Jim is a safety professional with 12 years of experience. He’s technically very competent, probably the best in the whole corporation. Jim tends to be low-key, private and introverted, a bit hard to “read.†He doesn’t initiate a lot of contact with the folks in the plant unless he is doing a safety audit, and spends a lot of time in his office alone.
Jim is prone to challenge workers and supervisors around issues of safe work. The guys assume that he means well, and they know that he knows his stuff. But they really don’t appreciate being called down in front of their peers or bosses. Some say they learn more from him after there is a problem than before one occurs.
Tim has two years of experience. He’s still learning, and technically is not in Jim’s league. But he’s a quick study, and gets answers when he doesn’t know something. Tim spends a lot of time engaging the guys in the plant, and learning from them.
Tim has created and communicated a vision of a world-class people-based safety system in the plant. He helps workers deal with the new system practices without starting a confrontation and without letting people slide. Tim asks questions and seems to genuinely care about employees. In his absence, employees tend to work safely — in part because they appreciate Tim and his concern for them.
Jim or Tim — you make the call. Who is the better fit in a Positive Safety Culture? Who would you rather have on your team? Who has the right stuff?