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This article series chronicles the principles and techniques that readers can apply to transition safety and the safety profession closer to the core of what organizational leaders value. The foundational philosophy is that safety challenges stem from larger organizational issues. By understanding the core business values, OSH professionals can begin to work from the inside out to engage business leaders, rather than the typical outside-in approach to integrating safety with business. If leaders tap into this information, they can use it to improve the organization as a whole, and move safety from a purely moral imperative to an indicator and facilitator of organizational health.
If you have ever been in a country where you do not speak the language, you know how frustrating it can be to get a point across or have your basic needs met. You may also know the frustration of not understanding what is being communicated to you. By the same token, OSH professionals often speak a language that does not fully resonate with other business functions. The potential result, poorly managed hazards and risks, can lead to bad things happening which can be undesirable to all stakeholders.
OSH professionals need to respect that the language we use for safety is often foreign in the business world. Basic terms such as safe, hazard, risk and controls are used in almost every safety conversation. Even though terms such as risk have similar meanings in finance, quality, reliability and safety-to communicate effectively, the concept of safe and acceptable safety risk must be crystal clear to all. The point of this article is to ensure that safety is viewed and communicated the same way so that everyone is speaking the same language. If we do not maintain a strong foundation of common understanding, we cannot build a better business relationship for safety.
Safe or Safe Enough?
Safe is likely the most commonly used word in the language of safety. Asking for the definition of safe from a sample of employees often yields a wide variety of perspectives. Is it okay to have a wide variation in the interpretation of safe (or safe enough) in an organization? Ask the quality or financial department the same question about their key measures; there may be little...