Thanks for the question. This is a subject that has bothered me for a while. So much so, I placed this short article in our local construction organization safety newsletter.
If you asked your employees how many had heard the term “Safety First” within our organizations, most if not all would probably raise their hands. Then ask if safety really is first when it comes to work in the field, most hands would drop. Everyone knows profits are what makes the world go round and the doors to our lobbies stay open. Profits are ingrained in all operational aspects of most successful businesses. Placing “Safety First” on a poster and telling everyone “this is the philosophy our organization lives by” puts safety in direct competition with the true goal of business. We never hear “Profits First” because everyone knows that is what we all come to work for.
Now let me ask you this question. Does a once a week safety inspection from the safety geek make a safe job site? It may make the physical site safer, but what about the 200 workers on the site who can change it in seconds after the safety person leaves. Safety is not the safety guy’s job alone. A token safety person can not make our projects safe. Safety encompasses EVERY laborer, carpenter, foreman, superintendent, intern, PE, PM, estimator, welder, mechanic, electrician, plumber, roofer, etc. Safety is preservation of assets to our VP’s, presidents, CEOs and owners. Our assets are our people, facilities and equipment and without them we cease to exist. Safety has to be at par with budget, schedule and quality. Take away any one of these four essential aspects of a successful business and the whole organization pays. The absence of accidents does not imply the presence of safety. Nor do accidents imply the non-existence of safety. A goal of zero accidents may be a nice result, but a real goal is getting all of us to realize how much safety really encompasses each and every aspect of all our individual jobs. Exhibiting safe behaviors, allocating safety resources and including safety in each function and role every employee fills will go a long way in preserving our resources and increasing our profits. If we all work at controlling safety as well as we control the budget, schedule and quality of our projects we are way out in front of the competition.
Don’t make safety first. Just equal to.
Lance
