Friday, June 28, 2024
We often say, "Safety is our number one priority" or "Safety is our highest priority." I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind these phrases, but I think they have a downside that can be dangerous. Safety is often talked about as something we need to make a priority, and I think we all agree that it is, and we do our best to make it a reality. Our concern is that we make decisions based on priorities all the time, every day, all day long, and we evaluate things all the time. Priority is something that's more important than something else. Situations and circumstances can change it a lot. Earlier this year, I decided to work out to build my upper body strength. As I started out, I worked out regularly and established a routine. Then some things changed and I changed some roles at work and had to adjust my schedule, so I stopped working out. My workouts were still a priority, but I decided getting my job done was a higher priority, so I shifted my workouts down. Every day, we do stuff like this. According to how things turn out, we shift priorities based on situations and circumstances. Many times, circumstances and situations force us to move doing the JHA briefing correctly to a lower position because we need to get something done, or we don't have time, or we skip a step in a procedure, or a multitude of other things stack up against us every day. Just like everything else in our lives, safety will always get readjusted if it's a priority. In order to make a real difference in our culture, our thinking, and our actions, we have to stop thinking of safety as a priority and make it a core value. Is there a difference? Core values are things you value, support, and stand behind. Core values are things you hold so dear that only extreme or life-threatening circumstances could make you change them. Several weeks ago, I asked you to think about things that you could eliminate from your routine to save time when you're late getting ready for work. Among other things, we talked about skipping the shower and skipping coffee. Also, we talked about skipping getting dressed. No one thought of skipping that step. We didn't even think about it. Showers, breakfast burritos, and coffee are all priorities that can be adjusted depending on the situation. Going out in public naked or in our underwear isn't a priority, it's a core value, and getting us to change that would be tough. Safety needs to be a core value in our thoughts and beliefs. Think about that a little this week, and then look at what's really important to you like your core values and your priorities and then ask yourself, is safety something that's really important to me like a core value or is it just another priority I adjust from time to time?
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