I once conducted a safety meeting for contractor supervisors at a large refinery. I opened the meeting with an announcement. I informed the group that, after a great deal of consideration, the plant's safety department had relaxed its requirement to wear fire-retardant clothing (FRC) while working in the refinery. I explained that since this refinery was located along the Gulf Coast, where summer temperatures and humidity are high, the safety department had opted to allow workers to wear lighter, non-FRC. I then asked for a show of hands as to how many in the audience would now opt for the cooler work clothes. I could tell that most were on to this trick and did not want to answer in the affirmative, but one guy said it was his company's policy to always wear FRC regardless of who owned or ran the plant. I quickly answered that all contractor companies had agreed with the plant owners and agreed to the non-FRC change. I added that this way, we wouldn't have to worry about heat stress illnesses during the summer. I opened the meeting with this announcement because the argument I usually get from people is that FRC causes more harm than good.
Trick question?
The notion that FRC would no longer be required during summer months began to cause an undertone of conversation in the audience. Once people quieted, I asked, "What question are you going to ask the plant safety department before you start work in their facility without wearing FRC?" They apparently thought this was a trick question. There was no response, just blank stares. I rephrased the question slightly and asked again, "Who is going to ask if the plant has removed all highly flammable chemicals from their processes?" By now, they realized it had indeed been a trick question. I continued by asking if anyone personally knew someone who was burned in either a plant explosion or flash fire. I then transitioned to a story about a personal friend of mine who was burned in a company explosion. I commented about how much worse his burns would have been had he not been wearing FRC. I asked how many had seen the safety video about Charlie.
Charlie's costly shortcut
In case you don't know Charlie Morecraft's "out of the ashes" story, here's a quick synopsis: Charlie was in an industrial accident that left him with burns on over half of his body. He would not have survived had he not been wearing FRC at the time. Charlie had his sleeves rolled up, and to this day, he will show you the difference in his skin from where the protective sleeves began on his forearms. But that's today.
On the day of the accident, Charlie thought wearing FRC was an uncomfortable inconvenience. He only wore the protective clothing because it was required. He was working in an area by himself and rolled up his sleeves because there was no one there to see him or correct him. He had more than 27 years of on-the-job experience. He knew the rules and all the safety regulations. He also knew all the shortcuts around them. Charlie was confident that nothing could go wrong. And he was right -- except for just this once. Suddenly, he was one big ball of flames from head to toe. His safety "shortcut" cost him multiple surgeries, skin grafts, uncontrollable pain, emotional distress and heartbreaking damage to his family.
Most people comply with safety regulations for the wrong reasons. They do it because they don't want to get into trouble or because safety compliance is a rule and you want to follow the rules to keep your job. But safety culture is something else. When a company has a "culture" of safety, it encourages you to follow the rules because the rules will help protect you from getting hurt -- and no one really wants to get hurt!
Compliance is simply not enough and never will be. Compliance is the foundation of a safety culture, but our goal must always be to move beyond mere compliance and to focus on safety and the way we think about it. It's about leading and communicating safety in all its forms as we endeavor to create a true values-based safety culture.
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