Risk Management Magazine

There are two sides to a safety program: administrative and fieldwork. Striking a balance between the two sides allows the safety program and the organization's safety culture to flourish. Neglecting one side or the other will cause the safety program to fail and the organization to suffer.

Most of us remember hearing a series of bells or some other type of audible device signaling a fire drill while in grade school. I recall hoping the drill would lead to an unplanned recess and enjoyed getting a break from our classwork. At the time, I did not understand the importance of these drills in preparing me and my classmates on how to react to an emergency. Unknowingly, it created an environment that assisted our teachers and emergency responders in ensuring everyone made it out of the building quickly and safely.

As panic set in, the worker ran to the nearby emergency phone to call for help. Their supervisor was the first one on the scene, running up seven flights of stairs, not knowing what he would encounter.