October 30 2016
By: Terry L. Mathis
Some might argue that safety is everyone's problem; but workers who haven't been injured don't tend to think it is theirs. This is largely because we define safety as "not getting hurt," so they view themselves as safety successes. Safety coaching is, in part, defining the performance that produces "no accidents" and then helping workers to accomplish that performance. Doing this successfully helps workers take ownership for their own performance and understand exactly what they can do to make safety happen in their organizations.
Many organizations want better safety results and know accomplishing that will require change. But few have accurately defined the needed change, broken it down to what each individual can do to accomplish it, and taught their leaders, supervisors and peers to coach each other to accomplish the change. Change is a process; not an event. Coaching is the key to making the process successful.
Terry Mathis, Founder and retired CEO of ProAct Safety, has served as a consultant and advisor for top organizations the world over. A respected strategist and thought leader, Terry has authored five books, numerous articles, videos and blogs, and is known for his dynamic and engaging presentations. EHS Today has named him one of the '50 People Who Most Influenced EHS' four consecutive times. Business leaders and safety professionals seek Terry's practical insight and unique ability to introduce new perspectives that lead to real change.
