Video games now outsell music and movie recordings combined. E-books now outsell traditional books meaning consumers can get what they want to read in an instant without leaving the bathtub to go to a store - and it's cheaper. Newspapers show up in your inbox or on your iPad (many are free for now) instead of being delivered to your doorstep for a monthly fee. You don't have to be home to get your morning paper.
Trips to the video store are a thing of the past as more retailers go out of business because Netflix let's you stream your movie to your TV right now and offers unlimited movies for the same fee as a single video rental at the store.
By the time a university student gets to university, they have already spent 20,000 hours online and an additional 10,000 hours spent playing video games.
The average worker is exposed to between 3,000 and 5,000 marketing messages per day. The average consumer can download music, videos and the like for next to nothing or for free. They can purchase goods in the middle of the night and have them shipped next day.
So what does this all mean to safety?
It means that how you recruit, choose, equip and train your people in the ways of safety are far different than they were even ten years ago. So why are you trying to make a broken model work?
If an employee can find a lesson on how to unclog a drain by watching a YouTube video, then wouldn't it figure that they would go to the same place to learn how to do their jobs? Why aren't your training lessons in the same place? Why is your training still being done in the old, broken classroom and paper manual way?
The worker of tomorrow doesn't remember anything except where to find the information they are looking for. They won't remember the procedure in the manual but they will remember where to find the video that reminds them of the procedure.
Stop thinking that every worker has the same capacity for memory and recall as Baby Boomers. They don't. Start looking toward the future and digitize your training utilizing on-demand video, text message and easy access to information.
If you want to engage your people to reduce workplace incidents, start thinking like they think. Make it easy for them to make the right decisions - don't expect that they will just because you told them once.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, October 10, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Health Canada Weighs In On Cell Phone Use
Health Canada released guidelines this week on how cellphone users can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. This, despite scientific evidence that says it is far from conclusive that cancer and cellphone use are linked.
You should read this story from the Calgary Herald.
So far, the best evidence is that handsfree Bluetooth units still provide better protection (1/1000th the radiation) rather than putting the cell phone next to your head. Air tube headsets seem to provide the best protection.
At any rate, get the phones away from your head.
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You should read this story from the Calgary Herald.
So far, the best evidence is that handsfree Bluetooth units still provide better protection (1/1000th the radiation) rather than putting the cell phone next to your head. Air tube headsets seem to provide the best protection.
At any rate, get the phones away from your head.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
When The Crap Hits
Following a cattle-hauler is stressful enough (been hit more than once by a gooey brown substance that slips off the truck in the wind). But following this particular cattle-hauler was a little more stressful: weaving side to side in and out of his lane and traveling well below the posted speed.
Once we saw an opening we went past only to find the driver reading some sort of manual while he was driving. The company name was written across the side of the truck and the unit number on the front fender. But it didn't end there. While we drove in front of the truck, a large dog began to make its way out onto the highway. I swerved and was able to avoid missing the dog. The truck driver, seemingly unaware of the dog's presence on the road, hit the dog squarely at highway speed and kept driving as though oblivious to what had just happened.
My wife looked up the number on the iPad and we placed a call to the trucking company owner.
Does your workplace have a policy to handle a call like I made? Do you do an investigation? Do you have a zero tolerance policy on distracted driving? Are you prepared to fire an employee who so cavalierly displays little attention to his work?
If you want to build a safer workplace, you take a tough stance on flagrant safety violations. Zero tolerance. Take no crap. Enforce it hard. No exceptions. The rest of your employees will get the message and you will be protecting lives - human and animal. There are NO excuses for being distracted while driving, ever.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Once we saw an opening we went past only to find the driver reading some sort of manual while he was driving. The company name was written across the side of the truck and the unit number on the front fender. But it didn't end there. While we drove in front of the truck, a large dog began to make its way out onto the highway. I swerved and was able to avoid missing the dog. The truck driver, seemingly unaware of the dog's presence on the road, hit the dog squarely at highway speed and kept driving as though oblivious to what had just happened.
My wife looked up the number on the iPad and we placed a call to the trucking company owner.
Does your workplace have a policy to handle a call like I made? Do you do an investigation? Do you have a zero tolerance policy on distracted driving? Are you prepared to fire an employee who so cavalierly displays little attention to his work?
If you want to build a safer workplace, you take a tough stance on flagrant safety violations. Zero tolerance. Take no crap. Enforce it hard. No exceptions. The rest of your employees will get the message and you will be protecting lives - human and animal. There are NO excuses for being distracted while driving, ever.
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Or better yet, Invite Kevin to address this issue live at your next meeting.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, September 26, 2011
Including Online Safety Builds Better Safety Culture
Sometimes I don't understand how companies can separate physical worker safety and cyber-safety. Both involve employees. Both involve safety. But one is handled by OH&S and the other by IT - neither of which seems to have a clue about the other.
Safety is safety - whether it's online or in-person. Looking out for the well-being of your employees should take the wholistic approach - not the insular approach.
Building a safer workplace means addressing ALL things that relate to keeping your people safe. And if that means that sometimes one crosses over into the other, then you had better figure out who takes the lead.
Perhaps an overhaul of how you treat safety is in order. Maybe it's time to consider a company-wide Safety And Security Department - marrying OH&S and IT. Wouldn't it make more sense?
If you want your people to take an active role in protecting themselves while the are on the job, you must talk about safety in a wholistic way. Addressing how your workers conduct themselves on a job site but not how they conduct themselves online seems a bit short-sighted and very narrow-focused. Address all of it together and you build a stronger Culture of Safety Attitude.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Safety is safety - whether it's online or in-person. Looking out for the well-being of your employees should take the wholistic approach - not the insular approach.
Building a safer workplace means addressing ALL things that relate to keeping your people safe. And if that means that sometimes one crosses over into the other, then you had better figure out who takes the lead.
Perhaps an overhaul of how you treat safety is in order. Maybe it's time to consider a company-wide Safety And Security Department - marrying OH&S and IT. Wouldn't it make more sense?
If you want your people to take an active role in protecting themselves while the are on the job, you must talk about safety in a wholistic way. Addressing how your workers conduct themselves on a job site but not how they conduct themselves online seems a bit short-sighted and very narrow-focused. Address all of it together and you build a stronger Culture of Safety Attitude.
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Or better yet, Invite Kevin to address this issue live at your next meeting.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, September 12, 2011
Senior Management Needs A Safety Wake-up
Safety conferences are not just for Safety Managers and EHS personnel. Safety conferences are where we should be seeing presidents, CEOs and senior management personnel who are NOT related directly to OHS in their workplaces.
And until non-EHS senior management takes an active role in safety and the adoption of cultures of safety, safety will never completely take hold in an organization.
Safety needs to be treated on the same level as finance, marketing and sales.
Senior management needs to stop treating the health and safety of their employees as an arm's-length after-thought. Senior managers need to get serious about creating cultures and mindsets of safety in their people, but more importantly, themselves.
If you as a senior manager won't make attending safety functions as paramount in your workplace, neither will your people. People will model the behavior of their leaders. And your people will continue to get hurt because, like you, they don't take safety seriously.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
And until non-EHS senior management takes an active role in safety and the adoption of cultures of safety, safety will never completely take hold in an organization.
Safety needs to be treated on the same level as finance, marketing and sales.
Senior management needs to stop treating the health and safety of their employees as an arm's-length after-thought. Senior managers need to get serious about creating cultures and mindsets of safety in their people, but more importantly, themselves.
If you as a senior manager won't make attending safety functions as paramount in your workplace, neither will your people. People will model the behavior of their leaders. And your people will continue to get hurt because, like you, they don't take safety seriously.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Safety Hypocrite
You put a helmet on your young daughter's head before she took that first solo bicycle ride.
You spent a fortune at the sporting goods store to make sure your son was protected well when he joined his first minor hockey team.
You bought that really good quality car-seat and secured it properly in the back seat before you brought your newborn home from the hospital.
And yet you exceed the speed limit on your way to work, make unsafe lane changes, don't regularly check your car lights, don't do walkarounds before you get into your vehicle and you complain about the new regulations on safety at work.
Hypocrite.
Safety apparently only applies to other people huh? You had better get your own mental house in order. What you say and what you do don't apparently line up. And there are a few young faces looking at you confused that you care about their safety but not your own.
Change your mind. Safety is an Attitude. Get it.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
You spent a fortune at the sporting goods store to make sure your son was protected well when he joined his first minor hockey team.
You bought that really good quality car-seat and secured it properly in the back seat before you brought your newborn home from the hospital.
And yet you exceed the speed limit on your way to work, make unsafe lane changes, don't regularly check your car lights, don't do walkarounds before you get into your vehicle and you complain about the new regulations on safety at work.
Hypocrite.
Safety apparently only applies to other people huh? You had better get your own mental house in order. What you say and what you do don't apparently line up. And there are a few young faces looking at you confused that you care about their safety but not your own.
Change your mind. Safety is an Attitude. Get it.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, September 5, 2011
Safety for Boots AND Suits
I'm seeing a lot of safety programs supposedly designed to protect workers - but mostly it only applies to workers who wear work boots - not so much the one who wear suits.
Look, safety is for everyone - Boots AND Suits.
If the rules don't apply to senior executives as well as front-line blue-collar staff, then what is the point of having a safety program at all?
This is not a discussion about wearing hard hats on worksites. I'm speaking about things like speeding, cell phone use behind the wheel and serious consequences for serious offenses like drinking and driving convictions. Safety is for everyone. And once the front-line workers see that senior executives MUST play by the same rules, then you stand a better chance of having full compliance and reduced risk on the job.
Safety is an attitude. It's the attitude you build a culture on. Not just safety in certain areas but the wholistic view of safety - safety for everyone on everything.
Does your safety program apply to senior execs and how they drive, text and live their lives outside of work or is it just for those workers who you think can't think for themselves while they are on shift?
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Look, safety is for everyone - Boots AND Suits.
If the rules don't apply to senior executives as well as front-line blue-collar staff, then what is the point of having a safety program at all?
This is not a discussion about wearing hard hats on worksites. I'm speaking about things like speeding, cell phone use behind the wheel and serious consequences for serious offenses like drinking and driving convictions. Safety is for everyone. And once the front-line workers see that senior executives MUST play by the same rules, then you stand a better chance of having full compliance and reduced risk on the job.
Safety is an attitude. It's the attitude you build a culture on. Not just safety in certain areas but the wholistic view of safety - safety for everyone on everything.
Does your safety program apply to senior execs and how they drive, text and live their lives outside of work or is it just for those workers who you think can't think for themselves while they are on shift?
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Safety And Mental Health
Whose responsibility is mental health in the workplace? Is it HR or Health and Safety?
While those two departments play "hot potato" with that one, let me point something out: mental health is everyone's responsibility. So everyone better get good at figuring out what it is and how to deal with it.
Personally, I think it is more than an HR issue. It SHOULD fall under Safety because ultimately safety isn't just about protecting people wearing boots - it's about protecting everyone - including people with mental health issues.
Do you as a Safety Professional know the signs of depression? Are foremen, managers and supervisors in your organization talking to their people often enough to notice subtle changes in behavior?
Safety managers are constantly harping about noticing the little things that could become hazards but are those same managers noticing the little things - like changes in behavior - that could get someone hurt?
Maybe it's time you started looking at Safety in a wholistic way instead of just concentrating on processes and following items listed in a manual. There's more to Safety than that.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
While those two departments play "hot potato" with that one, let me point something out: mental health is everyone's responsibility. So everyone better get good at figuring out what it is and how to deal with it.
Personally, I think it is more than an HR issue. It SHOULD fall under Safety because ultimately safety isn't just about protecting people wearing boots - it's about protecting everyone - including people with mental health issues.
Do you as a Safety Professional know the signs of depression? Are foremen, managers and supervisors in your organization talking to their people often enough to notice subtle changes in behavior?
Safety managers are constantly harping about noticing the little things that could become hazards but are those same managers noticing the little things - like changes in behavior - that could get someone hurt?
Maybe it's time you started looking at Safety in a wholistic way instead of just concentrating on processes and following items listed in a manual. There's more to Safety than that.
- Join us on Facebook
Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Put Down Your Toys And Drive - Or Pay Up
If you're a driver in Alberta, today would be a good day to practice hanging up your cell phone while you drive. Thursday, September 1, 2011, Alberta's new Distracted Driving Law comes into effect.
If you talk on a hand-held cell, text, email, use a laptop, video game, camera, MP3 player, program a GPS, read printed material, write, groom yourself whether you're moving in traffic or stopped at a stop light, or if you eat your lunch with two hands, you will face a fine of $172 for each offense.
You can argue with the police officer but the ticket is based on whether the officer thinks you were distracted while driving. Good luck fighting Police Judgment in court. The ticket is more ambiguous than a speeding ticket so if you think you were driving well and the police officer doesn't, you lose.
This new Law is billed as the toughest in all of Canada. I hope the Police give it some teeth.
It's time to put down your playthings in your car and concentrate on driving. Too bad it had to come to becoming a Law - but maybe it's better this way.
Now hang up and drive.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
If you talk on a hand-held cell, text, email, use a laptop, video game, camera, MP3 player, program a GPS, read printed material, write, groom yourself whether you're moving in traffic or stopped at a stop light, or if you eat your lunch with two hands, you will face a fine of $172 for each offense.
You can argue with the police officer but the ticket is based on whether the officer thinks you were distracted while driving. Good luck fighting Police Judgment in court. The ticket is more ambiguous than a speeding ticket so if you think you were driving well and the police officer doesn't, you lose.
This new Law is billed as the toughest in all of Canada. I hope the Police give it some teeth.
It's time to put down your playthings in your car and concentrate on driving. Too bad it had to come to becoming a Law - but maybe it's better this way.
Now hang up and drive.
- Join us on Facebook
Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
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