Colin was just 19 when he got the call to join the paving crew for the summer. He had worked fast-food restaurants and warehouse work in past but he really wanted to be outside. The job promised good money, long hours and plenty of time in the sun.
Living in a hotel was a new experience for him. Being on the road, away from friends and family for weeks at a time and working 14 hours a day left no time for social activities so he was banking his money quickly. In his mind, he had the world by the tail and when the summer was over, he would have enough money to buy himself the car he'd always wanted.
The job only lasted three weeks before Safety Inspectors shut down the crew for failing to meet minimum training and safety standards. The crew chief was a family friend of Colin's whose lack of safety attitude caused Colin to be back working the fast-food restaurants and his dream of his new car gone with the work.
Safety Cowboys, old-school workers who just refuse to accept the new procedures, undermine your safety program, the livelihood of honest workers who just want to work and, in fact, work directly in opposition to your ability to establish a strong, cohesive culture of safety in your organizations. The last thing your organization needs happen is for your cowboys to influencing your green hands.
Safety needs to become an ingrained attitude in each and every worker. Without an attitude of safety, you, as a Safety Supervisor, will never create a "culture" of safety. You can't build a culture of safety with people who don't hold an attitude of of safety. You need a solid foundation before you can lay asphalt. The same is true about a culture of safety: you need a strong safety attitude first.
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