![]() “And my people are safer when we put their safety first. “What do you call this then? When’s the last time you had a conversation like this on a public forum in front of this many people? How is this a bad thing?” He sputtered for a bit, then pivoted. “Undermining safety,” he said, “is not a productive way to move the conversation forward.” “Really?” I said. “Money is more important than Safety.” I heard from another guy at big railroad that I was being glib and irresponsible. ![]() I asked one safety pro at Dupont if he worked for free. Well, the controversy surrounding the Safety Third special fostered a lot more conversation, along with numerous articles and editorials, a few dustups with my friends at OSHA, and LOTS of pushback from safety professionals who wanted me to know that my safety really was their “number one priority.” I called bullshit, courteously. I also argued that “Safety First” depended a lot on mandatory protocols, and that being “in compliance,” did not necessarily mean you were “out of danger.” In short, I argued that the Safety First approach to occupational safety was counter-intuitive. In my experience, complacency is the true cause of most accidents, and nothing fosters complacency faster than an employer who convinces his employee that his safety is the responsibility of the company. In that special, I looked back on a few of my most hazardous adventures on Dirty Jobs and argued that the “Safety First” approach to accident prevention was both intellectually dishonest, and a dangerous bit of virtue-signaling that over time, leads to complacency. It was such a good conversation, I pitched Discovery a special called “Safety Third,” and they bought it. ‘Safety Always’ would be a more sensible slogan, but I guess if I had to rank it, I’d put the desire to be safe after ‘the need to make money,’ and ‘the willingness to assume risk.’ In other words, ‘Safety Third.’” My comments triggered a lively debate about who was ultimately responsible for an employee’s safety, and the best way to prevent accidents and injuries on the job. ![]() Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.” Someone then asked me, “If safety isn’t first, then what is?” To which I replied, “Safety is too important to rank, but that doesn’t mean its first. Somebody there asked me if I thought safety was really “first,” and I said, “of course not.” Specifically, I wrote this: “No company in the history of the world has ever put the business of safety before the business of making money, and no employee has ever reported to work for the primary purpose of being safe. I wish I had had mine! Anyway, his name is Keith, and thanks to you, I made a new friend! Thanks, Lindsay Sander PS – How did you come up Safety Third? Hi Lindsay It started fifteen years ago in The Dirty Jobs Mudroom – where I used to converse online with fans of Dirty Jobs. Hey Mike – I saw a guy in the airport wearing one of your Safety Third masks.
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