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Reason #1:  Lack of a Systems and Systems Aproach 

How are new program ideas generated?  Where do they get there start?  Well, typically things start because there is a need for something.  Once the need is identified, then the company has to decide how to address that need.  This is often done by a person or committee that sifts through choices and determines the best one.  Then is assigned to lead the program and implement the changes.  There is typically a budget and a timeline attached for implementation.

How many times has your company started new programs only for them to fail within months to a couple years?  How many initiatives are you able to count that have come and gone within the past 5-10 years?  Does your company roll out new initiatives every year that in essence focus on the same thing, i.e. customer service, increased sales, improved safety, etc.?  Does it feel like these programs are trying to reinvent the wheel over and over again?

All too often I hear safety professionals lament that safety is compromised for increased productivity.  They tend to be dismayed by the fact that the focus of the operations managers and corporate level executives are to maximize efficiency and productivity as much as (humanly) possible.  For the safety professional, the focus is on employee health and safety.  It’s not the safety professionals don’t want profits and it’s not the corporate executives want injured employees, however if the corporate executives are forced to choose between safety and productivity the choice will almost alway

Have you ever thought about your eyes or the eyes of the people around you?  An article in the Star Tribune earlier this week caught my eye.  It was about the difficulty baby boomers are having reading restaurant menus.  It describes baby boomers who struggle to read menus in small font or in restaurants with low lighting.  Some have had to have their spouse or the waiter read the menu to them.  It tells of certain restaurants that have had to stock cheaters and mini flashlights to give to customers who can’t read the

I was meeting with a health and safety manager recently who shared that his manufacturing company’s H&S numbers weren’t very good. His supervisor wasn’t happy with the numbers and was given the directive to improve his numbers and rejuvenate the H&S culture of the company.  He went on to say that the safety committee met on a regular basis but the employees didn’t really want to be there.  In short, the company lacked energy and enthusiasm for safety.