Transformational Safety – The Swindle Continues…..
Recent article by Phil La Duke on his blog: http://philladuke.wordpress.com/
Phil Says: Last week while speaking at the National Safety Council’s Annual Expo and Congress I discovered an alarming trend. A veritable who’s who of BBS proponents have seemingly rebranded their offerings as as "transformational safety". The question isn’t whether the key to improving worker safety lies in changing the culture (it does) the question is would these people know the first thing about changing culture (beyond that people will pay for it.) Let the buyers beware…
Last week I made my eighth speech at the National Safety Council’s Annual Congress and Expo. In consideration of my speaking at the event I am given a full conference admission, which affords me access to the exhibit hall and sessions. I usually help cover the show for Facility Safety Management by posting a story or two; this involves me attending technical sessions that I might ordinarily avoid like a diuretic rat. This year was no exception and no surprise. What WAS surprising however, is the shear volume of snake oil salesmen who have seemingly dropped the Behavior Based Safety in favor of “Transformational Safety”.
All the familiar faces were there each spouting “it’s all about culture” and “it’s about leadership commitment” where once they hailed behavior as the single largest cause of injuries. They’re right of course, the key to safety does lie in culture change, but do any of these companies that until now shouted down anyone who dared question there sacred belief of behavior as the holy grail of safety and behavior modification as the magic bullet that would magically deliver companies from the injury bogey man?
Before we get into this troubling development, let’s set a couple of things straight. Behavior is in fact the largest cause of injuries. People make human errors, take chances (informed and uninformed) that result injuries, people are careless, reckless and make poor choices. That has never been in dispute. In fact, if you trace any injury back far enough you will absolutely find some behavioral cause. No, what I (and others far smarter than I) have always criticized about BBS is the junk science and misapplied psychology that concluded that it would be easy and would provide a quick fix. Manipulating an entire population such that it no longer makes human errors, takes chances (informed and uninformed) that result injuries, and behave carelessly, recklessly and stop making poor choices is patently absurd.
Now so many of the old BBS providers are suddenly abandoning their old party line and pushing culture change, or transformations.
Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below