Safety managers have a complicated job that juggles engineering, psychiatry, and life success coaching. Analysis of statistics and inspections can boggle the mind; but it is the devotion to critical analysis that can dramatically impact an organization’s productivity, safety statistics, and retention. The world’s best safety professionals “inspect what they expect at every level,” says one
safety VP.
Also, successful safety cultures should have a constant sense of unease, with a commitment to improvement from all levels of management. It is easy to become complacent and continue to rely on familiar tools — whether processes or commercial products (Hudson, 2010). The difference between the culture an organization has, versus the culture they want, can be wider than expected. Periodically, it is healthy for organizations to step away from the trees and take a ten-thousand-foot view of the forest.