One of the best ways to get a handle on the level of consistency (or inconsistency) in your organization is to conduct a Consistency Review. First, take a good look at your company’s most successful programs. What does the company verbalize to the employees about the importance of these programs and what activities take place in the environment to support this effort? A good example is sales. Everyone knows that sales are the key to an organizations success, and in a very strong demonstration of consistency, employees who fail to meet sales goals are admonished (or fired) and those who meet or exceed the goals are rewarded with bonuses or promoted. The message is delivered that "Sales Are Important", and then an environment is created that supports this message. In this instance, the messages and the actions are consistent. Now, as a part of the Consistency Review, take a look at safety. Jot down on a piece of paper all the things that your company says are important in the name of safety. What are employees told in training sessions, what kind of messages are contained in the videos you show and on the posters the company hangs on the walls. Then, go out into the workplace and find all the actions that truly support these messages. My guess is that you will find many instances where the real world is not CONSISTENT with the messages that are being delivered. These inconsistencies drain energy from your programs and minimize the impact of the messages you deliver.

We’ve all heard the saying before, "don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk!". It’s all about consistency. Companies put posters up on the wall that state "Safety is Number One!" The number "one" in safety, however, comes with some stipulations. Safety is Number One as long as...

1. it doesn’t compete with productivity
2. it doesn’t compete with quality
3. it doesn’t compete with customer service
4. it doesn’t cost too much money
5. it doesn’t take too much time

When a company thinks of safety as something separate from or in addition-to the normal course of business in the company they are destined to create inconsistencies. We need to stop thinking about safety is number one and think of it simply as "safety is". As soon as we remove the ranking, and make it an integral part of EVERYTHING, we will find that it is no longer competing with other aspects of the business. Parents don’t analyze the costs associated with reminding their kids to wear their bicycle helmets as they head out. The parent considers this the normal course of business as a parent. This message isn’t perceived as taking time because the parent doesn’t see this as competing with anything else. The problem in business and industry is that we have let safety truly become its’ own category, separate from the normal course of business and therefore need to figure out how to "fit it in" to the more important aspects of the business. Remaining in this mind-set will constantly create inconsistencies because unless there is a serious accident or injury, productivity, quality and sales will always take precedence.

Think of it this way. It is not safety AND production. It is safe production. How much time does it take to make sure that the safety aspects of the job are built into every discussion about it? Whenever you talk about the performance of a job be sure to include the safety aspects such as the use of protective equipment, material handling devices or asking for help.

When a company thinks of safety as something separate from or in addition-to the normal course of business in the company they are destined to create inconsistencies. We need to stop thinking about safety is number one and think of it simply as "safety is". As soon as we remove the ranking, and make it an integral part of EVERYTHING, we will find that it is no longer competing with other aspects of the business. Parents don’t analyze the costs associated with reminding their kids to wear their bicycle helmets as they head out. The parent considers this the normal course of business as a parent. This message isn’t perceived as taking time because the parent doesn’t see this as competing with anything else. The problem in business and industry is that we have let safety truly become its’ own category, separate from the normal course of business and therefore need to figure out how to "fit it in" to the more important aspects of the business. Remaining in this mind-set will constantly create inconsistencies because unless there is a serious accident or injury, productivity, quality and sales will always take precedence.

Why is consistency so difficult in the area of safety? Let me share a story. I was in a large warehouse with a safety director and we happened upon an employee performing a task very unsafely. He was standing on the forks of a fork truck that were completely elevated and completely extended. He was pulling a large refrigerator off of some racks and onto the forks (where he was standing!). The safety director leaned over and whispered to me "he’s not supposed to be doing that" and proceeded to walk on. I looked at him and said "Do you want me to go tell him?" Here was the issue. The safety director knew that if he was going to go address this issue with one employee, he was going to have to be willing to address it with everyone. No playing favorites. People tend to have less of a problem with any kind of discipline or being held accountable as long as the rules are clear and the consequences are CONSISTENT. When people hear a message regarding safety and they know that the company is going to be consistent in how they support this message the energy begins moving in the right direction and the program is much more likely to achieve the desired results.

I would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations for allowing me to be a part of their safety efforts; Albertsons, General Mills, State Compensation Insurance Fund of California and GE.