ABSTRACT
This chapter begins exploring the differences between what matters and what is a waste of time by identifying many of the sacred traditions within the safety field which do not deliver on their promises of injury reduction. From poorly implemented observation programs to pre-shift stretches and incentive programs that do nothing to improve workplace conditions, no safety staple is off limits. To drive home the message the author recounts two stories. The first is a workplace injury in which a seasoned, talented mechanic was struck in the face with a wrench. It was an injury common to many industries and serves as the perfect example of a practice that devalues the safety profession. That is the second-guessing of an employee’s actions after a negative consequence has occurred. Often it is done through the statement “That accident was preventable.” Not only is that statement untrue once something has occurred, but it is also offensive and harmful to safety culture. The second story is one in which the author was drawn into a debate about whether an equipment failure was or was not a near miss. The point in retelling this particular story was not to prove anyone’s answer to be correct (or incorrect) but to assert that spending energy on such debates takes away from efforts that should be made to correct an unsafe situation. Definitions don’t matter if people’s lives are at risk.
