No one likes the Safety Guy!
I was flying to a job a few weeks ago, boarded the airplane, and sat beside a young person in his late 20s, and we started to talk.
He said he was a pipefitter and that he loved the work. He traveled from site to site on various projects and shutdowns. He then listed some of the projects and places he had visited.
I asked a few more questions, and he did most of the talking. Finally, realizing this, he asked: what do you do for a living? I told him that I was a Safety Professional. Without hesitation, he said, "No one likes the safety guy!" realizing what he had said, he apologized.
I started to laugh a little from the surprised look on his face. I may have been the first safety guy he liked.
The next evening, I pondered our conversation.
1. Why don't people like the safety person?
2. Does it matter if people don't like the safety person?
3. How would I describe the role? Cop, Coach, Champion, or Captain?
SHEQ Manager - Author & International Speaker
1 年I move through all 4 quadrants every day. Could I call it Situational Safety Leadership?
Owner/Orenda Safety Services
1 年Yet, many ads for Safety Professionals include enforcment of the safety rules. Thus putting the Safety Professional in the "safety cop" position. Proactive is always better than reactive. I always like to ask the workers about their job and how it could be done with less risk. I find they will happily chat with you and next thing you know, Voila!, a positive change has been completed.
This Used To Be The Size Of Canada's Economic Engine Before Justin Came In To Power As A Ruler And Not As A Leader - And I Think That The Economic Oil/Gas Engine Of Alberta Will Pull Canada Out Of Its Financial Doldrums
1 年Very few workers & management like a safety policeman as they tend to focus on reactive driven discipline, however most workers & management quickly start to build a good level of trust with a proactive safety advisor as soon as they realize the safety guy or gal is not out to “get them” but rather to work with them and to develop safe solutions for any issues that may be occurring in the workplace, this method works as I have been doing it successfully for 10 years now, and you know something else your WSBC premiums start to drop and a good safety culture becomes automatic with the field workers, reach out to me anytime ??
Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Professional | EHS Mentor | Auditor | Change Manager I Emergency Planning | Leadership Coaching | Story Teller
1 年Safety people are often seen in much the same way as a fire, people tend to run away when they see us coming. I recently interviewed a safety professional for a role and he indicated that he wanted the safety guy to be the guy that everyone picks first to be on their team. We want to engage with our team as a mentor, advisor, coach and champion of their cause. If anyone is to be the safety cop it should be the supervisor because they are the ones ultimately responsible for the workers.
Mentor | Status Quo Challenger | Culture Caretaker
1 年If I had a dollar…. Admittedly (unfortunately may be a better word) there is a time and place for a safety COP. Should always be the exception, never the rule. Typically, no no one outside HSE circles reports to a safety person, so CAPTAIN is also out. Of the 4 choices, COACH and CHAMPION are best suited to safety practitioners in varying doses depending on the organization’s maturity. Generally speaking, we advise of risks and make recommendations; we don’t run the companies we serve.