Recently, while conducting a safety assessment, we had the opportunity to interview a COO who had just joined the company. During the interview, the COO said they were serious about safety and took a no-nonsense approach. The first thing they planned to do was implement a zero-tolerance policy. The first violation of a life-critical rule,…
Ask employees in almost any organization whether they have the authority to stop work (Stop-Work Authority, Pause Work, All-Stop, or something similar) when something is unsafe, and the answer is usually yes. Ask these same employees for a show of hands of those who have used this authority, and few are raised. Organizations often suggest…
A Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) Prevention focus should change where organizations concentrate their resources without weakening their commitment to preventing other injuries. Leaders must distinguish between everyday safety fundamentals that address lower-consequence exposures and routine activities that keep SIF controls effective. Both matter, but for different reasons. Organizations should respond proportionally to incidents and…
Using a near-miss and subsequent amputation case study, this article illustrates how weak investigation systems focused on limiting which types of incidents get investigated, led by a well-meaning but unprepared investigator focused on closing the incident, fail as a prevention tool. The article identifies common flaws in traditional investigation approaches. As you think about your…
Despite the best of intentions, many SIF Prevention efforts stall or fail to deliver the expected outcomes. This article summarizes the three key phases of an effective SIF Prevention program, detailing the five factors that often cause stagnation or failure. Studying the Data In 2010, Dr. Tom Krause and his team sponsored the first major…
As leaders, it is easy to underestimate the impact of our actions and decisions. Leaders can unintentionally become exposure amplifiers, creating negative downstream impacts. This article uses three specific examples to illustrate amplifiers that result directly from a leader’s action or decision, and offers guidance on how to identify and manage them. What is an…
The degradation of a safety system can have many causes. During two Root Cause Analyses we participated in, we saw the same outcome at the supervisor level, from two dramatically different causes. The first was the misapplication of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles, and the second was a senior leader with an extremely high…
Safe, Fair, and Fun I have been a soccer referee for close to 20 years, enjoying both the camaraderie and the challenge. I had to step away for 15 years to focus on my day job, but was able to become recertified. In both my first referee training session 25 years ago and my recent…
In January 2026, the American Society for Testing and Materials published Standard E2920-26, Guide for Recording Priority Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and Serious Injury or Fatality (SIF)-Related Serious Injuries/Illnesses and Fatalities. Krause Bell Group has evaluated the standard and supports the direction. We do think the standard could have gone further in relation to metrics…
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