I began writing this book in 2004 while working as a civilian contractor for Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) in Iraq. I was the Area HSE Manager for a large portion of the Logistical Civilian Augmentation Program #3 (LogCAP III) Project. Our contract required us to hire a certain percentage of local national employees (Iraqis) to help build bases for the US military and coalition forces. This was to help the local economies and to teach the Iraqi people new skills that they could use once we were gone. In theory, this was a great idea; however, in reality, it was a safety nightmare. Being a U.S. based company, we were required to follow O.S.H.A. 29 CFR 1926 (Construction), O.S.H.A. 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry), and in some cases U.S. Army Corp of Engineers EM 385. But none of this translated to the “Idha Sh Allah” way of life in this part of the world. Idha Sh Allah is loosely translated to “God Willing” in English and is pronounced “en shallah.” Without turning this into a discussion of religion, I just need you to understand that many in this part of the world believe they have zero control over the things that happen to them. So, bring this culture to an American construction site and I'm sure you can see the difficulties.
For the purposes of the book and this article the term “Safety Culture” means – What your employees are doing when no one is watching.
Safety cultures can be traced all the way back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1760. While workplace safety now and workplace safety back then are two very different things, 1760 was the first accounts of company rules being written to “keep employees from hurting themselves”.
In 1802 the very first legislation dealing with workplace safety was passed. Due to an outcry over child labor conditions, Sir Robert Peel, introduced the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802, commonly known as the Factory Act. The Factory Act applied to all textile mills and factories employing three or more apprentices or twenty employees and required factories to:
- Have sufficient windows and opening for ventilation
- Be cleaned at least twice yearly with quicklime and water
- Limit working hours for apprentices to no more than 12 hours a day (excluding time taken for breaks)
While limited to a small portion of the workforce and with limited enforcement, the Factory Act is generally seen as the beginning of health and safety regulation.
It was 31 years later before any other laws were passed. In 1833, workers tired of spending over 12 hours a day in the factories began a movement to reduce working days to 10 hours, known as the “Ten Hours Movement.” Pressure from the group led to the Factory Act of 1833. The Act extended the 12 hours working limit to all children and included wool and linen mills. Perhaps the most important development, however, was the introduction of factory inspectors. Yes, you read that correctly – CHILDREN as young as 4 years old were working 12+ hours a day in factories and mills all over the world. They were much smaller than the adults so it was easier for them to get under the rotating equipment and correct problems. It was common for children to loose limbs and even be decapitated.
Over the next 137 years other laws were passed to help the workers.
- 1837 was the Introduction of “Duty of Care”.
- 1842-1878 safety regulations increased.
- Several acts introduced over the 36 years, saw protection towards women and children strengthen. Women and children were prevented from working in underground mines, the use of child labor to clean and maintain moving machinery was stopped, and a 56-hour work week for women and children was introduced.
- 1880 the Employer’s Liability Act was signed.
- 1880-1969 safety acts and reforms continued to flourish.
- A number of acts and reforms were passed improving upon health and safety regulation across the country. Employers were required to provide safeguarding for machinery, the legal working age was gradually raised and more and more inspectors were appointed across industries.
- December 29, 1970, Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
- April of 1971 OSHA was created.
1970’s
In the beginning, company philosophies were simple: “Don’t get hurt.” They honestly didn’t think this new federal department would actually issue a fine for unsafe conditions.
The first citation written by OSHA was to Gimbel Brothers Department Store in New York City. They found two violations and, while a citation was written, no fine was issued.
The first fine was issued on October 23, 1972, to Diane, Inc., a manufacturing company in Manhattan, for $45 (equivalent of about $300 today). It was then that the new philosophy became “Get caught getting hurt and get fired.” While this did have a profound effect on the way companies viewed employee safety and helped reduce the number of accidents, we found out later that it was counterproductive.
1980’s
Somewhere around 1980, the new company philosophy became “Accident occurs, discipline employee, create new policy and enforce the new policy.” Then when another accident happens, it starts all over again. Accident – Discipline – Create New Policy – Enforce New Policy
1990’s
So, in the early 1990’s, we started doing more “Behavior-Based Safety” (BBS). While the Ford Motor Company was the first company on record to use the BBS model, DuPont developed the first widely utilized BBS program called Dupont S.T.O.P. (Safety Training Observation Program). Now, for over 30 years, we've been trying to fix the workers’ behaviors in order to avoid an accident.
2000’s
The 2000’s have brough about very few significant changes. There have been numerous variations of the BBS program, but nothing that will take us to the next level.
It is time for a paradigm shift in how we view and do safety.
In the book we discuss eight habits that will create a safety culture where it is safe for your employees to fail. We know errors will happen and the fact is errors are predictable. So if we build them into the process, then employees can do their jobs in very complex environments and help us create the systems to protect them.
HABIT #1 - Stop Making Safety a Priority
HABIT #2 - Make it Safe to Raise Concerns
HABIT #3 - Make Safety a Responsibility of Operations
These first three habits are designed to create a just safety culture where you can then truly focus on leading indicators and stop an accident before it happens.
HABIT #4 - Focus Left of Zero
And that’s where the fourth habit comes in. In a just culture you can track and trend the information you get from the field. When these four things are done in conjunction we can actually see and accident before it happens and implement measures to stop it.
HABIT #5 - Stop Managing People
Habit number five focuses on leadership principles which are essential in creating a culture that is sustainable in every environment. The only constant in life is that things will change. Be prepared to lead your team(s) no matter what comes your way.
HABIT #6 - Stop Trying to Fix the Worker and Fix the Work
HABIT #7 - Find the STCKY and Stop the SIF
When I originally wrote the habits these next two were based on behavior based safety and using the Heinrich Triangle to stop unsafe acts/behaviors and therefore reduce the number of significant injuries and fatalities. While BBS has helped reduce the number of workplace accidents its done next to nothing to reduce the number of fatalities, we have each year on jobsites around the country. So the next two habits are going to take quite a shift in the way we view and do safety.
HABIT #8 - Stop Trying to Influence Everyone
The final habit is one that will help you implement the first seven. When you try to influence everyone, you end up influencing no one.
All safety programs should be built on the principles of human performance. I use the Five Principles of Human Performance designed by Dr. Todd Conklin.
- Error is normal. Even the best people make mistakes.
- Blame fixes nothing.
- Learning and Improving is vital. Learning is deliberate.
- How you respond to failure matters. How leaders act and respond counts.
- Context influences behavior. Systems drive outcomes.
But you can choose as many or as few as you like. Choose the ones that fit your organization. In the book I list a total of 25 potential principles called “The Incomplete List” because I’m sure there are others, it all just depends on your organization and what it is you are trying to accomplish.
During the process of writing this book I had quite a few “Aha Moments” and have learned so much from all of you in the safety industry. Here are a few parting thoughts for you to consider.
- Workers aren’t the problem; workers are the problem solvers.
- Safety doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, safety ensures good things happen while workers do work in complex and adaptive work environments.
- Safety is not defined by the absence of accidents, but by the presence of capacity.
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