Most organizations, especially those that manage higher risks, have a “requirement” for the workforce to stop work and get help when they are “unsure.” When you talk to managers, they believe this empowerment is what is needed to get people to stop.

During my college summer breaks, I worked at a few different high-risk construction sites. On one job, I had a boss who liked to holler and was not very well liked. He was known as Hog Jaws and I’ve mentioned him previously.  

There is a difference between “caring” and “acting.” The mission of behavior-based safety (BBS) is to promote and support “actively caring.” In this article, I want to introduce the STEP process of actively caring for people’s safety. 

Behavior is not right or wrong, good or bad. It just is. It is neutral. Approach behaviors with the dispassionate, objective view of a scientist. Not with emotions.

Twenty-five years ago, as a young safety professional, I struggled to find a set of leadership practices I could call my own. In 1996, I wrote about many of the leadership practices I was already using but found more clearly established in Servant Leadership (Sarkus, 1996).

Personal safety remains a constant challenge that employees face primarily on their own. How each perceives and responds to workplace exposures, ultimately determines their likelihood of being injured.