Before you can begin the journey toward the goal of zero injuries and incidents, leaders must believe it’s possible. Many people argue that “zero” isn’t possible — it is a proven truth that can be seen in every area of human endeavor. The word accident connotes a sense of an event that happens by chance. Safety incidents and injuries do not happen due to an accident. This false belief leads to the acceptance that a certain number of incidents and injuries are “just part of doing business.”
There is ample evidence to the contrary. According to Emmitt J. Nelson, ME, PE, NAC, ZIC, and his association, the Zero Injury Institute1, many companies have operated over one million hours without injury or incident. S&B Engineers and Constructors and Kiewit-Southwest, for instance, both have achieved over four million safe hours constructing facilities without injury. That leaves only one question unanswered: ”What must leaders do to create and sustain a safety culture capable of delivering ‘zero incidents and injuries’?”