It should be a simple question. After all, it seems like almost every classroom, hangar, shop or production area has posters reminding people that “Safety Comes First” and to “Be Safe,” “Fly Safe” and “Work Safe.” Yet when I ask the people attending my Preventing Human Error seminar to define safety, to explain how to “be safe,” my question is typically met with silence. Even a room full of safety officers is usually at a loss for words. No wonder all those posters don’t seem to be very effective!
After a while someone may say that safety is not having any injuries or accidents. I point out that avoiding injuries and accidents is the result of safety, not the definition. After a few more minutes someone may finally link safety with risk mitigation, which is what safety is really all about. My definition of safety is very simple. Safety is reducing risk in general and eliminating unnecessary risk.
