One Word to Capture All Your Safety needs?

Note:The idea for the title and context in this blog come from the book “One Word that will Change Your Life,” written by John Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page.  

If you could think of one word that would encompass every aspect of your safety program (and culture) what would it be? If you’re looking for an answer here, you won’t find it.  But what may interest you is applying the process contained in the book mentioned above to the safety challenges you face today.  Here is the process

To begin, follow two simple steps: one unplug…find a place with no distractions so you can look inwardly as to what your One Word is going to be.  Two ask yourself the following three questions:

1. What does our safety program truly need?  Almost everyone in management wants fewer injuries, but this may not be what they need.  Focus on the safety needs as you see them today in your organization.

2. What is in your way?  Seek insights from your safety pro colleagues and your frontline workers to determine those things that stand in your way of a safety success. 

3. What needs to go?  If the same results are occurring using a number of historic activities, some may need to be replaced or discontinued all together to bring about the change that you need.

Oftentimes we get fixated on a numeric goal and never focus on what the people in the organization could potentially become. We tend to over-complicate and over-explain what employees must do to meet these goals. People do not remember paragraphs or sentences from one day to the next. Why not consider an approach that your safety sensitive employees might remember all year long and work to live by — adopt the “One Word” approach

The One Safety Word approach can work. You may experience a transformation in the safety potential of your organization, not just go through the motions of the same safety program you implemented several years ago.

And when you’ve used your word for a year, don’t carry it over to the next year.  Start the process again and bring in the New Year with a New Word. 

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