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April, 2006
Help Your Employees Adjust to Change
About a month ago, a fellow SafetyXChange advisor, Michael Topf, wrote an excellent series about the adverse impact of change on individuals and organizational safety (Editor’s Note: “Managing Change: Strategies for Supervisors,” March 23, March 30, and April 6, 2006). Michael looked at the impact of change from the perspective of human behavior.
I’d like to [...]
When Safety Professionals Don’t Practice What They Preach
First, I want to wish a happy first birthday to SafetyXChange. As one of your original advisors, I want you to know it’s been a great year. Keep up the good work.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I would like to ask you all a question: What is your level of perfection? Or [...]
A Business Concept in the Safety Context
Safety can only happen through people.
Don’t let the Hallmark-greeting quality of these words fool you. This is a powerful statement about business and safety. It’s above all a statement about the concept of empowerment and what it means for safety success. Let me explain.
The Empowerment Principle
I think I can best [...]
Getting Your Employees to Report Near Misses, Part 2 of 2
Last week we looked at why employees are reluctant to report near misses. I also set out five steps to get employees to overcome their reluctance. This week, I’ll tell you more about the strategy our company has implemented to successfully encourage near miss reporting.
A Bit About Me
I work at NOW Health Group, Inc., in [...]
Complying with Qualified Person Requirements, Part 4 of 4
If you missed the first three parts of the series, here’s what we covered:
Part 1 discussed the source of electrical safety qualified person requirements;
Part 2 talked about which persons and tasks those requirements affect; and
Part 3 explained what it means to be qualified.
Let’s finish up by analyzing how to comply with qualified person regulations and [...]
Make the Most of the Have-You-Got-Any-Questions-for-Me Moment
Dear SafetyXChange Members,
I was doing some spring cleaning this week, clearing my desk of paper and tchotchkes (Editor’s note: pronounced “CHOCH keys,” a Yiddish word for bric-a-brac). It was a liberating experience and one I heartily recommend to any of you with cluttered desks. A tidy desk makes you feel as fresh as a [...]
Breaking Up the Us vs. Them
Is your Safety Committee ineffective? Are its meetings disorganized? Do members engage in pointless debate and shouting matches instead of focusing on the important safety tasks at hand? If so, I’d like to tell you a little story.
Once Upon a Time. . .
It happened years ago. I had just assumed [...]
Getting Your Employees to Report Near Misses, Part 1 of 2
As safety professionals, we know the value of actionable information. We gather and use hazard assessments, injury, illness and workers’ compensation cost data. And we base our prevention strategies on this data. But there’s a frequent blind spot in our analysis: Near misses. It’s not enough to review injuries that have occurred; we must also [...]
Which Work Must Be Done By a Qualified Person, Part 3 of 4
Last week, we looked at what triggers the requirement that work be performed by a qualified person. Now, continuing our analysis of the scope of the electrical safety regulations and standards, let?s examine what it means to be ?qualified.?
What Makes a Person ?Qualified?
To be qualified, a person must be familiar through training or experience [...]
Making a Behavior Based Safety Program Work
A few weeks ago, SafetyXChange ran a series about behavior based safety in the construction industry by Larry Wilson. I am among those who believe in the effectiveness of such programs. I have also discovered an effective method to support the program’s efforts. The keys: Making an express commitment to excellence and enlisting supervisors to [...]


