August 02 2021
By: Shawn M. Galloway
Common sense means sense about things that that nearly all believe would be perceived as regular, predictable and, thus, common. It doesn't mean everyone has it. That is the first maturing in thinking that needs to occur with many, especially the internal company leaders still using this term. 
Everyone has their own unique reticular activating system, filtering in and out what we experience with our sensory inputs. What one person views as risky, another may not, especially with their also unique experiences with performing a task and how we have measured success (absence of failures must therefore mean the presence of success?!). That is the second maturing in thinking.
The third is, safety does not own the common or uncommon phrases (language) within the organizations leveraging our collective professional support to help them improve safety performance and culture. Executive and operational leadership owns this. Thus, we need to influence changing the thinking about what that term - common sense - means, and helping leadership find different language to understand (and proactively address) influences on decisions and behavior.
Shawn Galloway, CEO of ProAct Safety, is an expert in safety excellence. With almost thirty years of experience, he is a highly sought-after advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness. Shawn has become a trusted partner to leading organizations across various industries worldwide. He ranks in the top 1% of the most prolific writers in his field, having authored over 500 articles and several bestselling books. He also launched the world's first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence©. As a recognized authority in safety, Shawn has received awards such as being named among the Top 50 People Who Most Influence EHS and a Top 10 Speaker, among others.
He is a regular 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. Shawn also serves as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, Forbes Business Council, and Fast Company Executive Board, enabling his influence to shape safety thinking and strategy at the executive level.
