Posted By Safetynut Safety is not something you can take or leave alone. Safety is not an activity in which a person participates only when being watched or supervised. Safety is not posters, slogans or rules; nor is it movies, meetings, investigations or inspections. Safety is an attitude, a frame of mind. It is the awareness of one's actions and how they relate to different surrounding and situations all day every day. Safety is to know what is going on,' knowing what can cause injury and what that injury would be. It is to know how to prevent such injury and then acting accordingly To do this does not require genius or rank. All it requires is intelligence and understanding coupled with ability to use one's natural senses To ignore safety does not indicate bravery only foolishness. To do things safely and correctly is the mark of a wise person, not a timid one.

Posted By Chris Knagg Agreed. That's exactly why my boss calls me the "Attitude Adjuster"!

Posted By Advanced Safety I have read a few descriptions safetynut. The best yet by far! Can i use it? if so, is it you i acknowledge or was it written by someone else? Thanks

Posted By Barry Cooper How often do you hear the saying "Safety is top priority" I say that safety is a value. In all businesses, priorities can change, production can be the first priority provided that safety as a value is never compromised Barry

Posted By Pete48 Safetynut, Safety can be an attitude “a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways” and I agree that your example is a very good attitude to safety. However an attitude does not always produce the expected behaviour does it? A commonly accepted definition of behaviour is given as “the action or reaction of something under specified circumstances”. It is the extent and depth of the attitude along with our attitudes to everything else that governs how well we will stick to it in the face of challenge or pain. Imagine we ask a young mother with small children about speeding and her attitude is “I am against it, dreadful, lock em away”. Then fast forward to being late for picking up kids, still a mile or two to go, traffic opens up, no speed cameras around, no police cars and away she goes to meet the stronger belief that her children will be at risk……, Her beliefs about speeding were not as strong as those about her children being at risk so it gets discarded, take the risk of getting a ticket or killing someone else's children! However, I do agree that it is this belief and feeling about “safety” that drives us as safety professionals, of that we should be certain. However, if we assume that preaching this attitude is the way to change the world we might end up disappointed. There may actually be those who find it crazy or anoraky according to their attitudes! I have alwsy felt that attitude is very difficult and maybe impossible to manage. You can influence it, and not just by "soap boxing" but you cannot dictate it. Behaviour you can both manage and dictate. Why do I get out of bed at some dreadful hour in the depth of winter to get freezing cold and wet? Because my employer has dictated that behaviour. I have adopted a survival behaviour to this, as soon as I could get away with doing something different I would. I am not convinced despite all my employers efforts to thrust his attitude onto and over mine. My attitude is still that getting up in the dark of winter mornings is just not normal!! A slightly jokey example but I see that as the real challenge for all of us who accept the message at the head of this thread. Saying it ain't enough, writing it on the wall ain't enough. The better we are at our jobs, the more people will join in and we will less frequently need to manage behaviour. Until then......

Posted By AJM I would agree with all you say Safetynut, But I will always add safety attitude and books on safety positive attitude and how to create it will only get you so far. I will always believe you need to have walked a mile in those mans shoes to have experienced his level to fully understand his attitude and his psyche. Its not the only thing you need to have done but it is a vital part. I have worked in too many industries, Coal, Textile, Timber and seen too many managers come straight from college and think that because it says it in an exercise book or part of his course it will just work in reality. I stand to be shot down of course but will never think otherwise. But nice words by you all the same. Alan.