Days of a true “Safety Culture” are gone

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

Here is my reasoning:

Many in the business world today are short timers - and no longer look at it as a career but more as a job or temporary home to get thee to thy next financial opportunity.

The economy is in sad shape. Loyalty at the job no longer exists as more and more are in it for what THEY can get out if it.

Pay increases are not longer motivational - even if received, as they are paltry at best.

HR and IT have taken over the mainstream in business ops and many formerly "seasoned" employees just no longer have the patience to put up with micromanagement and/or higher-ups who have no clue how to interact with subordinates.

The internet has changed our culture in that group learning is no longer popular and hence there are less "rah rah" speeches to help exude enthusiasm and company spirit.

There is far more emphasis on bottom line numbers and not on individual achievement or performance and where such exists, performance reviews are skewed by the numbers that the individual cannot control. Yet you are still held accountable for results and if poor, they drag down personal successes.

Does this mean people are more apt to commit unsafe acts? No. Human nature controls that element. Behavior-based safety’s ABC model (antecedent-behavior-consequence) applies to life...not just work.