“Simply requesting that employees ‘remain situationally aware’ is not a strategy informed by science and will always be met with skepticism and flawed execution,” says Rajni Walia of DEKRA Organizational Safety and Reliability. “We need to consider how we can improve situational awareness when it matters most.”
“Until leaders understand that there is a level of safety beyond zero, they will be stuck on the dreaded ‘hockey stick plateau’ in their safety performance,” says speaker Bill Sims Jr., who adds that many “fail to see the underlying ‘management system at risk’ behaviors that kill more people than worker behavior ever will.”
During the summer months, outdoor workers are at heightened risk of heat-related illnesses, ranging from mild heat rash to potentially deadly heatstroke. “It’s not like you just provide them water and that solves the problem,” one expert says. “It starts with an effective plan.”
