Is it possible to run a company with zero injuries?
Not a chance. Everyone agrees it would be impossible to run a company this way; quality is something that must be integrated with production every step of the way. But that is exactly how we run safety today in most companies. We put up posters that say “Zero Injuries Is Our Goal” and we tell the employees to “Be safe, now! You hear?”
What does zero injuries mean in occupational health and safety?
On the walls in every breakroom, the same “Zero Injuries” slogan was repeated on posters, coffee mugs, you name it. I was impressed by the passion in this culture to reach zero injuries, so I asked Tom about his plant’s safety record.
Why is chasing Zero injuries not your goal?
Until leaders understand that there is a level of safety beyond zero, they will be stuck on the dreaded “hockey stick plateau” in their safety performance. Why is it that chasing Zero Injuries eventually produces this plateau?
When do you get to zero accidents excellence?
When he asked the CEO to elaborate, the CEO replied, “When you get to zero accidents come back and see me.” It seems that the term “excellence,” as it applies to safety, commonly is misunderstood and poorly defined. So, what is excellence in safety performance? Is it simply a vacuum in which there are no accidents? Is it a short-term success?
Not a chance. Everyone agrees it would be impossible to run a company this way; quality is something that must be integrated with production every step of the way. But that is exactly how we run safety today in most companies. We put up posters that say “Zero Injuries Is Our Goal” and we tell the employees to “Be safe, now! You hear?”
On the walls in every breakroom, the same “Zero Injuries” slogan was repeated on posters, coffee mugs, you name it. I was impressed by the passion in this culture to reach zero injuries, so I asked Tom about his plant’s safety record.
When he asked the CEO to elaborate, the CEO replied, “When you get to zero accidents come back and see me.” It seems that the term “excellence,” as it applies to safety, commonly is misunderstood and poorly defined. So, what is excellence in safety performance? Is it simply a vacuum in which there are no accidents? Is it a short-term success?
Until leaders understand that there is a level of safety beyond zero, they will be stuck on the dreaded “hockey stick plateau” in their safety performance. Why is it that chasing Zero Injuries eventually produces this plateau?