13 Mondays

I work as a safety professional, HSE rep, safety guy, safety dude, safety jit, or numerous other names we get called. This is my first attempt at a blog about what I do, my experiences, and what it's like to be an HSE professional. I won't always be politically correct, but sometimes that comes with the job.

[thatsafetydude]

[thatsafetydude]

[thatsafetydude]

Feels like this sometimes

[thatsafetydude]

[thatsafetydude]

Safety is not the absence of accients, it's the presence of barriers

Todd Conklin

[thatsafetydude]

New rules, new problems, the unintended consequences

Sometimes, new rules made with the best intentions create more problems. The proverbial road to hell.

[thatsafetydude]

The safety cop

Everyone hates the safety cop. Don’t be a safety cop. Be a resource. Be proactive. Stay out of the smoke pit. Don’t carry a coffee cup around in the field. Know your shit.

Worse, don’t be the PPE police. If your workers aren’t wearing basic PPE you’ve got bigger problems. Like a poor culture and lack of any active front line supervision, they probably aren’t wearing basic PPE either. Your management system is broken

[thatsafetydude]

The education we need

More on this later

Formal:

College degree

Practical:

More important than formal (no bashing) Hands on courses and field application of:

Cranes and rigging Trenching and excavation Scaffolding Gas monitoring Industrial hygiene Fall prevention and protection Radiation protection

Communication skills:

Computer skills:

[thatsafetydude]

The tools we need

More on this later

Tape measure Pliers or a Leatherman (watch that knife lol) Note pad Phone/radio (IS if needed) Couple key apps (more later) Spare hearing protection Positive recognition items Rigging hand book/hand signal guide Safety rule handbook Pens/pencils (have spares) Sound meter Gas monitor Spare safety glasses (with readers) Tags tags tags (do not use, red tags) Camera

[thatsafetydude]

Operation Zero Dark Birdie

If anyone actually reads my blog here, ask me about this, funny story. Maybe only funny to us who were involved.

[thatsafetydude]

Where's our safety lunch and tshirt?

Why is working safely only associated with milestone lunches and tshirts with cliche safety slogans? Why isn’t it about going home to the family in the same or better condition that you started the day in and a pocket full of money?

[thatsafetydude]

So how do I promote my tumblr?

[thatsafetydude]

Where's our safety lunch and tshirt?

Why is working safely only associated with milestone lunches and tshirts with cliche safety slogans? Why isn’t it about going home to the family in the same or better condition that you started the day in and a pocket full of money?

[thatsafetydude]

#1 Priority

Nah I disagree. I set priorities everyday, safety isn’t one of them. Wait what? Safety Dude, what are you talking about? I’ll explain. Priorities change all the time. Mine change usually due to lack of planning in someone else’s part. Who needs a confined space rescue plan, who needs a JHA reviewed, who’s training ran out, and so on.

Safety is not a priority, safety is a VALUE. Ones values do not change, they are steadfast and set in stone. Our values are built into all that we do, as Safety is built into all that we do.

Make safety a value, then set your priorities.

[thatsafetydude]

It’s tough to do your job as a safety professional or as an employer when regulation says you have to assign work to employees that they are physically capable of doing without aggravating pre-existing conditions. Yet, other regulations state you cannot force the employee to disclose any pre-existing conditions.

In the dynamic world of construction where margins are thin and insurance premiums are costly, performing physical capabilites studies may be feasible but again at what cost. Do you gamble one way or another?

A recent project I was on had a peak workforce of 5000. With turnover, we put over 36,000 people thru safety orientation. Physical capabilities exams would have cost us over $36 million. Would there have been a benefit? A cost savings? Only hindsight could tell. You can’t do business in hindsight.

[thatsafetydude]

Finally a promising intrinsically safe Android tablet.

[thatsafetydude]

Very promising tech.

[safety-and-risk]

New Book–Safety Under Construction

New Book – Safety Under Construction Disclaimer: This is an editorial, it is not an endorsement or advertisement and we do not gain any commercial benefit from the promotion or sale of these books.

[thatsafetydude]

I’m looking forward to reading this book. Most are geared towards management and supervisors, few are ever directed towards workers. Too many times, the academics think “workers” are only capable of comprehending a ½ page and a cartoon. I’ll update soon.