Paradigm shifts for total safety

This chapter outlines ten new perspectives we need to adopt in order to exceed current levels cf safety excellence and reach our ultimate goal—a Total Safety Culture. The traditional three Es of safety management—engineering, education, and enforcement—have only gotten us so far. A Total Safety Culture requires understanding and applying three additional Es—empowerment, ergonomics, and evaluation. 

This so-called psychological approach held that certain individuals were accident prone. By removing these workers from risky jobs or by disciplining them to correct their attitude or personality problems, it was thought that accidents could be reduced. As 1 discussed in Qiapter 1, this focus on accident proneness has not been effective, partly because reliable and valid measurement procedures are not available. Also, the person factors contributing to accident proneness are probably not consistent characteristics or traits within people, but vary from time to time and situation to situation. 

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Chapter three Paradigm shifts for total safety... 

The shift in how paradigm is commonly defined does contain an important lesson. When we adopt and use new definitions, our mindset or perception changes. In other words, as I indicated in the previous chapter, we act ourselves into a new way of thinking or perceiving. This is a primary theme of this book. When employees get involved in more effective procedures to control safety, they develop a more constructive and optimistic attitude toward safety and the achievement of a Total Safety Culture. Let us consider the shifts in principles, procedures, beliefs, attitudes, or perceptions needed for the three new Es—ergonomics, empowerment, and evaluation—and for achieving a Total Safety Culture. 

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