What Does Safety Mean to You?

After a recent training session, a participant asked a fantastic question. “What does safety mean

to you?” Honestly, I was unprepared for this question. I stumbled over a few key concepts about

safety programs, like the IRS and the importance of keeping the R.A.C.E. process living and

breathing in the workplace. After fumbling through the answer, I asked the participant the same

question, and their response floored me. “Safety to me is doing the right thing, even when no one

is looking.”

This answer has stuck with me. What a simple, yet effective way to describe safety. Safety isn’t a

new concept, but defining it this way really drills down to the core of why we have occupational

health and safety in our workplaces. Safety is doing the right thing, taking precautions and

safeguards to make sure we all can go home at the end of the day.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the mundane day-to-day activities, and occasionally defaulting to

auto-pilot. But should we? If you knew that someone would diligently comb through your

inspections, would you put more effort into it? Are hazards being effectively controlled in your

workplace, or is your hazard assessment treated only as a document that needs to be updated

once a year?

Safety isn’t just about the documents or the processes. While these are integral components of an

effective safety program, it’s not the only key ingredient. Are you doing the right thing, even when

no one is looking?