Safety professionals are often perceived as alarmists. When you stop a project because a crane is just "a bit off level" or isolate a work area because the rebar is not capped, you can be seen as "just a bit too careful." The common retort from those overseeing the work you stopped is, "Really? ...

The measurement revolution began in my prime. I was working with Industrial Engineers, a nice bunch, with the world-view that everything can be designed to run smoothly. We were a part of the Quality Revolution. I had just gone to see W. Edwards Deming for the third time, eager to hear his thoughts ...

We’ve all seen and read the articles about how data can help us improve production, quality, safety and environmental performance within the work environment. With that said, how many of us have actually been close to a real life scenario where an incident happened and data was available, but ...

Each year many are injured or killed in incidents where following a procedure or using available safety equipment would have saved his or her life. Both managers and safety professionals have asked, “Why do people take short cuts and put themselves at risk?” This article will explore this question ...

I’ll never forget Fred. He never knew, but he has been one of the people who helped to shape my thinking during my first years as a safety professional. With his lean and not even 1,70 m (~ 5’ 6”) short frame he didn’t have an impressive physical appearance, but his personality and commitment sure ...

Every standard safety manual addresses, at some level, the most basic principles of safety management including the three (3) E’s.

Regardless of how it’s done, workplace monitoring is a critical and longstanding function of the safety profession. It’s also encouraging to see line managers and selected employees increasingly involved in this function as well. The goal of safety monitoring is to gain a better understanding of ...

Often in my career of managing safety/risk I've recognized that what I’m really trying to manage is peoples’ perception of risk and not some empirical “risk” value. People don’t tend to solve problems they don’t believe they have, nor do they put a lot of their effort into safety if they believe ...

I live in an old house, most probably built in the early 1800’s, with doors that don’t close, roof that leak and floors that squeak. My solution? A little WD 40, a little more ‘goop’ around the chimney, and shave a little off the jamb, and, I’ve fixed the problem. Of course it works, but only for a ...

We couldn’t possibly start to manage our safety challenges effectively without a clear understanding of what “risk” is and how risk can be managed. There are many websites and texts available to explore the intricacies of the Risk Management Process so I won’t repeat all of that good work here. ...