discrepancies between Perception and intention could possibly lead to a disaster of unexpected proportions.
I was recently hired as a safety consultant by a construction contractor who presumed that his 40 employees were well protected on the job. Indeed, on first examination, most pieces of the employee protection puzzle certainly appeared to be in place. There was a complete written safety and health program. The company also purchased a state-of-the-art interactive computer safety-training program and spent thousands of dollars on the best safety director. There was even a company-wide safety incentive program.
Yet this employer’s Workers’ Compensation insurance rate was almost $0.45 for every payroll dollar. In the previous three calendar years, there was an average of nine lost-time accidents per year. The company’s experience modification rate was 1.38 and had risen from 1.21 since the previous year. After inspecting the majority of his current work sites and interviewing most of his employees, it was evident that this employer was confusing an adequate safety program with implemented safety management.