The most effective tool they use, is a pocket card they pass to every employee on a Chevron job during the initial safety breifing prior to a job being started, and that card is an order from the CEO of Chevron. It states that every employee has the right to stop work on any job site should they see something that is unsafe. Not only does the CEO give the lowest person on the job the right to stop work, but the employee has the responsibility to stop work should they see something that is unsafe. Not only are employees given this card, but they are trained on how to stop the job should they see something unsafe, or evan if they just think they see something unsafe they are required to stop work, until the site is proved safe.

I have seen this done several times on Chevron sites, and it is so effective, we have developed a similar practice within our own company.

If safety is not a priority, the lack of it will become a major liability. There is a balance between safety and production based on the degree of risk. If the addage was ‘Production First’, labor standards and life expectancy would be thrown back to the turn of the century when the life expectancy average was 45 years. We have reversed the trend of shortened and painful life-spans by legislating ‘Safety First’ and those forgetting the past are doomed to repeat it.

US Administrative Law Judges are extremely fair. I find it is the employer who has failed in administering policies and procedures, in documention of training, in surveillance, in collecting employee-signed acknowledgements during orientations and in prevention. I then find it is the employer that whines about liberal judges and having to baby-sit their employees when it is the employer being short-sighted and ill-prepared with unresonable expectations trying to defend their lack of a skill-set to run a profitable business.

I find that there is much more risk taking in the small companies than in large corporations. I think that partly this is due to the fact that many of the employees in the small company may not be aware of the risks or of technologies available to mitigate risks.

Today, companies have to remain competitive, large or small. Resources are not usually devoted to safety until it presents a problem to the “bottom line.” And then, it usually a shot in the dark to address the the true risks. There are many “safety” companies out there to provide training and equipment to companies with “safety issues.” Some are really good and some are there to cash in.

For a long time I have encouraged companies to verbally and visually use cojoined terms to describe their safety and work efforts (safe-work practices). These terms prevent the idea of separation of work activity from safety efforts. I use some of the following general terms to help integrate this: safe-production, safe-retailing, safe-construction, and for more specific jobs you can drill down slightly to terms such as: safe-machining, safe-stocking, safe-scaffolding, etc. Following up with similar signage is one of the visual parts of your communication. Training as well as relating all of this to employee work/life goals and understanding of work risks also helps. Incorporating safety into production and production into safety helps eliminate a production clash.

It’s a matter of perception, habit and behavior – and, it’s not simple, but it can be done by those who are focused on doing it.

That’s my few cents.