Safety Culture – Experiencing An Identity Shift

“True behavior change comes from identity change.” – James Clear

People who are FULLY committed to cultivating a sustainable safety culture are often those who have experienced an identity shift.

Early on in my career I was a dedicated safety professional and had the fortunate privilege to work in many different sectors.?It was a path that I was deeply committed to.?I eventually migrated into the world of management systems and continuous improvement…however, my passion for safety has never wavered.

Safety has always resonated with me because I’ve always cared deeply about the people I work with – particularly those who are out on job sites in the worst weather doing the stuff that no one else wants to do.?When I went out to talk with them on their jobs or in their facilities, I could look in their eyes and see their families, their hopes and their dreams.?I also listened intently to their concerns.

I appreciated each one of them as an individual…and I knew that the only way to create a lasting, supportive, and generative safety culture was to truly connect with each one of them.?That’s it.?It’s really that simple…and yet so challenging for many.

Of course, that was all before I had a chance to work in state government enforcing OSHA regulations.?It was a short stint but one that would change me forever.

While I was there, I had the opportunity to conduct inspections on everything from excavations and scaffolding to food manufacturing facilities and utility work.?Those were the types of everyday inspections that we conducted…all the while hoping we would not hear an announcement over our office intercom system notifying us that someone in our jurisdiction was just seriously or fatally injured on the job. It was the one announcement all of us compliance officers dreaded.?Unfortunately, fatalities were announced at about the pace of one every four weeks - serious injuries more frequently.

Just as I will never be able to forget each fatality scene so vividly stamped on my brain…I will also never be able to adequately describe the feeling each one left me with.?That feeling, of course, is minor compared to how each victim’s loved ones must have felt upon learning the news.

So, as you can probably imagine, if my commitment towards safety was already high when I signed on to enforce OSHA regulations, then my commitment after experiencing just one work-related fatality (let alone the several I investigated while I was there) reached all new heights.

I experienced an identity shift.?

And while I wouldn’t wish that same experience on anyone else (especially for the victims and their loved ones), I truly believe that reaching a generative and sustainable safety culture requires leaders to be FULLY committed to their core - which for some will require a seismic shift in their perspective.

This is not an option…it’s an obligation.

What will it take to shift your identity??A conscious decision or an event that will stay with you forever?