“Safety is our number one priority”, and Other Lies Told by Senior Leaders

One year on, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate the factors that led to the implosion of the Titan submersible. However, one thing is clear – the writing was on the wall years before this devastating tragedy occurred.

Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, often spoke to the media about his commitment to safety. Yet, behind the scenes, he had ignored multiple warnings over the preceding years from engineers about design flaws in the Titan submersible. His reckless decisions in the name of innovation no doubt influenced the tragic implosion of the vessel, highlighting a glaring gap between his words and actions.

Leaders like Stockton Rush frequently espouse the importance of safety publicly, but fail to act on the voiced safety concerns of their workforce. This discrepancy between words and actions creates a dangerous environment, undermining trust and the felt experience of safety. Employees quickly notice when leaders don’t practice what they preach, which fosters a culture of cynicism and disengagement.

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The Impact of Leader Commitment on the Social Brain

A lack of leader commitment to safety creates an unsafe environment on all levels: physical, social, and psychological. Humans are wired to detect social threats like insincerity and mixed messages. When leaders fail to follow through on their safety commitments, employees quickly pick up on the inconsistency. This insincerity erodes trust, making employees less likely to raise concerns or participate in safety initiatives.

Leaders who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk aren’t just undermining current safety efforts; they are also causing long-term damage by creating a culture of mistrust and disengagement that hinders the effectiveness of future safety initiatives. Once trust is broken, it takes significant effort and time to rebuild.

For safety initiatives to be successful, employees must see their leaders consistently and actively participating in and prioritising safety. When leaders visibly engage in safety practices and respond to concerns, it signals to employees that they are secure and their wellbeing is genuinely valued. This commitment builds a foundation of trust, encouraging employees to be more proactive and involved in maintaining a safe workplace.

Leaders must move beyond empty rhetoric and demonstrate their commitment to safety through consistent actions. Only then can they build the trust necessary for a truly safe workplace. The OceanGate tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the consequences when leaders fail to align their words with their deeds. By genuinely prioritising safety, leaders can influence a positive safety experience for their workforce, which in turn fosters long-term organisational success.

Are you ready to take the leadership safety commitment challenge?

Our Positive Safety Community's safety focus for July is Walking the Talk. I encourage you to get together with your leadership group and reflect on your collective commitment to safety.

Discuss the following questions:

• How well do we role model the safe attitudes and behaviours we want to see in our workforce?
• How are we effectively operationalising our safety vision in our systems and processes?
• Do our decisions and priorities clearly communicate our unwavering commitment to safety?
• How consistently do we demonstrate care for our people by upholding safety as a core value?

Get more tips and tricks in our newly released book Leading Positive Safety, and jump into our free online community to connect with likeminded safety professionals and join the discussion!