The term "Safety Culture" has become like the term "Engagement" in popular management writings. There is no common agreement on the term. We are left with (mis)interpretations of terms like “Safety Culture”, which lead to haphazard attempts at changing organizations toward improvement.

We wish the world would be more like a kid’s show instead of a place of violence such we saw in the needless bombing during the Boston Marathon.  Wholesome, nurturing, recreational events shouldn’t be the stage for tragedies happening right in our neighborhoods.

A couple months back at my University a young man, a student, was found dead in the creek that runs through a small park on campus. Apparently, he had gotten intoxicated at a party, and then went to a bar with friends.  He ended up leaving the bar at 2 am and walked home alone.  He went to the park, slipped on some of the rocks surrounding the creek and was rendered unconscious in the water where he drowned.

The time of reflection on the old year is over. With the brand new year we look to the future with an eye on improving our selves and our impact on the world. For this new year, let’s consider some personal resolutions that focus on behaviors you, an EHS pro, could adopt to increase your effectiveness in helping build your team’s safety culture:

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the shop
All the elves were busy working
Even Snap, Crackle, and Pop