I had hoped that in the worst economic climate that most of us have ever seen we might see meaningful change in the safety profession. But in this malaise, too many professionals continue to work in a pathetic pantomime of professionalism. Stay the course good safety fellows, they seem to say, oblivious to the mounting pressures from operations for safety to do more than simply protect the company from the threat of imaginary boogiemen and contribute to the bottom line.
Reams have been written on how safety professionals can do a better job in reducing injuries and save the organization money. But while economic uncertainty has caused most professions to reevaluate what they do and how they do it, safety, as a function seems blithely unconcerned about what effect this historic event will have on its role in the future of business world-wide.