Organizational leaders often ask what the answer is to their safety issues: unrecognized hazards, broken rules, complacent employees, and injured workers. It's as if they want a very specific road map to lead them to a workplace where nobody gets hurt.

Rather than looking for the perfect predefined path, set the course for safety in your organization and stick with it. The reality is safety is more like a compass than a map.

Compasses have 4 primary points that we all know: N for north, W for west, S for south, and E for east. When we follow the compass for the course we have set, we will arrive at our desired destination.

The same can be said for safety. Think about these directions:

N = Nobody Gets Hurt
Most organizations talk about reducing injuries and meeting their statistical safety goals. Management often focuses on the numbers and gets upset when the statistical trends are going in the wrong direction. However, workers rarely care about the safety statistics. They often describe feeling like the numbers are hammers that management uses against them. However, when we set a course towards a workplace where nobody gets hurt, no one will argue with that.

W = Who Is Responsible for Safety?
The question "Who is responsible for safety?" is one that was often asked in the workplace. Managers would point to workers and employees would point to management. This is an excellent question to ask -- and to answer. When leaders and frontline workers explore this question and honestly work to answer it, they will find that they each have responsibilities for creating a workplace free of hazards and one where rules are clear and are followed. The result is that injuries are eliminated.

S = Safety Is a Team Sport
Teamwork and safety go hand in hand. You can't have safety without having a team of people who are focused on looking out for each other and for making the work environment a safe place to be. Everyone has a role they can play when it comes to improving the organization's safety. Some people are good at coming up with great ideas, others are excellent communicators, some people are good at making sure all the details are correct, while others are excellent at implementing the changes to the safe work practices. Use these skills to develop a team that is focused on creating an injury-free workplace.

E = Everyone Is Responsible for Safety
Organizations where everyone understands that they are individually and collectively responsible for safety are highly effective at eliminating hazards and reducing injuries. Executives and managers understand that their commitment guides the overall safety process and employees are highly involved in creating a safe workplace.

Set the Course for Safety
Leaders set the direction for safety in the organization. By considering the 4 compass points for safety, no matter which direction you turn everyone is focused on safety and workers can work without injury.

© 2011 Potter and Associates International. Carl Potter, CSP conducts his customized Hazard Recognition and Control Workshop at company locations that include the progressive learning model. Carl Potter, CSP, CMC and Deb Potter, PhD, CMC work with organizations that want to create an environment where nobody gets hurt. As advocates of a zero-injury workplace, they are speakers, authors, and consultants to industry. As a general aviation pilot, Carl enjoys infusing aviation safety principles into his workplace programs. If you want to check out free resources for your safety meetings, visit www.SafetyMeeting.com. For more information, visit the Simply Seamless Safety® Institute at www.safetyinsititute.com. Contact Carl at 800.259.6209 or visit http://carlpotter.com.

The following workshops might be of help to your organization as you chart your path to a workplace where Nobody Gets Hurt:

Leadership Development Process
6-month process for middle management through executives 


Front Row Safety Leadership
2-day workshop for those who directly supervise employees


Safety and the Supervisor
1-day seminar for those who directly supervise employees


Carl Potter's (HRC) Hazard Recognition and Control Workshop
1-day for everyone throughout the organization
HRC is available in a train-the-trainer license agreement


Motivational Employee Presentation by Carl Potter
Typically 90 minutes

What’s your take on this subject? Leave a comment and get the conversation going.