1	THE SAFETY ETHIC: Where Can I Get One? Robert H. Hill, Jr. Office of Health and Safety Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Ga. 30333
2	An Old Perspective on Safety “If you want to become a chemist, so Liebig told me, when I worked in his laboratory, you have to ruin your health. Who does not ruin his health by his studies, nowadays will not get anywhere” – August Kekule, 1890 Lecture - National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling & Disposal of Chemicals. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1995.
3	What Is A Safety Ethic? Common term Virtually no information Principle or value of right or good conduct Relating to safety Use available information to derive a safety ethic
4	My First Safety Ethics Mom said: “Be nice!” The Preacher said: “Do unto others as they would do unto you.” Dad said “If they pick on you, bust ‘em in the nose, and run like heck!”
5	How Do You Get A Safety Ethic? Learn from parents, families, others Learn from secondary teachers Adults should learn in college Working adults learn from managers, coworkers, safety staff
6	Why Do I Need A Safety Ethic? Self-preservation and long life Care of family Protection of coworkers & others Protection of property and assets As an example for others As a leader for others
7	What Do We Know About the Safety Ethic? “Safety climate is a summary concept describing the safety ethic of an organization or workplace” – Williamson et al. , Safety Science, 25, 15-27, 1997. OSHA Savvy Chemist “communicates the safety ethic to colleagues and the public” – Utterback & Nelson, Educating For OSHA Savvy Chemists, ACS Symposium Series 700, 1998.
8	E. Scott Geller “Safety is not a priority, it is a value.” “Safety should be an unwritten rule, a social norm, that workers should follow regardless of the situation.” “It should become a value that is never questioned – never compromised.” - E. Scott Geller, The Psychology of Safety Handbook, Lewis Publishers, New York, 2001
9	National Research Council “a crucial component of chemical education at every level is to nurture basic attitudes and habits of prudent behavior in the laboratory so that safety is a valued and inseparable part of all laboratory activities.” - National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling & Disposal of Chemicals. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1995.
10	Searching for The Safety Ethic Safety is a Value Unwritten rule Never compromised Inseparable part of activities Prudent behavior Needed for self-preservation, protection of family, coworkers, property
11	National Research Council “Forming the foundation for a life-long attitude of safety consciousness, risk assessment, and prudent laboratory practice should be an integral part … of scientific education – in the classroom, in textbooks, and in the laboratory from the earliest exposures … through graduate and postdoctoral training.” From National Research Council’s Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, National Academy Press, 1995
12	National Research Council “They must learn to evaluate intelligently the wide range of hazards in laboratories and learn the techniques by which potential dangers can be controlled routinely with negligible risk.” From National Research Council’s Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, National Academy Press, 1995
13	ACS Committee on Professional Training Statement on Safety and Safety Education “Safety is critical in all laboratory settings. Therefore, safety education must be an integral part of the chemistry curriculum.”
14	Opportunity for College Faculty Safety NOT in chemistry (other?) curricula Graduates lack safety knowledge & ethic Reinforces safety unworthy of attention Lack of interest passed to next generation
15	How Can We Get The Safety Ethic to Graduates Team effort w/ educators and safety professionals Identify safety areas, course placement Incorporate safety into curricula/textbooks Develop a code for future graduates – The Safety Ethic
16	Searching for The Safety Ethic Working safely Safety education Learning risk assessment, hazard evaluation Learning to minimize risk, control hazards Learning to identify safe procedures
17	Heinrich’s Law of Safety “At-risk behavior is the root cause of most near hits and injuries” - Heinrich, H.W., Petersen, D., and Roos, N. Industrial Accident Prevention: A Safety Management Approach, 5^th Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980 Good Safety Ethic aims at reducing at-risk behavior
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19	Prevention is the Key “the fundamental challenge facing the CDC [and all of us] is the same as it was in its early days over 50 years ago – improving the quality of people’s lives by preventing disease, injury, and disability.” Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Fact Book 2000/2001
20	Searching for The Safety Ethic Preventing at-risk behavior Recognize unsafe or at-risk behavior Don’t have at-risk behavior Prevent at-risk behavior in others
21	E. Scott Geller Follow safe procedures consistently Attribute behavior to voluntary decision Begin thinking safe Making safety a value Ideal safety mission - E. Scott Geller, The Psychology of Safety Handbook, Lewis Publishers, New York, 2001
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23	Searching for The Safety Ethic Promoting safety Teach others safety Mentor to others Leader in safety Recognize others for safety Pass on safety ethic
24	Responsibility “The Buck Stops Here!” - Harry Truman Legal requirement; Duty OSHA, EPA, DOT, DOE
25	Responsibility “Is often meant to denote duty, something imposed upon one another from outside. But responsibility, in its true sense is an entirely voluntary act;…response to the needs …. of another human being.” Eric Fromm, The Art of Loving
26	Responsibility “What is faith if it is not translated into action?” Mohandas Gandhi
27	Searching for the Safety Ethic Accepting responsibility for safety Voluntary Caring for self, others, employees Supporting safety actively Taking action to ensure and promote safety
28	The Safety Ethic A Personal Code for Living Safely in Today’s World
29	THE SAFETY ETHIC 1. I value safety 2. I work safely 3. I prevent at-risk behavior 4. I promote safety 5. I accept responsibility for safety
30	1. I value safety as a positive, integral part of my everyday activities Safety is a value not to be compromised Safety inseparable part of my activities requiring prudent behavior Safety prevents and protects my family, coworkers, colleagues, myself and others from suffering
31	2. I work safely, minimizing risks of injury or illness. I educate myself in safety I identify and follow safe procedures I seek ways to minimize and control risks I maintain a high level of awareness of safety at home, on the job, and at leisure
32	3. I prevent at-risk behavior I learn to recognize at-risk behavior I do not practice at-risk behavior I seek to prevent at-risk behavior by others I maintain awareness for at-risk behavior
33	4. I promote safety I promote safety as an example to others I act as a mentor educating the unknowing and inexperienced in safety I recognize others for their safe acts I pass The Safety Ethic to others
34	5. I accept responsibility for safety I am responsible for my safety I am responsible for the safety of my family, coworkers, and employees I ensure my employees’ safety with training, proper safety equipment, and safe facilities I will not compromise the safety of my family, employees, coworkers, or others.
35	THE SAFETY ETHIC I value safety, work safely, prevent at-risk behavior, promote safety, and accept responsibility for safety.
36	The Safety Ethic Proposes a set of values and behaviors elevating safety to a new level of attention Need to change our behavior to “live out” The Safety Ethic Make our everyday world a safer place for our children, families, coworkers, employees, and others.
37	The Safety Ethic “Taking responsibility for changing begins with paying attention to the active if invisible role played in keeping harmful traditions alive.” A Call To Character, Colin Green, Herbert Kohl, Harper-Collins, New York
38	Robert H. Hill, Jr. Deputy Director, Office of Health and Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road (F05), Atlanta, Ga 30333 Email: rhill@cdc.gov Telephone: 404-639-2453 Fax: 404-639-1691 OHS Website: http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/