Your Safety Program Is Probably Just a Binder

The Binder Problem

I've walked into hundreds of workplaces. Almost all of them have a safety program. It's usually in a binder. Sometimes multiple binders. Colour-coded tabs, laminated pages, the whole setup.

Then I ask a frontline worker: "What's your emergency evacuation procedure?"

Blank stare.

"Where's the nearest eyewash station?"

They point vaguely. Wrong direction.

The binder is beautiful. The program doesn't exist outside of it.

How We Got Here

It starts with good intentions. A company needs COR certification, or they're responding to an incident, or an insurance auditor asked questions they couldn't answer.

So they buy a template. Or hire someone to write policies. Boxes get checked. The audit passes.

And then everyone goes back to doing what they were doing before.

The program becomes a legal shield, not an operational tool. It exists to prove due diligence after something goes wrong, not to prevent things from going wrong.

The Test That Matters

Here's how you know if your safety program is real or just documentation theatre:

• Can a random worker explain the hazards of their job? Not recite a JHA - actually explain what could hurt them and what controls they use.
• Do supervisors actually stop unsafe work? Or do they look the other way when production pressure hits?
• When's the last time someone refused unsafe work? If the answer is "never," either you have a perfect workplace or people don't feel safe refusing.
• Do your safety meetings discuss real problems? Or is it the same PowerPoint every month while actual hazards go unaddressed?

The Uncomfortable Truth

A compliant safety program and an effective safety program are not the same thing.

You can have all the documentation, pass every audit, maintain your COR certification, and still hurt people. Happens all the time.

The Ministry doesn't care about your binder when they're investigating a fatality. They care about what actually happened on the floor. Was the hazard identified? Were controls in place? Did workers know about them? Were they followed?

Paper doesn't stop injuries. Behaviour does. And behaviour only changes when safety culture is built into operations, not bolted on as an afterthought.

What Actually Works

The companies that get this right share a few traits:

1. Safety is operational, not administrative. It's part of planning, not paperwork after the fact.
2. Workers have input. The people doing the work help identify hazards and design controls.
3. Leadership walks the talk. When the boss ignores PPE requirements, everyone notices.
4. Near misses get reported. Because people trust that reporting leads to fixes, not blame.

The Question

Pull out your safety program. Not the binder - the actual practices happening on your floor right now.

Would it survive contact with reality?

If you're not sure, that's your answer.