March 06 2023
By: Shawn M. Galloway
What experiences have shaped your safety behaviors? On a consulting project in 2006, a public utility's safety professionals were on an urgent mission to remove all the "Caution! Please Open Doors Slowly" signs from the doors to the restrooms in the administration building.
Watching this happen, I inquired. I learned the building we were in was where community members would come to pay their bills. The door to access the restrooms had no way to see what was beyond it, no window. It also did not have a quarter circle painted on the other side where you sometimes find a statement, "Do not stand here." As there was a concern someone might open the door and make contact with someone on the other side, they put up a red plastic sign with white lettering saying, "Caution! Please Open Door Slowly." 
The problem with this safety sign is it had sharp corners. A community member attempting to open the door with the palm of his hand received a laceration as he contacted the corner of the sign. Yes, folks, the safety sign injured someone.
To this day, I always open doors slowly. Why? Because I remember this experience. Remember to include why a behavior is essential when looking for a change. Most people remember stories and pictures, not facts and figures.
"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." - Philip Pullman
"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why." - Bernard Baruch
"Yesterday's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why." - Hunter S. Thompson
Shawn M. Galloway is the CEO of ProAct Safety and an advisor to leading organizations across all major industries. With over twenty years of experience in safety systems, strategy, culture, leadership, and employee engagement, he is a trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness.
He is the author of several bestselling books and has multiple regular columns in leading magazines, with over 400 articles and 100 videos to his credit. He also created the first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence, with over 800 episodes. Shawn has received numerous prestigious accolades and has been featured in Power 101 Leaders of the EHS World, Top 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS, Top 40 Rising Stars, Top 11 Health and Safety Influencers, and Top 10 Speakers.
He serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the Fast Company Executive Board. He has appeared as a guest on Bloomberg, Fox News, The Daily Mail, Dubai One, U.S. News & World Report, Sirius Business Radio, Wharton Business Daily, and leading safety magazines and podcasts, reinforcing his status as an authority in the field of safety excellence.
For more information, call +1.936.273.8700 or email info@ProActSafety.com.
