5 signs that tell if you have a safety mindset

Building a safety culture starts with you and I developing a safety mindset. How can you tell if you have a safety mindset? Based on observations that I have made in my professional career in the Energy industry and in daily personal life, I offer my assessment that a safety mindset is more than just the singular act of "doing a task safely".

Sounds controversial? If we look at a random task where a worker is wearing the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), are they being safe or is it a sign that they have a safety mindset? Is there a difference?

Let's look beyond the surface at some examples in our work or personal life.

Sign #1 - I do it for the right reason

Following procedures and obeying regulations is definitely the right thing to do. These procedures are designed to keep us safe. But we need to look into the mirror and ask ourselves the most important question: "why do we do it?".

When I have asked people why they use safety seatbelts, some of the most common responses that I get is "I don't want to get a ticket" or "it's the law". There are a few that talk about the risks of not wearing one or tell a story of a relative or friend that suffered or died from not wearing one. Understanding the risks and acting with that knowledge keeps you doing it every single time even when there is no one around to see you or in a country where the laws may be lax.

Conformance to the law is a good thing but it's just that. Without the law or company procedure, there is no deep conviction to sustain positive behaviors.

"For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind" – Eleanor Everet

Sign #2 - Safety wins everytime

When we say that "Safety is #1 priority", is it just a slogan or buzz word that we use as the "new fad"?

How often do people post beautiful photos on their Instagram page that suggest a "wonderful life" or "happy family"? I'm not judging here but how often Is it reality or just propaganda?

When faced with a decision that involves "safety" or "production", is it a difficult one to make? Do we have an unconscious bias for production over safety? As the saying goes "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". The only time that you really know where you stand is when you are faced with a decision to act.

When leaders waver in action and they do not "walk the talk", they loose credibility and the words on the poster may never come to life in the organization.

"Safety should never be a priority. It should be a precondition.” — Paul O Neill

With a safety mindset, the decision is easy... "safety" wins every time!

Sign #3 - You believe that you can make a difference

The Macondo well blowout incident on April 10, 2020 in the Gulf of Mexico resulted an explosion and fire that tragically claimed 11 lives. How do you relate to incidents like these?

I read a article where a safety instructor asked students who were company employees, to walk with a few photos of people they cared for and loved. After posting up the photos of the 11 men who died, he asked each student to offer up just one of their cherished photos of the person they be willing to sacrifice in that incident instead of one of the eleven (11) who died on that day. You can imagine the response. Can you guess how many photos the instructor received?

So why is it easier to make decisions that would put someone else at risk once it wasn't anyone we personally cared for? Naturally, when we hear of tragedies of others, the more distant from us in terms of relationship, geography or culture , the less likely we tend of have a strong emotional response.

Take time to internalize and relate learnings from these events to strengthen our resolve to make a difference.to those around us in our own work and life environment.

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make" — Jane Goodall

Sign #4 - You take responsibility

Several years ago, I wrote a well maintenance procedure for a contract work scope. Coincidently, I happened to be on the worksite doing a safety audit while that particular work was being conducted. In my conversations with the work crew supervisor, I realized that they had unintentionally "deviated" from the procedure and thus created a potentially unsafe situation. I stopped the job.

On further investigation, I realized that the root cause for the deviation was that the procedure was applicable to a predetermined valving configuration. These wells were equipped differently and instructions were vague as how to handle these variations. It would have been easy to assign blame to the crew that was performing the work rather that objectively seek out the root causes.

Although that particular job was stopped, I later realized that similar jobs were being conducted in other areas of the field by other work crews. I had several sleepless nights knowing that the intervention was not complete.

I took responsibility for my error and issued updated procedures to address the problem.

“Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame.” – Courtney Lynch

Sign #5 - You encourage others to speak up

Years ago, we had a team meeting with our company president in a Q&A discussion. I was very introverted and rarely expressed my views in a group setting. He said that he wanted to do some "generous listening". What he did next surprised me. He said, "I am always interested in hearing the quietest voice in the room"....and then he looked at me.

That one act of leadership has had a profoundly positive effect on me, has stayed with me ever since and has been a guiding force in my life.

As a leader, you understand that you cannot win the battle alone. You encourage team members to speak up "see something, say something". Your reaction to reporting incidents is NEVER ridicule, retaliation or blame.

“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say" – Bryant H. Mc Gill

Be a leader

The great thing about leadership is that you don't need a title to be one. With a safety mindset you have the only required qualification. Empathy is the super power!

And I remind myself, "Trust takes years to build, seconds to destroy and forever to repair."