Hazard/Risk
Assuming That
When it comes to our personal safety – at work and at home – we make a huge number of assumptions about things and people every day. Little ones and big ones.
June 15, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Victims of Culture
Culture is best defined as “the way things really are around here.” That means every operation everywhere in the world has a safety culture.
May 15, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Good Questions
In our classes, we like to ask Darn Good Questions. Here are a few that you might want to answer – or, even better, ask others.
April 13, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Proceed With Caution!
In your opinion, which is more dangerous?
Entering a confined space
Entering a pedestrian crosswalk on a busy street
March 15, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Safety Rules and the Wise
Remember when you were a kid and some grown-up would see you with your shoelaces untied?
February 15, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Taking Care of Safety
The question of what comes first – production or safety – is one that is asked the world over. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment…
January 15, 2018
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Hazard/Risk
Harm’s Way
When it comes to getting hurt, there are only three ways that can happen: from something you do; from something someone else does to you; by an Act of God.
December 15, 2017
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Hazard/Risk
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Behind every safety rule stands a reason. And that reason almost always has something to do with someone getting hurt, making “every safety rule written in blood.”
November 15, 2017
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Hazard/Risk
Got Machines?
Machinery is everywhere: all that production equipment; maintenance equipment like mills lathes, welders; equipment moving equipment…
October 13, 2017
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Hazard/Risk
Recognizing What Can Hurt Us
You’re driving a truck. On a narrow, one-way street, eastbound on a beautiful late summer morning. Your route calls for you to make a right turn…
September 15, 2017
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Popular Topics
Popular Articles
Situational Awareness
In this month’s Flash we look at static hazard recognition. Knowing and understanding where stored energy exists, which might not always be obvious, helps us ensure everyone goes home alive and well.
Looking In The Mirror
In this month’s Managing Safety Performance News, guest contributor and Balmert Consulting senior teacher Van Long reflects on a simple but powerful idea: the most effective safety leadership begins with self-reflection.
Expectations and Assumptions
In this month’s Flash we look at the difference between an expectation and an assumption. That distinction might seem subtle at first glance, however the difference found in the definitions proves a very critical point for anyone who leads and manages safety.
Environment And Safety
In this issue of Managing Safety Performance News, Paul looks at why separating “environment” from “safety” misses the point. Using real work examples—from hauling tools over a snowbank to executive debates about compliance—he makes the case that many hazards don’t come from the job itself, but from the conditions in which the work is done. By stripping injuries down to simple “headlines” and sorting them by the source of the hazard, patterns start to emerge that are easy to miss in root cause analysis reports. The takeaway is straightforward: environment and safety are inseparable, and leaders who want better safety performance need to see the work—and its hazards—clearly, from the moment it begins.
Finding “The Source”
In this month’s Flash, we explore where hazards come from—and why that matters. Understanding their sources is a critical step in identifying what could cause harm.
It’s Just Common Sense
This month Paul examines how leaders often misuse the phrase “it’s just common sense”—either to dismiss learning or to assume shared understanding without definition. He argues that many leadership statements presented as fact are really opinions, and that poor communication stems from assuming others interpret words, experience, and expectations the same way.
Resetting PPE Habits
In this months Flash we are re-visiting the fundamental concept of getting folks to follow all of the rules, all of the time. As to how you might move the needle a great place to start is with PPE.
The Holiday Season
This month Paul shares that for twenty-five years, our work has been grounded in disciplined observation, analysis, and testing. That process has shaped how we identify the leadership practices that most directly influence safety performance—the same ideas we teach.
Accountability
This month, we are pleased to feature an article by Newton Scavone, one of our most experienced members of the Balmert teaching team, based in São Paulo. Newton started as a client learning and using the MSP tools, then became one of the leaders developed to teach the course inside his company. For the last six years, many of you have known him as a Balmert Consulting teacher. He brings deep operational credibility and a clear understanding of what it takes to make these tools work in the real world.
Enough Said?
In this month’s Flash, we take a look at a very important first step to ensure conversations go as well as they ought to when expectations around safety haven’t been met.
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