“It is harder to work safer than not”–Do You Agree?

I’m attending and presenting at ASSE Safety 2012 this week.  The speaker of one session I attended yesterday said something that really got my attention.  He was talking about how to influence employee behavior in order to achieve better safety performance.  He was explaining that it is difficult to get employees to behave safely.  Then he said this, “We (meaning safety professionals) have to admit that it is harder (for employees) to work safer than not.”  I was taken aback from that statement.  Working safely shouldn’t be harder than working unsafe–unless, of course, the work environment, equipment, layout has not incorporated human factors and ergonomics!

He gave an example of employees who work with dangerous chemicals, such as hydrochloric acid.  He said it is harder for employees to where PPE and handle the chemical safe than not.  I disagree.  It is only harder if the use of the PPE isn’t designed into the task, i.e. the PPE isn’t readily available, doesn’t fit the person, isn’t comfortable and impedes the work, doesn’t fit the task being performed, etc.  If that’s the case, then I totally agree that working safe would be harder than not.  However, if one believes that working safe is harder than all or the majority of the time will result in a continual struggle for safety professionals to get employees to behave safely.  That mindset is the opposite of mine.  A work system that incorporates human factors and ergonomics will automatically result in the correct behavior because it fits the human mind and body and the work performed.  It minimizes, if not eliminates the chance of human error, i.e. in this case not working safely.  If working safe is harder than working unsafe then the fault lies in the design, not the human. Adding incentives and positive reinforcement to encourage safe behavior is one way to get employees to work safe.  But how effective or sustainable is that?  You may achieve an increase in safe behaviors for a time but over the long term employees will revert back to there habits, to what is comfortable.  It is only by changing the work design to fit the work and employee will safe behaviors be consistent and sustainable.

What do you think?