Safety’s thought leaders keep bumping into each other at conferences such as ASSE’s annual meeting. Here are three “new thoughts” making the rounds here in Denver:

1. Dr. E. Scott Geller is close to publishing his next book, “Actively Caring for People: Cultivating a culture of compassion.” Says the good doctor in the preface: “The vision of a world filled with compassion can indeed become a reality if more people reach out to help others more effectively and more often. Dr. Geller’s vision is universal: he wants to teach actively caring in elementary schools, middle schools, universities, the workplace, within families, and within communities.

2. BST is introducing “The Zero Index” book at the ASSE meeting. Writes Colin Duncan, BST’s chief executive and the book’s general editor: “Safety is suffering from a crisis of execution… We have difficulty creating an over-arching framework…” Zero Index Performance, a “state of functioning,” according to Duncan, is: comprehensive, anticipatory, externally and internally focused, integrated, and risk-based versus outcome based. “Achieving this level is not easy,” writes Duncan. The book presents a model with 10 practices or disciplines that define Zero Index Safety Performance.

3. Honeywell takes the unusual step for a PPE company in publishing a white paper on “Top 2012 trends in workplace safety management.” They are: coping with greater workloads, creating a culture of safety, managing safety across borders, and selecting the right safety information sources.