Safety is NOT a top priority.

Ok, this may be me being overly finicky, BUT I cringe every time I hear or read someone say Safety is a priority. I literally am writing this after I saw another CEO highlight how their Safety is top priority. Yes, it's all in the wording, but also, I see it too many times in companies where actions and words don't match up because clearly money is the #1 priority, so Safety clearly can't be. 

So in this article, I want to convince you what Safety is:

First off, Safety is a CORE VALUE. 

Priorities change, core values do NOT. If something has to be the "Top" or #1, then this means there has to be a #2. That means it can shift in order. Even the verbiage states this as being "#1 Priority" or "Top Priority."

As someone that helps people to make WISE (Well, Intelligent, Safe, and Empowered) personal and business goals, I always say, if you want to know what people's priorities are, see where they spend their time at most. In my experience, time is mostly affected by the status of urgency and importance. Safety can be significant, but if someone is "needing something done yesterday," Safety drops in priority for speed. Sadly, I've seen this happen more times than I wish due to leadership's priority is money, and workers' priority is to stop management breathing down their back.

If we shifted the priority to a core value, it would not matter the environment, the urgency of needs, the importance because Safety is ingrained in your core value. 

Next, Safety is a DEEP desire for the respect of another human's life. 

A great example of a person that is rooted in this is my husband, Blake. 

Blake works on transmission power lines. An average day consists of him climbing tall towers, doing bare handwork (which his wife hates), driving all over the state, leading his crew, dealing with unhappy people because their power is turned off inconveniently, switching lines on and off, and more. Needless to say, what he does is dangerous. 

Throughout Blake's career, he has gone up the ranks rather quickly. Also, through his career, he has seen the lack of respect for others' lives be sacrificed for time and money, resulting in injuries and even death. I remember him telling me a story of how he quit a company because he warned his foreman someone would die due to their setup. His thoughts were dismissed as he was a grunt...what did he know? Only to be struck with the gut-wrenching feeling when he learned one of his co-workers was tragically killed due to the thing Blake had "pitched' a fit about. 

A few years ago, Blake was given a promotion to lead his own crew. I specifically remember our conversation of him telling me he was going to turning it down. For me, I was like what? Seriously,? Ugh, you are fantastic, you got this? 

But no form of motivational or persuasive speaking would sway his decision (and I'm grateful for this) because what he said next made me pause.  

"I am not ready yet. See if I take that promotion; it means I will have that many lives in my hands, and I am not ready for that yet." 

I think only a person with a deep respect for other's lives could say something like that. They would forgo the substantial pay increase and go with the mature and profound decision.

Blake, later on, went on to take a promotion when he WAS ready. To this day, Safety is a core value, and I believe it will forever be as I hear glimpses of his conversations with his guys. Common comments like

"My job is to make sure you all go home to our families at night"

or "we could do it like them, but we will do it right (aka safe)." See, when Safety is a core value, the priority of ending earlier to go home won't creep in...instead of going home alive to your loved ones will. The lense in which you see everything is about respecting others and the lives you are blessed to lead. 

Safety is in YOU. 

Did you know you have a safety cop of your body? There is an amazing biochemical called Serotonin that is designed to give you an added boost to make sure you survive when other senses may not be telling you anything is wrong. 

Serotonin is sometimes thought to be a brain thing, but it is actually a gut thing. Have you ever had a gut reaction to something? You can thank Serotonin for this. 90% of Serotonin is found in the gut. Serotonin helps to kick on your defense mechanisms to fight, flight, or freeze. It can assist in determining when to trust or not. It can also affect how anxious you may be.  

There is a trick, though...

Serotonin is affected by sleep, food, mood, movement, and environment.  I won't go too in-depth on this, but here are some things to ponder on.  

When you don't feel safe, do you:

• sleep well, or stay up all night with your thoughts running through your head?
• want to eat a fiber-filled salad, or would you instead go for your comfort food of choice? (Soup, Candy, Ice Cream, Pizza, Alcohol, etc.)
• go out in public or strategize with others about creative ways to expand your market or shut off from the world?
• go for a walk or stay in your comfort zone or curled up on the recliner watching mindless tv because you don't have to think?

These are just a few examples when you can look back and possibly notice that your Serotonin could have been affected. But what about the times that you are unaware of your actions. 

Safety is not something you are always aware of.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Stop and Think?"  It's said a lot in the hopes that you can prevent doing or saying something you may later regret. But did you know there are times when you may stop, but you can not think? 

Along with the safety cop, Serotonin mentioned above; there is another chemical that plays a vital role: The angry co-worker, aka Cortisol. Cortisol is secreted when the body is stressed. 

Think of an angry co-worker in your life; how difficult is it to have a conversation with them, let alone be in the same room with them? These people can change the mood of the environment and even control the narrative in discussions because there is no rationalizing with them. Well, the same happens in your body. Cortisol can override your mood and your thinking process. It literally shuts off the learning centers of the brain. So in these stressful situations, you can stop, but you can not think. 

This may seem like you would be aware of this since you can easily recall the angry co-worker of your life, but sadly when it comes to one's self-awareness, it isn't so evident. Self-reflection should be a frequent practice in our own lives and companies. It is a tool to self assess where we are standing in life.

Self-reflection is a quick check-in with ourselves to make sure we own our lives instead of letting the world own it.

In companies, self-assessments of their people is a critical tool for success. It's asking the tough questions you might not want to hear. Also, it's cheap, easy, and effective if done correctly. For me, these assessments generally reveal the chronic stresses from the work environment. It shows the "angry co-workers" that MUST be addressed if we want a WISE work environment. It can not only prevent accidents, save money, but it can avoid having disengaged people. It makes things that are unaware come to the surface so leaders can create an environment where people can thrive and be safe. 

So if you have made it this far, hopefully, I hope I have convinced you that Safety is more than a priority. Safety is important. It is a core value and deep respect for other's life. It is also something in you, yet, you can be unaware of it. Mostly, I want you to know it is an essential part of making the future of work WISE, and it can be done if we all do it together. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I would love to know your thoughts and what you are doing to define safety and how you are making your work WISE (well, intelligent, safe, and empowered)?

As always, have a blessed day,

Emily