In Part 1 we introduced the concept of presuppositions, phrases that have negative impacts on our safety programs, here’s another example: 3. “Is it safe?” The answer to this kind of question is either a “yes” or “no” answer. It either is, or is not. This will polarize your safety program immediately. If all of your personal experience climbing ladders was not having it held, or having the top secured, and then never having fallen, it would tend to convince you that climbing a ladder without someone holding the base or tying off the top is safe.

If you’re challenged in the workplace, after climbing without someone holding the base, and asked, “Do you think that’s safe?” of course you answer, “yes.” Then you get punished for doing something you thought was safe, when you were just trying to get the job done. Now cooperation goes out the window. Since asking “Is it safe?” also provides an open invitation to spout our personal opinions about safety and invites an expression of our personal risk perceptions, it tends to be more divisive.

Instead, consider that every safety decision is really a business decision that balances three things, Cost, Risk, and Benefit. It’s better to think about what the risk assessment is in this situation and what kinds of controls offer the most benefit (risk reduction) for the least cost. It must be kept in mind that we enforce behavioral standards, not individual opinions of what is “safe”.

Another way to think about how we use language was also mentioned in Part 1. The brain is literal. And the unconscious does not process negation. Because the brain is literal, its attention is directed to whatever is suggested. If we use a negation, such as “don’t”, it doesn’t deter the brain from following the literal suggestion. Here’s an old example: Right now, don’t think about an elephant. Despite the direction to “not” think about it, the only way the brain can process the information is to think about an elephant. The parent who says, “Don’t spill your milk.” Is surprised when the child spills their milk a few seconds later. It is more useful to say, “Grip the glass firmly.”

In the workplace, people say, “Don’t forget your safety equipment.” Then, after an incident, how surprised they are when the worker says he forgot his safety equipment. Instead say, “Remember your safety equipment.”

Always express directives in the positive, while referencing the specific behaviors that are required. Safety professionals and managers often make similar mistakes when seeking support for their programs and inadvertently sabotage their own efforts. Keep in mind that we are shaping the reality of how others experience the workplace every day. As such we get the people and the programs we deserve. Think about what messages you’re sending both verbally and non-verbally. Deserve the very best!