Safety is the Presence of Controls

Welcome back to Safer VRS podcast.  Today, I wanted to talk about something I learned while attending a training class in Orlando last week. The philosophy is called "new safety" or "safety differently", and it has to do with the idea that safety is not the prevention of accidents, but the presence of controls. In other words, safety is not the absence of incidents or accidents, but rather the measures we put in place to prevent serious harm when incidents do occur.

I saw this philosophy in action with a property management company that purchased safe vehicles for their fleet and trained their drivers, yet still experienced an accident when another vehicle collided with them at a red light. Despite their efforts to prevent the accident, they had controls in place to minimize the harm caused by the incident.

This new way of thinking about safety is important because, as humans, we will make mistakes, and incidents will occur. Instead of solely focusing on preventing accidents, we should also focus on the controls we have in place to protect ourselves and others. By doing so, we can minimize the harm caused by incidents that do occur.

In conclusion, I encourage everyone to think about the controls they have in place to ensure safety in their businesses and personal lives. Whether it's wearing a seatbelt in a car or having safety protocols in a workplace, having controls in place can make all the difference in preventing serious harm when incidents do occur.

Remember, incidents and accidents will happen, so what controls do you have in place to keep your employees and guests safe?

Start thinking about this today.