The Safety Engineer, the Safety Manager, and the Safety Leader
Three persons met while queuing at an airport’s car rental agency. They found out that they were all three heading for the same resort in the mountains, where a Safety Conference was to take place.
The first one said: “Why renting three cars? You can cancel your reservations and we’ll share the car I booked. I asked for the safest model they have, and I double-checked it has the latest safety features. You know, I’m a safety engineer and I’ll be speaking about technology and engineering controls in the conference.”
The second one said: “What a great idea! I’ll guide you there, as I’ve planned the safest road in advance. Moreover we can drive in turns so as to avoid fatigue, and passengers will monitor the driver’s alertness. You know, I’m a safety manager and I’ll be speaking about organizational and human factors in the conference”.
The third one said: “Fantastic! This sounds like the safest road trip ever! Now please, listen to me: as we’ll be partners and basically putting our lives in each other’s hands, I need to make sure you understand and that you feel this responsibility. There might be careless drivers in our way, wild animals, bad weather and so many other things we can’t anticipate. So let’s keep in mind what really matters, take our time, be extra-cautious and put all the chances on our side.”
Impressed by this speech, the passion and sincerity with which it was delivered, the engineer and the manager asked. “You are certainly going to speak about Safety Leadership in the conference, aren’t you?”
“I have no idea what conference you’re talking about” said the third person. “I’m just meeting my folks in the mountains for a short vacation; they got there ahead of me. I’m sure you too have people you love waiting for you somewhere. So let’s drive safely.
What lessons to learn from this story?
- You need engineers and managers in order to prevent accidents: technology and methods matter – but so do behaviors. From big decisions to spontaneous reactions, all behaviors must be oriented towards safety. And you need leaders to achieve that.
- Anyone can be a safety leader, no fancy title or diplomas required. One just needs the right attitude, based on the right beliefs and values, to consistently show the way.
- If you nurture it, Safety leadership can be contagious and eventually result in a Culture of Safety: a Culture where people feel that Safety is a core Value, so behaving safely becomes natural.
Responsable Amélioration continue chez SURYS
5yWe all need safety engineer and safety manager but let's be safety leader first :) :)
Sr Director, Product Management at WoltersKluwer Enablon
6yGreat story Eduardo. It illustrates just how anyone can be a safety leader and the importance of empowering your organisation to speak up.
Head of Environment / Head of Safety Knowledge Management & Learning / Strahlenschutzbeauftragter bei Schindler Deutschland AG & Co. KG
6yEveryone knows it is true but most of the companies are looking for manager instead of leaders. To be a leader in safety is not easy.
Risk Management at Marsh PRC
6yGood thoughs from those guys, showing the power of a good team! They are right to be cautious, driving is surely our most dangerous activity, that we are all doing in a kind of automatic mode.... Thanks Eduardo for this nice parable. I Hope for them they will not have the bad luck to cross a distracted driver or or truck driver falling asleep or ... Risk control not only depend on the cautious effort form ! element in the system.....