The number of emails I get about people getting the sack for minor safety breeches staggers me. Such actions are often accompanied by language like ‘that will teach them a lesson’ or ‘now people will know we are serious about safety’.
Of course, such language is delusional and there is no motivational factor in watching someone else get dismissed. None of this changes behaviour or thinking about how workers tackle risk in the workplace.
Isn’t it fascinating that there is no curriculum for safety people on the dynamics of motivation, the art of listening or skills in conversation. Indeed, there is nothing in the AIHS BoK either. The dynamic metaphor for the AIHS Bok is zero but ‘let’s not talk about the war’. How astounding to have a chapter on ethics without any discussion of zero, that global mantra for brutalism. How surprising that one can raise the issue of ethics and not discuss the problem of brutalism in the safety industry.
Being brutal to people solves nothing. Sacking people for minor safety breeches serves no purpose. Witnessing a sacking is de-motivating and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t create safer outcomes but rather teaches people a collection of destructive beliefs that run under the surface in culture. People are only motivated by truth, control and meaning/purpose. Perhaps read here:
https://safetyrisk.net/ten-secrets-to-risk-and-safety-motivation-and-ownership/
https://safetyrisk.net/non-compliance-and-the-ten-fundamentals-of-motivation/
https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Whats-My-Motivation?gko=9b434
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01647/full
What is also a fascination when I get these emails is that there is rarely a conversation with the worker when they get the sack. It is mostly a surprise and there is little opportunity for learning about the motivation of the worker. There is also no discussion about how the culture of the organization fosters certain behaviours. Everything is projected on the worker. It couldn’t possibly be that managers and supervisors have contributed to confusion, mixed messages and misunderstandings. It’s usually BBS, Just Culture spin and there’s the door.
In order to understand motivation one has to step outside of the ancient discourse of behaviourism. We learned a long time ago that humans are not the sum of inputs and outputs. We learned that humans, behaviours and living are complex, messy and unconscious.
Yet, that doesn’t seem to make any dent into the mythology perpetuated in the safety world that giving people the sack somehow works to promote safety. What people really learn about Safety when someone gets the sack is the opposite. They learn that Safety can’t be trusted, Safety is immature, Safety doesn’t listen and Safety enjoys policing and brutalism. All of these learnings are founded in the mantra of zero, counting injuries and following the 1930s theory of behaviourism.
Dr Rob Long
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Rob Long says
Hi Pierre, sounds like you’re the one that needs the blessing. Rob
Pierre Joubert says
Hi Good Morning Dr Rob I am a H S E and Traffic Accommodation Officer for the last 16 years, and the last 5 years i only had huge challenges and frustrations in my profession due to Management that have a don t care attitude in Safety and no compliance at all as you might know the huge corruption in South Africa there are no assistance from the Dept of Lab our , they only come to site when you do site establishment and i am on site now going for 2 and a half years and never seen them on site, Some companies don t care about safety and if there are problems the Company owner pay them a certain amount and the problem is gone , although my Safety and Documents, are 100% in place Management don t care about Safety at all , The Sub-Contractors who has been appointed for the Traffic Control , Traffic signage’s, Building of retainer walls, lying of culverts are just local people with no experience, no Qualification no Certificates for not even working with electrical tools , On Progress meetings if you raise concern the Client just say they are on a learning curve , the sub-contractor Manager who call himself a Director in his position on site also have no experience at all the only certificate he has is a birth certificate and when you try to teach him they get cross and later say you are a racist , if i do site inspections and i find a worker cutting with a grinder without his P P E safety goggles, safety gloves , safety shield etc i normally take Photos of the incident to cover my self if something goes wrong then this Director accuse me of Racism , after he signed a 37.2 Agreement and not even read it only sign it they are just want to be paid , if they don t get what they want they strike and burn down our Cranes , trucks everything they get get to , Mudupi Power Station contract started nearly 12 years ago and are still not up to standard I am on a Gravel Road 39 Kilometre Road now for 2 years this road should off be finished in November this year we are not even half way , building a Culvert Retaining wall and it takes them 2 and a half moths to build it and my Company the Principal contractor are being penalized by the Government this is a night mare . I am writing this as very confidential please , i am in possession of 96 Certificates and A diploma and are now 68 years old but through the grace of God i am still very Healthy and very active my Environmental Audits are 96.8 and my Safety Audits on 96% and i am a very proud person in what i am doing , but the fact is if you are white you have problems in your profession , hatred , Racism is the biggest problem here .
May God Bless you
Pierre Joubert
Peter Collins says
I recall the story of Carnigie the steel baron, who was asked if he was going to sack the executive who lost $1m when that was a he’ll of a lot of money. His response “why would I do that I just spent $1m on his education.