The Magic 9 of Safety Change

• By Robert Pater
• Jun 01, 2023

So how do you initiate then sustain safety changes that make a demonstrable difference beyond the just-going-through-the-motions repetition of minor variations on same-old themes that seem to eke out same-old results? 

Turnaround change can seem magical. I think of “magic” as methods, principles and techniques that work but that onlookers don’t readily understand. Perhaps because the mechanisms that propel the transformations aren’t clearly visible to others. But these are actually based on applying scientific principles and the right needed skills, such as directing attention and harnessing the human tendencies towards decision-making. 

While it might appear to even a hyper-observant onlooker that a magician “disappeared,” her actions might have relied on holding her breath, knowing how to lead or misdirect attention and incorporating line-of-sight angles that were effectively visually “hidden” and more—all based on planning, practice and adjustment.

Similarly, safety leaders can employ their own type of “magic” to help lift the level of a tenacious injury above and beyond being seemingly hopelessly stuck in the mud or to turn the outlook of executives, managers and workers toward safety being personally beneficial rather than just unfortunately-required-and-boring.

For both master magicians and elite change masters, neither arcane spells nor magical wands are actually needed. What is? In our near four-decade experience with a wide array of companies worldwide in dramatically preventing strains/sprains, slips, trips and falls and hand injuries, we’ve found there are nine intertwined attributes that, when mindfully mixed together, can create the “potions” that transmute lower-level safety motivation, decision-making and actions into very good ones and levitate “just so-so” surround culture into an elite realm. 

Leaders can find different and customized ways to put these into place (beyond what I can cover in this article). While companies can power sterling results by enlisting only some of these nine, the more the better. 

1. Compelling. It’s critical to first get others’ attention to encourage them to do anything differently. But what is the best way to do this, especially when it comes to “personal” issues that relate to their longstanding habit patterns of lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling, reaching and using tools? 

The key is to make a compelling case without compelling them in ways that create pushback. Go beyond any default ways of exhorting, over-forcing, threats, mobilizing fears of getting disabled/written up/fired, etc. Rather, think of “enticing” and drawing their attention.

2. Energizing. Show them the possibilities of becoming more in control of their own safety and lives and becoming more effective by expending relatively small amounts of effort. We’ve found that the less leaders expect others to do differently, the more likely they’ll actually apply these, especially when they know no one else is monitoring them. Focus on small easy changes that make immediate, significant improvements.

3. Motivating positively. Motivate with a complimentary, strong emphasis on improving tasks at work and home (i.e. how safety can be applied to do better in their hobbies or activities).

4. Engaging personally. Leaders can build in opportunities for each person to individually experience and discover how newly introduced strategies and methods might work for workers, rather than the leader just describing or mandating these.

We’ve found that it’s critical to have at least some initial face-to-face contact with others to maximize engagement. Virtual or phone attempts pose severe uphill obstacles against others actually getting out of their seats or those trying a new method or piece of equipment.

5. Communicating core principles. In order to actually get others’ acceptance of suggested changes, it works best for them to understand what they’re trying to accomplish and why. Go beyond just telling them how to accomplish specific tasks. 

It’s critical that leaders explain so everyone understands the need for new proposed methods, their purpose and how to apply these principles to a wide range of activities to make it as easy as possible to be safer, more in control and more effective. 

Changing actions almost always begins with changing beliefs. The most effective way is to help people understand and buy into a change so that they persuade themselves. This is definitely not theoretical.

6. Making it practical. Principles should not just be communicated theoretically but should be illustrative and grounded in applications they actually do (at work and home.) 

7. Broadly accessible. Leaders should be sure what they communicate readily applies to all kinds of people, different ages and genders, with varying degrees of previous and current conditions, to a wide array of activities, and that these are easily and quickly learned and applied. This often requires being able and willing to adapt some methods. 

8. Internalizing. Leaders might consider planning to transfer both mental and physical skillsets that place people more in control of their own safety so that they can port them to a variety of activities and so that they internally self-reinforce using these.

9. Connecting. Because, in my opinion, safety culture, for better or worse, is akin to an invisible thread that goes joins everyone in the company—from executives through managers, supervisors, line staff and those in offices, plants and the field—it’s best to initiate safety changes that potentially apply to everyone, that they each can use to help their lives be better and safer.

Magical improvements in safety performance and culture are indeed possible when leaders adhere to these nine attributes.

This article originally appeared in the June 1, 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.