• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Safety Risk .net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

Discover More on this Site

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE RESOURCES
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • PSYCHOLOGY OF SAFETY & RISK
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Covid-19
    • COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
    • Covid-19 Returning to Work Inductions, Transitioning, Safety Start Up and Re Entry Plans
    • Covid-19 Work from Home Safety Checklists and Risk Assessments
    • The Hierarchy of Control and Covid-19
    • Why Safety Loves Covid-19
    • Covid-19, Cricket and Lessons in Safety
    • The Covid-19 Lesson
    • Safety has this Covid-19 thing sorted
    • The Heart of Wisdom at Covid Time
    • How’s the Hot Desking Going Covid?
    • The Semiotics of COVID-19 and the Social Amplification of Risk
    • Working From Home Health and Safety Tips – Covid-19
    • Covid-19 and the Hierarchy of Control
  • Dr Rob Long Posts
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no HIERARCHY of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • Quotes & Slogans
    • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
    • When Slogans Don’t Work
    • 77 OF THE MOST CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
    • 500 BEST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2020
    • 167 CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
    • COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
    • Safety Acronyms
    • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
    • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
    • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
    • Safety Slogans List
    • Road Safety Slogans
    • How to write your own safety slogans
    • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
    • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
    • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
    • Safety Slogans for Work

Are you a Safety Crusader or a Safety Leader?

May 13, 2014 by Rob Sams 21 Comments

Are you a Safety Crusader or a Safety Leader?

caped crusaderThe way that we engage with other people about safety and risk will determine the effectiveness of the engagement. If our aim is for others to lead safety, we must be prepared to suspend our own agenda and let go of control when engaging with people. This allows us to can hear, understand and respect their views, and for them to take control. If we don’t suspend our own agenda, then we project it onto others, which mean that they will not lead safety, at best, they may just follow instructions (some of the time!). Image source

I was recently involved in reviewing an incident after a customer was struck by a vehicle in a car park. The customer was ok, but the organisation wanted to make sure they responded and took appropriate action.

When I approach an incident like this, I usually go armed with a checklist of things in my mind as to what I look for, along with suggestions for actions based on what I’ve seen work well before. For traffic incidents, this usually involves high visibility signage, line markings, bollards, pedestrian crossings, speed humps and the like.

This is not an unusual approach for people in the safety and risk industry where we are considered ‘subject matter experts’ in these situations. However, when we take our agenda into conversations with others, we shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t appear interested in safety. This is particularly evident when our agenda is about control, compliance and binary (black and white) thinking. This is the rule, the law, the code, and this is what we need to do.

On this occasion, I approached things differently.

While I was busily working through the checklist in my mind, along came George, the site Manager. As George started talking I was conscious of the need to suspend my own agenda, to put that checklist away, hand over control, ‘hear’ what George had to say and engage with him. Suspending my own agenda meant going into the conversation not only prepared to hear the views of George, but more importantly resisting the temptation to impart my own ideas and suggestions (control).

This can be difficult for some people in safety and risk. It is different to the way that I see some people operate, in an approach that I call the “Safety Crusader Model”. This is where people feel the need to be the subject matter expert, the only one with the answers and worst of all, feel that if they were not there, things could not be safe (control). This is a very dangerous model and one that leads to ‘ownership’ of safety being with the safety and risk professional (control) and not with others.

The Safety Crusader doesn’t encourage learning. They tend to jump to conclusions, they shut down conversations with fixes and answers, for theirs is the only view that counts (control). The Safety Crusader isn’t really interested in others, they are armed with the Act, the Codes, the Standards. Their focus is on compliance with these things (control). We need to be cautious of the Safety Crusader, these guys will tell you they are safety nuts, that they have a passion for making sure others are safe, and that it is their job to ensure safety.

But what does this mean for others and how they manage safety?

For people like George, who has a real interest and enthusiasm for safety at his site, if he were faced with a Safety Crusader (controller) on this day, he would simply have shut down, and done as he was told. Safety Crusaders tend to have strong opinions and leave little room for others to participate in conversations (control). George wouldn’t have learnt anything other than what the Safety Crusader imposed on him. He would not have ‘owned’ the actions, he would have just followed directions.

We have to ask what value the Safety Crusader adds to an organisation and consider whether this model really improves safety in the workplace. The Safety Crusader can’t be there all the time, and if their approach is focused on compliance with laws and Codes (control), rather than facilitating learning, engaging with people and providing support, how will others learn about safety?

I did suspend my agenda when talking with George.

It would have been quicker and easier for both of us if I had just told George what to do. That is, how to comply. But safety is not just about compliance, it can’t be, this is not what motivates people. Safety is about how we deal with everyday and changing situations, it’s about leadership, culture and importantly learning. But where does the learning take place when the Safety Crusader is focused on what’s right or wrong, or on what they feel needs to be done (control)? How could George have learnt if his agenda was trumped by my superior knowledge of legislation and codes?

Instead, I supported George to think through various options, prompting him with questions about his ideas and encouraged him to explore as many options as he and his team could think about. Importantly, I didn’t judge these ideas against my own agenda, I handed control to George. He and his team came up with actions, they weren’t what I had in mind, but they were their ideas and they were keen to implement them. I participated in the discussion, I asked questions and prompted their thinking that helped them explore different ideas. That was my job, it was not to control George.

When a Safety Crusader goes into a conversation with the agenda of “I must get them to take safety seriously”, they cannot be open to the agenda of others, and really understand what they are thinking, because the Safety Crusader thinks that their views are the only ones that count (control).

I hear regularly from people in the safety and risk industry who say things like “Managers don’t take safety seriously”, “They always opt for production over safety” and “They never walk the talk”. It seems to me that we often take the approach that it’s ‘us’ (the safety and risk professional) against ‘them’ (anyone who’s first words in the morning aren’t, “let’s be safe!”). This ‘us’ and ‘them’ stereotypical thinking is a real problem and it is dangerous. Through creating ‘us’ and ‘them’, we limit our thinking and learning because ‘we’ feel ‘we’ have the answers (control) and ‘they’ don’t see them as a priority.

You see George didn’t feel the need to “make sure others are safe”, instead, his focus was to make sure others knew about the risks and keep them mindful of this, rather than try to control their behaviour. I could have considered George one of ‘them’, especially if his response was not filled with the same enthusiasm for safety as mine. This was not the case though, George did care, he just didn’t express it as openly and enthusiastically as I hear from some safety and risk professionals.

George is a smart operator, he knows that people can’t be controlled through rules, policies and procedures. He knows that people are motivated by feeling autonomous and in control of their own actions. His role is to develop relationships through effective leadership and engagement with people who will manage their own safety. George is not a crusader, he doesn’t feel the need to control a person’s every move. He allows mistakes, learning and he provides support, he is a leader.

Are you a Safety Crusader or a Safety Leader?

 

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Rob Sams

Rob Sams

Owner at Dolphyn
Rob Sams

Latest posts by Rob Sams (see all)

  • I’m just not that into safety anymore - June 1, 2020
  • Social ‘Resiliencing’ - January 7, 2020
  • Resiliencing….. (and other such ‘ings’…) - January 3, 2020
  • Our Social Being – and why it matters in Mental Health and Suicide - December 8, 2019
  • Models of Sensemaking and Suicide (and their challenges) - July 15, 2019
Rob Sams
Rob is an experienced safety and people professional, having worked in a broad range of industries and work environments, including manufacturing, professional services (building and facilities maintenance), healthcare, transport, automotive, sales and marketing. He is a passionate leader who enjoys supporting people and organizations through periods of change. Rob specializes in making the challenges of risk and safety more understandable in the workplace. He uses his substantial skills and formal training in leadership, social psychology of risk and coaching to help organizations understand how to better manage people, risk and performance. Rob builds relationships and "scaffolds" people development and change so that organizations can achieve the meaningful goals they set for themselves. While Rob has specialist knowledge in systems, his passion is in making systems useable for people and organizations. In many ways, Rob is a translator; he interprets the complex language of processes, regulations and legislation into meaningful and practical tasks. Rob uses his knowledge of social psychology to help people and organizations filter the many pressures they are made anxious about by regulators and various media. He is able to bring the many complexities of systems demands down to earth to a relevant and practical level.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Rob Sams, Safety Leadership Tagged With: lead safety, safety crusader, safety leader

Reader Interactions

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

Visit Count – Started Jan 2015

  • 22,008,711 Visitors

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join over 30,000 other discerning safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Admin on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Admin on The Gemba Safety Walk
  • Sean Walker on The Gemba Safety Walk
  • Wynand on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Admin on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Wynand on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Bernard Corden on The Voodoo of The Hoodoo
  • Bernard Corden on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Rob long on The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • Rob long on The Heinrich Hoodoo

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Featured Downloads

  • Stretching At The Workstation (2403 downloads)
  • Presenting-Dos-and-Donts.pdf (426 downloads)
  • Electrical_Equipment_Risk_Assessment_v2.0-1.doc (7466 downloads)
  • Supervisor-Induction-Checklist.docx (387 downloads)
  • Driving Safety (6734 downloads)
  • Health and Safety Risk Assessment Checklist (8550 downloads)
  • Hazardous Substances Risk Assessment Form (409 downloads)
  • Injury Data Spreadsheet (15749 downloads)
  • WHO-recommended Handrub Formulations (1065 downloads)
  • Walking is Still Our Best Medicine (7823 downloads)
  • Falls-Risk-Assessment-Tool.pdf (2016 downloads)
  • Effective-Safety-Management-Systems.docx (5149 downloads)
  • 2016AmericasSafestCompanies.pdf (1339 downloads)
  • Risk-Homeostasis-Target-Risk-3.pdf (1936 downloads)
  • "School of Ethics Map" has no version set!

Recent Posts

  • The ‘Feeling’ and ‘Being’ of Safety
  • Please Don’t Use the ‘F’ Word in Safety
  • The Voodoo of The Hoodoo
  • The Heinrich Hoodoo
  • CLLR Newsletter–April 2021
  • Deconstruction and Reconstruction for Safety
  • The Politics of Safety Legitimization
  • An Ethic in Error for Safety
  • Blinded by the Light
  • A Typical Safety eBulletin

Footer

AUTHORS

  • Alan Quilley
    • Heinrich–Industrial Accident Prevention
    • The Problem With ZERO Goals and Results
  • Bernard Corden
    • Blinded by the Light
    • Covid 1984 – The Shake Hands Maskerade and Vial Diplomacy
  • Bill Sims
    • Employee Engagement: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?
    • Injury Hiding-How do you stop it?
  • Craig Clancy
    • Task Based vs Activity Based Safe Work Method Statements
    • Safety And Tender Submissions
  • Daniel Kirk
    • It’s easy being wise after the event.
    • A Positive Safety Story
  • Dave Whitefield
    • Safety is about…
    • Safety and Compliance
  • Dennis Millard
    • Are You Risk Intelligent?
    • Honey they get me! They get me at work!
  • Drewie
    • Downturn Doin’ Your Head In? Let’s Chat….
    • How was your break?
  • Gabrielle Carlton
    • All Care and No Care!
    • You Are Not Alone!
  • George Robotham
    • How to Give an Unforgettable Safety Presentation
    • How To Write a Safety Report
  • Goran Prvulovic
    • Safety Manager – an Ultimate Scapegoat
    • HSE Performance – Back to Basics
  • James Ellis
    • In search of plan B in workers’ recovery
    • What and how should we measure to support recovery from injury?
  • James Parkinson
    • To laugh or not to laugh
    • People and Safety
  • John Toomey
    • Who is Responsible for This?
    • Who Are Your People?
  • Karl Cameron
    • Abby Normal Safety
    • The Right Thing
  • Ken Roberts
    • Safety Legislation Is Our Biggest Accident?
    • HSE Trip Down Memory Lane
  • Mark Perrett
    • Psychology of Persuasion: Top 5 influencing skills for getting what you want
  • Mark Taylor
    • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
    • Enculturing Safety
  • Max Geyer
    • WHS Legislation is NOT about Safety it’s about Culture
    • Due Diligence Is Not Just Ticking Boxes!
  • Matt Thorne
    • It was the SIA until someone wanted to swing from the Chandelier
    • Common Sense is Remarkably Uncommon
  • Peter Ribbe
    • Is there “Common Sense” in safety?
    • Who wants to be a safety professional?
  • Phil LaDuke
    • Professional Conferences Are A Sleazy Con
    • Hey Idiots, You’re Worried About the Wrong Things
  • Admin
    • CLLR Newsletter–April 2021
    • Zero is not a Target or Vision, it’s a Language/Discourse
  • Dr Rob Long
    • The ‘Feeling’ and ‘Being’ of Safety
    • Please Don’t Use the ‘F’ Word in Safety
  • Rob Sams
    • I’m just not that into safety anymore
    • Social ‘Resiliencing’
  • Barry Spud
    • Barry Spud’s Hazard Control Tips
    • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
  • Sheri Suckling
    • How Can I Get the Boss to Listen?
  • Safety Nerd
    • The Block isn’t portraying safety as it should be
    • Toolbox Talk Show–PPE
  • Wynand Serfontein
    • Why The Problem With Learning Is Unlearning
    • I DON’T KNOW
  • Zoe Koskinas
    • Why is fallibility so challenging in the workplace?

FEATURED POSTS

Is Safety the Empire of Non-Sense?

The Challenges for Organisations in Dealing with Mental Health

The Conundrum in Discerning Risk

Embodiment, Risk and Safety

Work-Life and Risk, Feminine Perspectives

Don’t Make Safety a Habit

Safety as Ritual Performance

Question for the Safety Thinkers

Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk

C. G. Jung on Risk and Safety

Stand Behind The Yellow Line – Do Engineering Controls Affect Risk?

Starting Points, Worldviews and Risk

Evidence, Proof and Paperwork in Safety

Data Cannot Drive Vision

The Different Levels of Wrongness!

Risk Psychometrics, Spin and Snake Oil

I Just Want Clear Answers

How to use signs, symbols and text effectively in communicating about risk

Perfectionism in Safety and the Denial of Humanity

I Have the Power, I’m a Safety Hero

More Posts from this Category

Paperwork

https://vimeo.com/162034157?loop=0

Due Diligence

https://vimeo.com/162493843?loop=0

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.