Episodes

Monday Sep 12, 2016
456: Safety Culture So Much Controversy
Monday Sep 12, 2016
Monday Sep 12, 2016


Monday Sep 05, 2016
455: From Do As You Are Told to a Desire To Do More
Monday Sep 05, 2016
Monday Sep 05, 2016


Monday Aug 29, 2016
454: Controlling the Climate of Safety Culture
Monday Aug 29, 2016
Monday Aug 29, 2016


Monday Aug 08, 2016
451: Guard the Front Door - Protecting Your Safety Culture
Monday Aug 08, 2016
Monday Aug 08, 2016


Monday Jul 25, 2016
449: Contractor Safety Management Aligning Strategy and Culture
Monday Jul 25, 2016
Monday Jul 25, 2016


Monday May 23, 2016
441: Strategy and Culture, Not Either-Or
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016


Monday May 16, 2016
440: Five Reasons You Have Undesired Performance
Monday May 16, 2016
Monday May 16, 2016


Monday Jan 18, 2016
423: Climate and Culture Before Not After Behavior-Based Safety
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Monday Jan 18, 2016


Monday Dec 14, 2015
418: Do You Really Know Your Safety Culture?
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Monday Dec 14, 2015


Wednesday Jun 17, 2015
Confrontational Thinking
Wednesday Jun 17, 2015
Wednesday Jun 17, 2015
It is incredible to me how tenaciously old thinking clings to the safety community. I continue to hear pundits assert that confrontation is a key skill of creating a safety culture. Unless you want a confrontational culture, I couldn’t disagree more if they were twice as wrong. So, why do you not want to make confrontation a common skill and a key part of your culture? Because confrontation is a “stopping tool.” If you cling to the old idea that safety is getting workers to “stop taking risks,” then you tend to think this way. Workers get hurt because they take risks. “Workers are the problem with safety. Fix the workers and you will fix safety.”
However, if you can grasp the concept that workers don’t want to get hurt and that they are the customers of your safety programs, then you will think differently. Accidents happen because of risks. Safety needs to help management identify and remove or reduce risks where possible. Safety needs to help workers identify and deal with remaining risks efficiently. Workers need to help each other practice taking precautions around the remaining risks. The key skill of safety is coaching, not confronting. Safety is about starting excellence, not stopping stupid risk taking.
If you continue to think the about safety the way you always have, you will do as you have always done and produce the same results you always have. Get away from confrontational thinking and embrace the concepts of safety excellence.
-Terry L. Mathis
For more insights, visit
www.ProActSafety.com
Terry L. Mathis is the founder and CEO of ProAct Safety, an international safety and performance excellence firm. He is known for his dynamic presentations in the fields of behavioral and cultural safety, leadership, and operational performance, and is a regular speaker at ASSE, NSC, and numerous company and industry conferences. EHS Today listed Terry as a Safety Guru in ‘The 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS three consecutive times. He has been a frequent contributor to industry magazines for over 15 years and is the coauthor of STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence (2013, WILEY).