Philadelphia.
Today these stories persist and a new risk has emerged as the top danger of Halloween, distracted driving. According to the article, “Halloween is ‘Deadliest Day’ Of The Year For Pedestrian Fatalities” (http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/halloween_deadliest_day.aspx) some concerning details were revealed based on an analysis of more than four million records in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) from 1990 – 2010 for children 0-18 years of age on October 31.
- “Halloween Was Deadliest Day of the Year for Child Pedestrian Accidents
- Nearly one-fourth of accidents occurred from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Over 60% of the accidents occurred in the 4-hour period from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.”
- Over 70% of the accidents occurred away from an intersection or crosswalk.
- Most of the fatalities occurred with children ages 12-15 (32% of all child fatalities), followed by children ages 5-8 (23%).
- Young drivers ages 15-25 accounted for nearly one-third of all fatal accidents involving child pedestrians on Halloween.”
Several sources recommend the following tips to help keep children safe this Halloween from the most likely risk:
- If wearing a mask, make sure it doesn’t limit vision
- Wear bright enough clothing or reflective items and carry a flashlight – and turn it on!
- Make sure clothing or costume accessories do not limit mobility
- Cross at crosswalks and intersections, not in the middle of the street
- Trick-or-Treat in larger groups to increase visibility
- If you need to drive, take a cab if consuming alcoholic beverages or are tired
- Do not operate a phone while driving (Teen age drivers more prone to distracted driving)
During this work day, please take time to discuss this risk and prevention options. Share these facts and tips with your work colleagues and most importantly, your family. Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power.” Give the power to those you care about, to help them mitigate the most likely risk they will encounter this Halloween, distracted driving.
- Shawn M. Galloway
Shawn M. Galloway is the President of ProAct
Safety and the coauthor of two books, his latest published Feb 2013 by
Wiley is STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence. As an internationally
recognized safety excellence expert, he has helped hundreds of
organizations within every major industry to achieve and sustain
excellence in performance and culture. He has been listed in this
year’s National Safety Council Top 40 Rising Stars, EHS Today Magazine’s
50 People Who Most Influenced EHS and ISHN Magazine’s POWER 101 –
Leaders of the EHS World and again in the recent, elite list of Up and
Coming Thought Leaders. In addition to the books, Shawn has authored
over 300 podcasts, 100 articles and 80 videos on the subject of safety
excellence in culture and performance.
Greetings everyone, this podcast recorded while in Kissimmee, Florida. I’d like to share an article written by Terry Mathis, published May 2013 in EHS Today Magazine. It was titled, Sticky Stories are Safety Savvy. The published article can either be found on the magazine’s website or under Insights at www.ProActSafety.com.
I hope you enjoy the podcast this week. If you would like to download or play on demand our other podcasts, please visit the ProAct Safety’s podcast website at: http://www.safetycultureexcellence.com. If you would like access to archived podcasts (older than 90 days – dating back to January 2008) please visit www.ProActSafety.com/Store. For more detailed strategies to achieve and sustain excellence in performance and culture, pick up a copy of our book, STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence - http://proactsafety.com/insights/steps-to-safety-culture-excellence
Have a great week!
Shawn M. Galloway ProAct Safety
Welcome to 2010 and a new decade! Every year I commit to continuing my education through advanced courses, workshops, writings, speaking, application and self-study. I believe that once you stopped learning, you have stopped living. Below is a list (by month) of the books I read in 2009.
January
1. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
2. Swim With The Sharks: Without Being Eaten Alive, Outsell, Outmanage, Ourmotivate and Outnegotiate Your Competition by Harvey B. Mackay
3. The Basics of Performance Measurement by Jerry L. Harbour
4. The Future of Management by Gary Hamel
February
1. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson
2. Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step by Edward de Bono
3. Performance Safety: A Practical Approach by Randy E. Devaul
March
1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
2. Judgement: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls by Noel M. Tichy and Warren G. Bennis
3. Mastering Safety Communication by John Drebinger
April
1. Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert
2. The 3 Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their Employees) by Patrick Lencioni
3. The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg & John David Mann
4. How Full is Your Bucket?: Positive Strategies for Work and Life by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton
5. Coaching For Improved Work Performance by Ferdinand F. Fournies
May
1. Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Golman ,Richard E. Boyatis, and Annie McKee
2. The Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School by John Medina
3. Yes You Can: Conduct Your Own Safety Perception Survey by Dennis Ryan
June
1. Intrinsic Motivation At Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement by Kenneth W Thomas,
2. Your Child’s Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them by Jennifer Fox
3. Safety 24/7: Building an Incident-Free Culture by Robert L. Lorber, Ph.D. Gregory M. Anderson
4. Exceptional Selling: How The Best Connect and Win In High Stakes Sales by Jeff Thull
5. The Art of Safety: Breakthrough Techniques For Optimal Safety Performance by Gary Phillips
6. 12: The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner and Ph.D. James K. Harter
July
1. How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
2. The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary by Joseph Michelli
3. Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick Lencioni
4. Who's Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success—And Won’t Let You Fail by Keith Ferrazzi
August
1. SuperMotivation: A Blueprint for Energizing Your Organization from Top to Bottom by Dean R. Spitzer
2. 6 Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
3. The Power of a Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life by Jim Loehr
4. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Lou Aronica and Ken Robinson
5. How to be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy by John Bridges
6. A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up: What to Wear, When to Wear it, How to Wear it by Bryan Curtis and John Bridges
7. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink
8. The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth and Larina Kase
9. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
10. Understanding Finance: Expert Solutions to Everyday Challenges by Harvard Business School Press
September
1. Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm by Verne Harnish
2. Unleashing The Ideavirus by Seth Godin
3. How To Start A Conversation and Make Friends by Don Gabor
4. Master Change, Maximize Success by Rebecca Potts and Jeanenne LaMarsh
5. The Drunkards Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow
6. The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
7. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
8. The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
October
1. Quite Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker
2. The 5th Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge
3. The Discipline of Teams by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith
November
1. The Team-Building Tool Kit: Tips and Tactics for Effective Workplace Teams by Deborah Mackin
2. Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership by Steve Farber, Patrick Lencioni, and Matthew Kelly
December
1. Leadership And Self-Deception: Getting Out Of The Box by The Arbinger Institute
2. The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership by Steve Farber
3. Think Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
4. The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change The World by Steve Farber
5. The Invisible Employee: Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
Have a safe, great and adventurous 2010!
Shawn M. Galloway
ProAct Safety
Greetings from Gien, France. For the podcast this week, I’m privileged to share with you an interview between EHS Today’s Associate editor Laura Walter and Terry Mathis (the Founder and CEO of ProAct Safety).
The title was “Assessing the Safety Culture.” In the interview, Terry shares his 25 years experience working with safety cultures, including how it can be created, defined, measured and maintained. The interview was recently released by EHS Today as part of their great podcast series. Which I encourage you to subscribe to either on itunes or visit their website at http://ehstoday.com/podcasts/
I hope you enjoy! If you would like to download this audio file, it can be found as well as our others at www.safetycultureexcellence.com
Thanks and have a great week!
Shawn Galloway
ProAct Safety
