Whatever you do, don’t make safety a priority! No, that’s not a typo. Really, don’t make safety your priority.

Have you ever seen those signs on a jobsite? You know the ones. They usually say something like – “Safety is our top priority!”.

You likely hear those same sentiments on various forms of public transport or tours – “Your safety is our top priority, so please ensure…”. I get a sinking feeling whenever I hear someone say this. The last thing safety should be in any strong Safety Culture, is a priority.

What exactly is a priority anyway? According to Webster, the simple definition of a priority is “something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first”.

Now don’t get me wrong – I absolutely love priorities. I thrive off them and could not survive without them. Every organization and every person needs priorities, or we would waste away our days, without much structure and not achieving any real goals or objectives.

So here’s the thing with priorities, and it’s something I love about them – they can and should change! According to the definition above, priorities also have a start and a finish – they need to be “dealt with first”.

Priorities should always be considered strategically, and re-prioritized according to your goals and objectives, and naturally changing circumstances. When I have workers on a jobsite, I certainly always want them to be re-prioritizing, to increase efficiency and productivity. Everyone wants to feel productive.

On the other hand, a strong Safety Culture does not fit with the definition for priority. Consider that for something to truly be a priority, it must have “competing alternatives”. In a strong Safety Culture, nothing is granted precedence over health and safety. Doing work the right way, in a safe manner is the ONLY way to work, and when coupled with priorities – it makes for really productive and successful jobs. It makes total business sense, to avoid injuries, costly incidents and schedule delays.

I remember back when wearing seat-belts first became the law in my province (yep, I’m dating myself here). Buckling up quickly became a priority when jumping in the car to go run errands – in order to avoid a potential fine. It took some getting used to, and there certainly were nay-sayers in the early days. It made for quite the editorials in local newspapers.

I often ask during my presentations, “How many people arrived here in a vehicle today?” – most have. Most also have a list of priorities (even if only simple errands) to accomplish in the day. I then ask, “On your list of priorities today, who has wearing your seatbelt? No-one, really? Does that mean none of you wore your seatbelts???”

Of course not. You naturally put on your seatbelt without giving it much of a thought at all – it certainly was not a priority, after all it really is the only way to drive in a car these days. That is what a strong Safety Culture looks like.

The occasional time I have been in the backseat of a taxi in some obscure place in the world, and there is not a seatbelt (and no other forms of alternate transportation!) – it feels really odd and unsettling – something doesn’t feel right. I ask the driver to slow down and take it easy – no rush. That, too, is a strong Safety Culture at work.

So whatever you do in your workplace to ensure a strong Safety Culture, please do not make safety a priority.

Always remember – everyone wants to go to work, do their job well, and get home safe. This is the belief that a strong Safety Culture is founded upon.