Safety Conversations That Doesn’t Happen

A serious concern is that many safety conversations just don’t happen. People remain silent instead of speaking up about a safety concern. The authors of Crucial Conversations and their colleagues, conducted a survey of 1,500 workers in 22 organizations, which found that 93 percent of employees say their workgroup is currently at risk from a safety issue that is not being discussed.

Almost half, knew of an injury that happened because someone didn’t speak up. These are incidents waiting to happen. Encouraging people to speak up when they see something going wrong can help avoid incidents, injuries, and fatalities. “If you see something, say something” is a saying we have all learned when travelling, and it also applies to safety.

The Vital Smarts survey found five types of rationalizations, identified below, that people use to avoid safe work practices and that kill the right conversation about safety. Here are a few ideas for dealing with these excuses when you encounter them.

Misconception 1 – Just Get it Done

“Just Get It Done”—unsafe practices that are justified by the need to meet deadlines.
How to clear the Misconception
Explain that deadlines aren’t the only thing that matters. It is also important to do quality work, and to do the work safely.

“If you do not follow the safety procedures, we are more likely to have a serious incident where people are injured and property is destroyed. If that happens, we will have to stop the production and will definitely not meet the deadline. Doing the job safely, can help make sure you meet the deadline.”

“In my opinion, no deadline is worth an injury. The cost is just too high.”

Misconception 2 – We Can’t Talk About That

“We Can’t Talk About That”—unsafe practices that stem from skill deficiencies that can’t be discussed.
How to clear the Misconception
Try to address the topic with non-judgmental suggestions.

“I think we could do this job better and more safely if we all took some refresher training.”

“I don’t think he’s learned how to do this yet, and may not be the best person for this task. Other people in our team have more experience and knowledge about this and can keep us from getting hurt.”

Misconception 3 – Just This Once

“Just This Once”—unsafe practices that are justified as exceptions to the rule.
How to clear the Misconception
Explain that it only takes one time to get hurt, and that this excuse is too easy to use again and again. Just one time can become the usual way of doing things.

“Incidents occur very quickly and with no warning. You don’t know if the next time is the time when you will be unlucky and it will go wrong.”

“If you use the justification that it is just this one occasion, you are more likely to use this reasoning again. It won’t be once, and it could become all the time.”

Misconception 4 – This Is Overboard

“This Is Overboard”—unsafe practices that bypass precautions considered excessive.
How to clear the Misconception

• Try to focus on avoiding injury. Explain that the rule was put in place for a reason.

• Suggest Revision Request

“There is a processes for changing procedures, and what you suggest may be a better way to carry out the task, let’s request a revision, but meanwhile lets keep doing as we are supposed to.”

“I think the rule was put in place because of an incident where workers were injured, some of them seriously. We should just follow the procedure so we don’t get hurt too.”

Misconception 5 – Aren’t You a Team Player?

“Aren’t You a Team Player?”—unsafe practices that are justified for the good of the team, company, or customer.
How to clear the Misconception
Focus on the wellness of the team, and how unsafe practices can hurt the team.

“I think of myself as a team player, and I want to make sure the team is kept safe. I don’t want to see any of my team members get hurt.”

“I’ve been working with these people for years, and I know many of their families. I don’t want to see an injury affecting their future life.”

Conclusion

Even in the Holy Scriptures the people who intervened and stopped harm were praised, emphasizing the importance of the act for keeping any society or workplace safe and prosperous, as well as acknowledging that it needs an effort, complimenting those who do posses a virtue of bravery:

And let there be from you a nation inviting to good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful. (Quran, 3:104)