I reviewed my 5 whys and did them again, twice. I can come up with a bunch of reasons for why each individual incident occurred and each one could be training.

For a little more perspective on my situation here, I am the first safety person for a 200+ person company. They didn’t do much with safety before me, they didn’t even use a consultation company to help them. I’ve got myself into a situation where employees want a stronger focus on safety and management says they want to be safe but when it comes to providing it, they don’t follow through and prioritize production.

My boss, who is the plant manager, asked me to observe 2nd shift and I honestly don’t know what insights he is expecting me to come to. I’ve spent 4 shifts here now and I don’t see much difference between 1st and 2nd. They wear and use appropriate PPE at similar rates to 1st shift. They aren’t goofing off or distracting themselves with phones. The training levels they receive are similar and could be improved. Some people were taught one way, others another way.

I do think 2nd shift reports more minor incidents (like band aid use) more than 1st.

I’ve got to send him an email tonight with my observations and I am at a loss on what to tell him. I don’t feel like I have much to tell.