Despite decades of improvements in occupational safety, avoidable incidents still occur daily across all industries. Recent catastrophic events in the Gulf of Mexico and the mines of West Virginia shine a blinding spotlight on the failures of safety leadership. Why is it so hard to get safety right?

In attempts to improve safety, companies institute safety programs, purchase specialized equipment, and engage in safety practices that they believe have a positive impact. Unfortunately the measure of that impact is flawed. Having a low incident rate is no guarantee that an organization is safe. Due to decades of improvements, the hazardous conditions and at-risk behavior that remain in many organizations today only occasionally result in incidents. Going a month, a year, or even several years without an incident may be a function of sheer luck. In many cases companies are Safe by Accident.

Moving beyond finger pointing, behavioral safety experts and authors, Dr. Judy L. Agnew and Dr. Aubrey C. Daniels, deliver leaders a powerful message with clear calls to action in this data-based, practical approach to ensuring organizations are safe by design, not Safe by Accident.

Agnew and Daniels reveal how behavioral science can help safety professionals and leaders foster a company-wide culture of safety–from the boardroom to supervisors to the employees on the front lines. Starting with the seven common safety leadership practices that don’t work (and what to do instead) to broader and more strategic recommendations that leaders can incorporate to create a high-performance safety culture, this book is essential for leaders who want to improve safety in their organization.