Mastering Safety Leadership: How Front-Line Leadership Decision-Making Prevents Serious and Fatal Injuries

ByTom Krause

In 1979, my first safety improvement client told me, “We understand the engineering side, but we don’t understand the behavioral side.” Having studied behavioral analysis in graduate school, I welcomed the opportunity to address this problem. At that time, I didn’t know that Procter & Gamble was working on a similar initiative, or that Dr. Judy Komaki had just published an article on the application of behavioral science principles to safety. This work marked the beginning of what came to be known as behavior-based safety

Augmenting HOP to Elevate Safety Excellence

ByAlan Grant

Introduction: The Evolution of HOP in Safety Excellence Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) emerged in the 1990s as a welcome new way of thinking about injury prevention. Initially outlined by Dr. Sidney Dekker and Dr. James Reason, HOP has, for many organizations, become a cornerstone of safety strategies globally. HOP’s core principles grew from Dr….

O Papel Crítico da Liderança em Segurança: Uma perspectiva fundamentada na experiência

ByJosé Albano Carvalho

Read in English Por meio de nossa experiência combinada de mais de seis décadas no campo da segurança, percebemos que muitas organizações acreditam que os departamentos de segurança e os profissionais de segurança que trabalham neles são os únicos responsáveis pela segurança dos trabalhadores. Embora os profissionais de segurança certamente tragam conhecimentos e habilidades técnicas…

The Critical Role of Safety Leadership: A Perspective Grounded in Experience

ByJosé Albano Carvalho

Read in Portuguese / Leia em português Through our combined experience of over six decades in the safety field, we have noticed many organizations believe that safety departments and the safety professionals who work in them are solely responsible for the safety of workers. While safety professionals certainly bring valuable technical knowledge and skills to…

Listening to Learn at Work: Research and Practical Application

ByKristen Bell

Read in Portuguese / Leia em português Introduction A primary skill in great leaders is the ability to cultivate strong positive relationships.  These relationships not only help people feel connected to the leader, the organization, and its mission, but also reinforce that they are supported, heard, and set up for success. Safety leaders who prioritize…

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Culture Sustains Performance

ByTom Krause

An Excerpt from 7 Insights Into Safety Leadership This is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Tom Krause and Kristen Bell’s book “7 Insights into Safety Leadership.“ We’ve never met a leader that didn’t want a better culture for their organization. Statements like, “we need to change the culture,” are heard every day in the…

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4 Questions Board Members Should Ask About Safety Culture

ByTom Krause

It was 1993 and Paul O’Neill was attending his first board meeting as a Director at one of the largest companies in the world. Just as the meeting was coming to a close, O’Neill asked, “Where is the safety report?” As the story goes, no safety report was planned but the question had profound effects. It set the company on the path to creating safety excellence and embedding safety as a cultural value. Board member influence can do that — uniquely — and it saves lives while creating business value.

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5 Essential Building Blocks for Improving Organizational Culture

ByTom Krause

Few leaders can honestly say they know how to create, maintain, and enhance their culture. At the same time, the success of a culture change effort depends on the degree to which leaders understand and relate their own decisions, behaviors, and thought processes to the culture itself. The most challenging part of culture change is…

The Key to High-Performing and Safe Teams: Knowing People as Individuals

ByKristen Bell

Read in Portuguese / Leia em português Great leaders understand that their team members are not just employees but individuals with unique experiences, motivations, and needs. This personalized approach, known by the psychological community as “Individual Consideration,” is essential for leaders who aim to build high-performing teams and improve workplace safety. When leaders take the…

The Leader’s Values and Emotional Commitment to Safety

ByTom Krause

Introduction by Rebecca Timmins Read in Portuguese / Leia em português There is an adage in coaching called the Law of Double Effect — while we judge ourselves by our efforts and intentions, others judge us by what we say and do. This makes it critical for leaders to ensure their behaviors align with their…

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What Does The Practice Of Accountability Mean?

ByRebecca Timmins

When leaders are asked what they would like to get better at, the answer is often accountability. Usually, it’s thought to be about holding people accountable for non-performance, but the leadership practice of accountability can be so much more! Yes, it is about holding people to account, but it is also an opportunity to grow…

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How to Change Organizational Culture and Avoid Catastrophes

ByTom Krause

Catastrophes are a risk in organizational life. From a quality issue that causes consumer fatalities and brings reputational damage to a hostile working environment leading to harassment or to employees becoming seriously or fatally injured. These things are usually a surprise to the senior-most leaders. “I knew we had some issues at that facility, but…