Perceptions - Articles

"Slackers" may be sabotaging their own health

July 21, 2017

People who think they’re less active than others their age have a greater chance of dying younger than people who perceive themselves as more active, even if their actual activity levels are the same, according to research published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Do you want the truth?

Listen to the voice of frontline employees

Mike Williamsen Ph.D., CSP

July 8, 2014

The regulation-oriented data tells us a part of the story with respect to training, incident records, safety meetings, work orders, policies/procedures and the like. Observations add a bit more insight to what our people are actually doing when they are occasionally being watched/evaluated by others.

It’s time to drive out of the world of “should”

Spencer McDonald

June 13, 2014

Art Linkletter, the entertainer, said, “If you change your attitude you will change your life.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we always got our way with things? If things were as they SHOULD be? Unfortunately, the world usually doesn’t meet our expectations and we are left disappointed that people and things are not what they SHOULD be.

Misleading indicators

Phil La Duke

June 21, 2013

Nearly every safety professional worth his or her salt has been told that he or she needs to look at both leading and lagging indicators; it’s good advice, in fact, it’s advice I’ve given many times in articles and speeches over the years. But in my last post (two weeks ago—I spent the last week at a customer site and with the travel travails I just couldn’t bring myself to hammer out a post, deepest apologies to my fans and detractors alike) I questioned the value of tracking (not reporting or investigating, mind you, just tracking) near misses.

Days of a true “Safety Culture” are gone

Steve Damsker

August 22, 2012

The days of a true "safety culture" I am sad to say have gone the way of the "man in the gray flannel suit."

The great challenge confronting EHS pros

It’s communication — is your message getting through?

September 1, 2011

According to the results of the American Society of Safety Engineers 100th Anniversary Essay Contest, the greatest challenge facing the environmental health and safety profession in the 21st century is communication.

Why do people make mistakes?

August 10, 2011

Who hasn’t at some point made a safety-related mistake that put themselves and perhaps co-workers at risk?

Practical drift and writing safety rules

Behaviors get loose when procedures are too tight

James E. Leemann Ph.D.

August 2, 2011

Last month I introduced you to Scott A. Snook’s term practical drift, which he coined in his root cause analysis of the accidental shoot down of two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters resulting in the loss of 26 peacekeepers.

The bad guys at work

Don’t rush to judge; check your biases

Dr. John Kello

August 2, 2011

The first-shift guys tell you they work together as a team. They are the best shift in every way. And they always clean up and set up for second shift.

Catch the Invisible Drift

It’s easy to stray from safety rules

James E. Leemann Ph.D.

July 7, 2011

Colonel Scott A. Snook, Ph.D., in Friendly Fire1 introduced the term practical drift. The theory of practical drift emerged from Snook’s root cause analysis of a 1994 friendly fire accident in which two U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter jets patrolling the No-Fly-Zone over northern Iraq shot down two U.S. Army Black Hawk UH-60 helicopters. Twenty-six peacekeepers lost their lives.