Jim Thompson

Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

Yes, we have a safety month on our editorial calendar, but today I am asking who is in charge of safety? The answer is the highest-ranking executive on your site. In fact, in Europe, this can result in jail time for this person if a severe enough accident occurs.

But we are in Human Resources month and perhaps the appropriate question is, who is responsible for supporting this executive in the area of safety? This is, in most cases, the Human Resources department.

There is no question that we don't take safety seriously in the industry. Look at what PaperMoney has reported this year in terms of safety incidents. We recently did a survey (not a scientific one) where 13% of the respondents said they never have a safety meeting. In my other life, I have served as an expert witness in personal injury cases several times. I have to say most of the accidents I have seen are simply negligence.

I would go so far as to say the HR department should look around, see what is going on safety wise and raise your hand and volunteer to take a leadership role (reporting to the executive in charge of the site) if safety is not being taken seriously. After all, if HR's universal mandate is to minimize costs when it comes to human employees, this is all the mandate you need. Accidents are costly and cause employees and their families lots of problems.

I was once at a mill site for some general consulting. At the entrance to the site, they had a large sign that said they were the North American leader in safety. The date on the sign was about four years before I was there. I challenged them. What good does this sign do? It says you were the leader four years ago. What does this sign say about you since then? They hadn't thought of that.

A good safety program has lots of training sessions but also a lot of silent signaling. I once worked in an office building where all the office doors swung out into the hall. The tiles on the floor had a yellow inlay, about one inch wide, to alert you not to get in the way of the doors as you walked down the hallway. This was over fifty years ago. I was in this same building about twenty years ago, and there were those yellow warning stripes, as vibrant as ever.

Take a fresh look at your responsibility to support safety if you are in HR.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

For a deeper dive, go here.

Study Guide: Safety Responsibility and the Role of Human Resources

This study guide provides a comprehensive review of the key concepts presented in the article "Who is in charge of safety?" by Jim Thompson. It is designed to test understanding of the central arguments regarding safety leadership, the specific responsibilities of Human Resources, and the components of an effective safety program.

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Quiz: Short-Answer Questions

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences, drawing exclusively from the information provided in the source material.

1. According to the article, who is ultimately in charge of safety at a worksite?
2. What is the primary role of the Human Resources (HR) department in relation to workplace safety?
3. What potential legal consequence do executives in Europe face if a severe accident occurs on their site?
4. Based on the author's experience as an expert witness, what is the primary cause of most accidents?
5. What survey result does the author cite as evidence that safety is not always taken seriously in the industry?
6. How does HR's "universal mandate" to minimize costs justify its involvement in safety programs?
7. What proactive step does the author suggest HR should take if safety is not being addressed seriously at their site?
8. Define the concept of "silent signaling" as it relates to a safety program.
9. Explain why the outdated safety sign at the millsite sent a negative message about the company's commitment to safety.
10. Describe the positive example of "silent signaling" the author observed in an office building.

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Answer Key

1. The highest-ranking executive on the site is identified as the person who is in charge of safety. This places the ultimate responsibility at the top level of site leadership.
2. The Human Resources department is responsible for supporting the highest-ranking executive in the area of safety. The author suggests HR should take a leadership role in this supporting capacity.
3. In Europe, if a severe enough accident occurs, the highest-ranking executive on the site can face jail time. This underscores the serious legal accountability associated with the role.
4. The author, having served as an expert witness in several personal injury cases, states that most of the accidents he has seen are simply the result of negligence.
5. The author references a non-scientific survey where 13% of respondents reported that they never have a safety meeting. This is presented as an indication of a lack of commitment to safety.
6. The article states that HR's universal mandate is to minimize costs related to human employees. Since accidents are costly and cause significant problems for employees, this mandate is sufficient justification for HR to actively lead safety initiatives.
7. The author advises that if the HR department observes that safety is not being taken seriously, it should "raise your hand and volunteer to take a leadership role," reporting directly to the executive in charge of the site.
8. "Silent signaling" refers to the non-verbal and environmental cues that communicate a company's attitude and policies toward safety. It is a component of a good safety program alongside formal training sessions.
9. The sign claimed the company was the "North American leader in safety," but the date on the sign was four years old. This implied that their leadership status was in the past and sent a message that safety has not been a priority since that time.
10. The author describes an office building where yellow inlay stripes, about one inch wide, were placed on the floor tiles. These stripes served as a vibrant and permanent warning to alert people walking in the hallway of doors that swung outward.

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Essay Questions

Instructions: The following questions are designed for a more in-depth, essay-format response. Formulate a cohesive argument using only the evidence and concepts presented in the source article.

1. Analyze the distinct but related roles of the "highest-ranking executive" and the "Human Resources department" in maintaining workplace safety, as outlined in the text.
2. Using the specific examples of the outdated sign and the yellow floor stripes, discuss the power and potential pitfalls of "silent signaling" within a corporate safety culture.
3. Construct an argument explaining how HR's "universal mandate to minimize costs" serves as the primary justification for its deep involvement in, and potential leadership of, safety initiatives.
4. Based on the evidence provided (including survey data, publications like PaperMoney, and personal anecdotes), synthesize the author's overall assessment of the state of safety within the industry.
5. Evaluate the author's assertion that most accidents are the result of "negligence." How does this claim shape the article's central argument that leadership, not just procedure, is the key to an effective safety program?

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Glossary of Key Terms

Term Definition

Highest-Ranking Executive The individual at a specific site who holds the ultimate responsibility and is in charge of safety.

Human Resources (HR) The department identified as being responsible for supporting the top executive in safety matters. It is encouraged to take a leadership role in safety, justified by its mandate to minimize employee-related costs.

Negligence The root cause of most accidents, according to the author's experience as an expert witness in personal injury cases.

Safety Program A comprehensive approach to workplace safety that includes not only formal training sessions but also "silent signaling."

Silent Signaling The use of passive, environmental cues to communicate ongoing messages about safety. These can be positive (e.g., permanent warning stripes on a floor) or negative (e.g., an outdated safety award sign).

Universal Mandate (of HR) The core responsibility of the Human Resources department to minimize costs associated with human employees. The author frames this as sufficient justification for HR to lead on safety, as accidents are costly.

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