Have you ever wondered why people who have been properly trained in your “Safety Program” keep taking risks, violating rules, and not following your safety requirements? Have you ever retrained the person only to observe them taking the same risk again? If you are like many, you answered yes to both questions.

Let’s explore two key concepts so you can attain the performance you desire.

1. The Behavior Triangle – We attain the highest level of performance when our Knowledge, Skills, and Desire are all strong and balanced.If a person’s knowledge is weak, we train and educate the person to transfer the necessary knowledge. If a person’s skills are weak, we allow the person to practice as often as possible to build the skills necessary. But what do we do if a person’s desire is weak?We can all agree that this element is the toughest to address. Desire resides inside a person.

2.The ABC’s – A is for Activator, B is for Behavior, and C is for Consequence.

Let me explain what drives our behavior by using the following example. Your smart phone ringing and the caller ID are the Activators.This ringing initiates our behavior. Behaviors are the actions we take and are observable by others. This could include pressing the Green button and talking, pressing the Red button, or ignoring the ringing entirely. Our day is full of thousands of decisions and choices, just like this example. The reason we chose a certain behavior, is based upon past Consequences. Those consequences direct our behavior.

So, let’s prove this out with a few different callers. You look at the caller ID, what would you chose to do:

Since Consequences direct our behavior; would you say consequences are more frequently positive or negative when it comes to safety? Let’s explore wearing safety glasses. Going back to the behavior triangle, I am sure you will agree it doesn’t take much Knowledge and Skill to wearing safety glasses. So why is it such a challenge? There are immediate negative consequences, including but not limited to discomfort, altered vision, fogging, too dark, headaches, etc. These negative consequences occur immediately and every time the glasses are worn.

In addition, subconsciously we are all conditioned to evaluate the probability of everything. In this case, the person thinks…. I know it is a rule to wear safety glasses….. but what is the chance of something going into and injuring my eye? If the person believes there is a low chance of something going into their eye and the chance of the negative consequence is high (ie. Fogging) the person will choose not to wear their safety glasses.

Conventional safety programs usually begin with retraining, without even thinking is this a knowledge, skill, or desire issue? Retraining makes people feel better, temporarily. Then the move to progressive discipline follows – verbal, written, suspension, termination. All negative consequences and feedback. How well does this strategy work? My experience has revealed, not well at all. People have shared that their discipline depends on the severity of the violation.In my example, your eyes are vital to living a healthy and full life. When we react to the at-risk behavior of not wearing safety glasses with one of these discipline levels, we are treating symptoms vs. the true reasons why the person is not wearing their safety glasses.

It is essential to first remove the barriers, the immediate negative consequences. By offering your people different style safety glasses, listening to their feedback, then giving them the choice, we can eliminate all the negative consequences mentioned earlier. With the barriers removed, now we can flip the script.

Next Week, We Will Explore: The Power of Feedback

Have you ever been trained in providing effective feedback? What method are you following?

• Discover the power of Positive Feedback
• Learn how to deliver feedback that will deliver immediate results
• Explore how you can change your delivery to become more effective

Make it a great day!

In 1995, my wife and I packed up and moved west in pursuit of opportunity and the dream of building a future for our family. Today, 29 years later, our twins—our greatest pride—are beginning their own journeys at rival colleges in Arizona. They are my “Why,” the driving force behind everything I do, including my passion for workplace safety and accountability.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked across multiple industries as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), leading efforts to create safer, more accountable work environments. From commercial insurance companies to some of the largest construction firms in the country, I’ve seen how accountability—or the lack of it—can make or break an organization. In 2012, my partners and I founded a safety consulting firm, built from scratch, with a shared mission to improve workplace safety.

Through it all, one thing has remained clear: a culture of accountability is the bedrock of highly successful businesses. But it’s not just about policies and procedures—it’s about engaging and empowering people to take ownership of their work and safety. It’s about showing that you genuinely care about your people. In this blog series, I’ll explore how leaders can foster this culture and, in turn, create engaged, safer, and more resilient organizations.

Don’t leave your safety program to chance. Ensure it’s as strong, effective, and proactive as it can be with our expert guidance and resources.

Get access to in-depth insights, expert tips, and the latest trends in workplace safety directly to your inbox.