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112 • ROCK products • August 2018 www.rockproducts.com Aggregates Industry Almanac Safety Training O ver the past few years, "If You See Something, Say Some- thing" has become a mantra in this country. We hear it on the news, see it on television or take note of signs with this message posted in airports, shopping malls and other public places. From where did this slogan come? It seems this unofficial motto began in the days following 9/11, when Harry Bains called police to report that he spotted an alleged terrorist, accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey, sleeping in the doorway of his bar. He later told his patrons he "saw something and said something." According to a Wash- ington Post article (O'Haver, 2016) the phrase was jotted down by an advertising executive, Allen Kay, and stored in his office. A few months after 9/11, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) needed a safety slogan, he submitted the phrase as a contender. After reviewing all of the slogans submitted, the MTA selected it as its new safety slogan and spends up to $3 million per year posting it on its trains, subway cars and buses as well as on radio and television ads. Obviously, the slogan has gotten a great deal of buy-in as shown by an increase of suspicious package reports in New York, which grew exponentially in just four years. Not only is this slogan still used by those in public transportation, gov- ernmental agencies and cities but it has also been adopted for use by many businesses including some in the aggregates processing and heavy highway construction industries. The Presence of "See Something, Say Something" in Health and Safety Programs Incorporating "If you see something, say something" into a company's health and safety program is a novel idea for get- ting all employees involved in day-to-day safety. It capitalizes on the idea that we are all our "brother's keeper" by stressing our need to watch out for one another and, when someone does or is about to do something in an unsafe manner, we stop to discuss it. In theory, when "If you see something, say something" is tied to safety, it should help companies reduce incidents, accident and injuries on mine sites and related construction projects. Even though this slogan may be promoted on the job, employ- ees' perceptions of this initiative is unknown. Do employees feel this is a "tattletale" program where they are being asked to "police" the safety behavior of their co-workers? Or, do they step up and "say something" when they "see something" of concern? Along with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Adminis- tration (OSHA), companies encourage their employees to speak up when equipment, machines or conditions are not safe. Yet, research shows that employees sometimes see haz- ards or suffer what they believe to be minor injuries and do not tell their supervisors. In addition, Phillip Ragain of The RAD Group (Ragain, 2016) found employees are good at doc- umenting the unsafe behaviors they observe, but they are not as good at directly interventing in those unsafe behav- iors. They are not stopping and effectively changing unsafe behavior when it occurs. "Wehn you consider that employees observe more than three unsafe acts a week on average – and 12 percent of employees observe more than five unsafe acts each week – this is a legitimate concern" (Ragain, 2016). To illustrate, research has shown that a sense of power- lessness often keeps young workers from telling their supervisor about safety concerns (Tucker & Turner, 2013). Those involved in this study said they take a "wait-and-see" approach, in hopes that other workers might notice the hazard or that the situation would resolve itself. In addition, workers did not believe individually that they would have any effect on the situation. When asked what would happen if they did not have co-worker support, one participant said, "You'd be alone and nothing would get done" (Tucker & Turner, 2013, p. 108). However, if co-workers share the same concerns about a hazard they are more likely to go and discuss it with their supervisor together. Even though this slogan may not always be acted upon, there is no doubt many companies have employees who stop their work and say something to a supervisor or co-worker when a hazard, issue or unsafe condition is observed. In these cases, the situations are corrected to ensure no one is involved in an accident or injured on the job. In an ideal world, every time a hazard or problem is identified, employees will stop work, say something or do something about it. Unfortunately, we do not operate in an "ideal" world and this does not always happen. The barriers which prevent employees from saying something are not all known nor understood. Safety Only When Employees Feel Supported Will They Step Up and Say or Do Something if They Observe an Unsafe Situation or Behavior. By Joe McGuire, Emily Haas and Scott Bohm