Many organizations attempt to convince employees that safety is somehow first or at the top of the list among other business priorities. Those organizations and their senior executives preach that safety is first in policy statements, posters, etc. But to say that safety is first and to show employees through every day actions that production output, quality etc. are more important sets up the first failure scenario for most organizations.
We need to face reality. Money and profits was, is, and will always be first if an organization is to survive. In the minds of most employees and managers, safety will always be compromised if we can do something cheaper, faster or more comfortably.
Safety doesn't need to be first…but it also doesn't need to be last or totally off the radar screen. Unfortunately, in many organizations it is last or an afterthought despite our belief that it is firsT…just because we say it is.
Many organizations lull themselves into believing that the way to manage safety is to have an effective safety program. Over the years I have had the opportunity to evaluate some of the so-called world's best safety programs ever written. They were well written and in nice tidy binders. But, they stayed on the shelves and were not really operational or referred to by those who had a need for them. They were great on paper but they simply weren't implemented.
Loss producing incidents leading to poor safety performance and a poor culture is a much bigger problem that a world-class written safety program will fix. A good safety program is important and will only work if management systems are in place to make them work. Without the proper systems, the written program is an exercise in killing trees and wasting lots of paper.
NOT! It most organizations where it is said that safety is everyone's responsibility, safety is usually nobody's responsibility. Regardless of how often that notion is communicated in organizations or what venue it is communicated in, many people continue to act irresponsibly leading to incidents, injuries and property damage. The fact is that management needs to be responsible for improving safety performance. They also need to be accountable for changing safety cultures. Both management and employees alike need to be held personally and financially responsible for their actions or lack thereof if safety performance is to excel.
If I heard it once I heard it one thousand times in my career as a safety professional. We need top management commitment! In most organizations it amounts to nothing more than "lip service" The senior manager signs off on that all-encompassing policy statement that tells how great the organization will be in managing safety. They may open a meeting or speech by making a safety comment if prodded to do so. But not much more will evident at the senior management level.
