Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture
By Brian Owens
()
About this ebook
What is it that forms the basic cohesiveness of workplace culture? How does an organization proactively build and sustain an effective approach to achieving a universal zero-incident mindset?
Many current models for occupational safety and risk management are too often reactive, not proactive. They are built to respond to events that were likely rooted in human behavior, and then attempt to control future outcomes by enforcing policies, procedures, and disciplinary action. This approach fails to recognize the very premise of the incident itself: the pre-employment behavioral development.
Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture turns this methodology upside-down.
In this thought-provoking book, Risk Manager Brian O. Owens explores the undeniable connection between employees’ humanity and their cultural contributions to the workplace. Using a simple yet powerful approach to aligning a workplace safety culture, Brian reveals the road to zero incidents is not built by attempts to control employee behavior, but by effectively changing the behavior using the power of Perspective.
Perspective revolutionized philosophy. It changed the world from flat to round. And it is the key to unlocking the potential of your workplace safety culture.
Be prepared to never see, hear, or say the word Perspective the same way again!
Brian Owens
Brian O. Owens has a diverse background in risk management and occupational health and safety. He served five years active duty in the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in 2004 where he served in support of Task Force 1-9 Cavalry, an element of the 1st Cavalry Division. Brian left military service in 2005 with an honorable discharge and went to work in the open-pit copper mines of the southwestern U.S. where he first became involved in occupational health and safety. He later became the Corporate Safety Director for a multi-divisional industrial construction company. In addition to his continued presence in the mines, Brian broadened his safety experience with operations in oil and gas, as well as pipeline industries. It was here that Brian began drafting the concept of his theory of Inversion. During a three-and-half-year stint, guided by the Inversion principles, Brian helped the company earn an OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Assessment Series certification, which is a globally recognized standard for safety management. This heavily contributed to reducing the company’s Experience Modifier Rating (EMR) by 35 points, which greatly reduced the cost of the company’s workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Brian moved on to become Environmental Health and Safety Manager for an aluminum remelt, extrusion, and fabrication operation. He continued developing the Perspective-Based Safety Culture, traveling North America to other extrusion operations to give presentations and help change the mindset of modern occupational safety. Brian now serves as a Risk Consultant with clients in many different industries. He delivers his stories and philosophical anecdotes to help others realize the importance of perspective-based safety.
Related to Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture
Related ebooks
Maximizing Profitability with Safety Culture Development Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Hundred Steps: A Practical Guide to the 100 Steps That Can Make Your Workplace Safer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNear Miss Reporting as a Safety Tool Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Risk Management and System Safety Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Steps to Safety Culture Excellence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTransform Your Safety Communication Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety is Your Business: Your Small Business Guide to a Safety Program Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHealth and Safety 2017 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Think and Become Safety Practitioner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety Walk Safety Talk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Managing Health and Safety in a Small Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety and Health in Industry: A Handbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Industrial Hazard and Safety Handbook: (Revised impression) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Safety Management Beyond Iso 45001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Establishing an occupational health & safety management system based on ISO 45001 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Job Hazard Analysis: A Guide for Voluntary Compliance and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Protecting Personnel at Hazardous Waste Sites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHealth And Safety A Complete Guide - 2020 Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety culture Complete Self-Assessment Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOccupational health and safety A Complete Guide - 2019 Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStaying Safe at Work: Sunway Shorts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAir Safety (Inside the FAA) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Safe Zone: Technological Aspects of Safety in the Workplace Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehavior-based safety A Clear and Concise Reference Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety engineer The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety at Work Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Safety Culture In The Workplace A Complete Guide - 2020 Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssential Health and Safety KPIs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Industrial Health & Safety For You
Human Factors in Aviation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Falls Aren't Funny: America's Multi-Billion Dollar Slip-and-Fall Crisis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafety Essentials For Working At Height Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Safety First! Really?: Safety through Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRadium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Workers' Inferno: The untold story of the Esso workers 20 years after the Longford explosion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProcrastination, Health, and Well-Being Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practical Guide to Occupational Health and Safety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disasters and Public Health: Planning and Response Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrevor Kletz Compendium: His Process Safety Wisdom Updated for a New Generation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmbulatory Surgery Center Safety Guidebook: Managing Code Requirements for Fire and Life Safety Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurvival 101 Bushcraft AND Survival 101 Beginner's Guide 2020 (2 Books In 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocial and Community Medicine for Students Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cross Country Pipeline Risk Assessments and Mitigation Strategies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death in the Mines: Disasters and Rescues in the Anthracite Coal Fields of Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think and Become Safety Practitioner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInspecting & Cleaning Potable Water Storage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurviving the Death of Technology: Prepper's Survival Guide with Tips to Prepping for Technology Collapse: Off the Grid Living Hacks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnvironmental and Health and Safety Management: A Guide to Compliance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Handbook of Chemical Compound Data for Process Safety Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApplied Genomics and Public Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntroduction to Petroleum Process Safety Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Noise Control in Industry: A Practical Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Safety and Health Essentials: OSHA Compliance for Small Businesses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Game Over Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHuman Factors Psychology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHandbook of Hazardous Chemical Properties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture - Brian Owens
Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture
Brian O. Owens
Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture.
© 2018 Brian O. Owens. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying, without written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission from the publisher.
Contact:
High Lonesome Publishing.
bowens@hl-publishing.com
The stories and events depicted in this book are based on true occurrences. The names of places, businesses, and people involved have been withheld for anonymity. The views expressed herein are solely the opinions of the author based on his professional experiences and observations.
CONTENTS
Introduction: Learning from Storytelling
PART I: Inversion: Recognizing the Need for Change
Chapter 1: The Behavioral Formula and the Foundation of Culture
Chapter 2: Culture: Excellence or Compliance?
Chapter 3: Culture: Perspective through Leadership
Chapter 4: Controls, Risk Tolerance, and the Path to Zero
PART II: Perspective and the Behavioral Formula: Making the Change
Chapter 5: Exposure and Influence: The Birthplace of Perception
Chapter 6: Perception: The Truth (Or Is It?)
Chapter 7: Thought: Better Understanding through Effective Communication
Chapter 8: Belief: Better Decision-Making
Chapter 9: Behavior: Better Choices
Chapter 10: Refined Perspective: The Risk of Assumption
Chapter 11: Culture: X Marks the Spot
Chapter 12: Zero: Life After the Change
Acknowledgments
About the Author
tmp_bd587b84dac84d258e60f880740cf0bf_XR2cGk_html_m2f76984f.pngA situation in which something is changed so that it is the opposite of what it was before.
—Cambridge Dictionary
Introduction:
Learning from Storytelling
When I was young, I was enamored with my grandfathers. They were both amazing storytellers, and they offered little resistance when I asked them to recount their experiences from bygone decades. I focused intently when I could see I was in for another tale, whether sitting around a campfire, resting on a front porch, or gathered in a family living room. They used storytelling to help me learn important lessons.
I struggled with fractions as a kid. My mom’s dad, a farmer for most of his life, took me aside and said, Your mama tells me you’re having trouble with fractions in school.
I reluctantly nodded yes.
He walked me over to the rows of corn in his garden. How many rows of corn do you see in this patch?
I counted them and told him.
Good. Now, how many of those rows are watered?
Again, I gave him my answer.
He said, It looks like you can do fractions just fine.
And just like that, I got it: a fraction was a part of a whole. It only took something simple to make the lightbulb go on.
I can remember wanting to be a truck driver like my dad’s dad. I was fascinated with the big rigs and thought if he could do it, then so could I. Dad told me there was more to it than just driving, and if I was going to drive like Grandad did, then I’d need to do it safely. He said Grandad had achieved a remarkable safety milestone in his career. When I asked what it was, he told me to go ask him myself.
Grandad’s remarkable milestone turned out to be a closet full of safety awards for four million miles of accident/violation-free driving, something I still struggle to wrap my head around, especially considering the compliance measures for his vocation. When I asked how he did it, he chuckled and said, One mile at a time.
I still marvel at the power in that answer’s simplicity.
What struck me most about these wise men was that I later found out that neither one of them had a formal education beyond eighth grade. How was it that these men who probably wouldn’t have been able to pass the battery of tests I took to graduate high school could be so intelligent, wise, and insightful? How could their lessons be so powerful and remain such a focal point in my life, even to this day? They weren’t certified. They had no credentials or accolades to support a position worthy of bestowing knowledge upon other people. Nonetheless, they were teachers, educators who gave effective and applicable knowledge to those fortunate enough to listen.
Through my grandfathers, I learned a valuable lesson, one I’m not even sure they knew they were teaching: one of the most powerful tools a person can use is perspective.
My grandfathers mastered the art of teaching through storytelling, and I saw it in other places, too. I noticed it in school. I took notes until my hand cramped, filling an entire notebook with items to study in preparation for an exam, complete with circling, underlining, and highlighting. That did little to actually ensure I understood the subject matter. It only served to help me pass the test, and even then, sometimes only barely. But, if a teacher incorporated a story into the lesson or made a relatable connection to something I knew, I understood that portion of the material and retained the information.
I also noticed it in church. I was a disheveled and distracted kid in the pew, paying no attention and doodling cartoons on the bulletin—that is, until the preacher launched into a story. Then I dropped the pencil, perked