From the moment I began reading "Managing Worker Safety and Health," I realized this was unlike any other OSHA publication. It was written in plain language and provided clarity on safety management that I found difficult to believe came from the government.
Effective leaders are competent and committed regarding their course of action. But I believe a third C-word distinguishes exemplary actively caring leadership — courage. The following two stories illustrate what I mean.
The “team” concept in a safety process helps to ensure employees’ participation and involvement in the safety effort. However, coaches are needed in the areas of problem-solving, decision-making, time management, resolving conflicts, delegating responsibility and helping to build the lead team and subsequent sub-teams and more.
“Are most injuries caused by managers who view employees as fodder?” asked the reader, who identified himself as a 29-year safety professional. “Or are most caused by employees’ stupidity and/or defiance? We both know the answer to that!"
Who says, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks”? Our three-year-old daughter Isla is teaching us many amazing “new tricks” every day, so why not on the job? I have a little story to tell about this and more.
Once upon a time, many, many moons ago I went to college. After four interesting years, I went to graduate school. Especially in grad school and the higher-level undergrad classes, I discovered a high value was placed on so-called critical thinking skills.
Behavior is motivated by its consequences, but we all interpret consequences differently. A consequence that motivates some of us to change behavior might not even be noticed by others.
Previously, we covered the True Colors® approach to understanding four basic personality types. Now lets target another person factor relevant to the human dynamics of injury prevention — individual sensitivity to rewards vs. penalties.
Unless you’ve been hibernating in a cave for the past 15 years or so, it comes as no revelation that OSHA has largely shuttered down the standards-setting mill that hummed along in the 1970s and ’80s.
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