Who wants to be known as a nag, a naysayer, a safety nazi? Not in John Wayne's America, land of the free and home of the brave. No wonder safety pros often are cast as outsiders, idealists, or worse yet, a non-strategic transactional service function, in the words of one consultant.
It takes a certain kind of guts to stand up for safety. This struck me a few weeks ago listening to a radio program dissect the concept of courage - who's got it, why some fight while others flee. Look at a safety pro's job description: You get to give the bad news to assorted managers, clients, employees, lawyers, insurers, regulators, unions, the public and the press. Good news makes you invisible - nothing has happened.