The Most Fundamental Principle of Cowboy Safety

Here is the most fundamental principle of Cowboy Safety. Everything else builds from here.

The Most Fundamental Principle of Cowboy Safety

Cowboy Safety has a starting point.



Everything else in Cowboy Safety is the simplest way to achieve this goal. 

Will God Cover the Same Need More Than Once?

I have had a type of dialogue with someone this week who believes that in a case where he is a steward, does not follow a scriptural procedure and causes a loss, that he can impose on others to make up for his losses as a steward. What makes this so problematic is that the ones he wants to make up the loss would be the very ones who had warned him that he might not be a good steward and was risking a loss.

I have always had the view that I can refuse aid to you if I had told you where to get it or showed you that you had it, you ignored me, and the time ran out to use the aid. If I give you a shovel and tell you that you can dig all the potatoes you like from my field do I have to give you money for potatoes if that is your choice? If I say no can you impose on my children to give it to you?

Every corner and exit ramp seems to have someone with a sign "Will Work for Food," "Travelling need gas" or whatever. One of my daughters offered to fill a man's tank if he would bring his vehicle to the pump. He left the scene rapidly. He must have had a full tank. God had provided already. Would my daughter have been a bad steward if she had given him the money that he requested?

I have heard from folks in groups such as the Salvation Army that money should not be given to these "will works" as there are plenty of available resources to provide them. The money will often if not always go to support a substance abuse habit.

I have always thought that an expressed need should not be questioned. I have been stuck many times on this principle. I made the mistake of making a cell phone call to my wife while standing on the street in Seattle. A street person asked me for money for food. She wanted to buy a sandwich at the Subway across the street that was advertised on the window at $5. I gave her $5. She moved on up the street asking others for money. Then she got on a bus. Stupid me. I should have said I'll cross the street and buy it for you.

As the Body of Christ how do we do as Jesus would have us to do? Does God cover the same need more than once? Do I have a duty to give money in all cases or can I provide the items requested? If the steward causes a loss do I have a duty to  make up for his loss?

Any thoughts? I'll have to meditate more on this.

David Sneed

Is Anything Impossible?

Luke 1:37 is a simple and most interesting statement.

"For with God nothing shall be impossible."

If you take that verse and expect to win the lottery you will be disappointed. If you take that verse and misuse your resources you will be disappointed. If you want to do things your way you will be disappointed.

If you pray the will of God and move in His way you will not be disappointed.

God can make ways that you never thought possible. And when He does make a way it can appear to be something that happened by chance or would have happened to anyone. Faith is needed to believe in something that is not. Faith is also needed to believe in the Divine origin of something that is. God will allow us to believe the possibility that we created the answer to prayer.

David Sneed

Moneyball

I am not much for movies but today went to see Moneyball that just opened yesterday. It stars Brad Pitt, is produced by Brad Pitt, and is based on the book Moneyball:The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

The story is relevant not just to baseball, but to safety, and to just about every business that there is. Everyone should see it.

The central concept of Moneyball is that the collective tacit knowledge of baseball insiders is subjective and no longer valid. The result is ever increasing costs and declining results. Recent studies have shown that empirical metrics such as on-base percentage and hitting percentage are more relevant than RBI, batting average and stolen bases.
 
Themes of the story are insiders vs outsiders, flattening of hierarchies, and a drive for efficiency.

The Oakland A's in 2002 with $41 million in salary were competitive with teams such as the NY Yankees who spent $125 million the same season.

The fundamentals of Moneyball apply to safety. Safety departments in most companies are vast hierarchies doing things that may have worked in the Industrial Age that today are redundant and produce no value. Lethargy and bureaucracy have taken hold. As the jobs base declines, total cost of safety grows by spending on things that have no real link to safety results. Not just employee safety is compromised. Performance of the company mission is threatened. Do you think this could not be? And do you think that safety departments are concerned with safety?

During the BP well problem in the Gulf of Mexico BP came close to going away due to safety lapses. We learned that BP and the other oil companies outsourced their safety plans to a two man boilerplate firm in Houston. No one at BP ever read the plans. No problem. No one in government read them either. It took a newspaper reporter to discover that the plan included provision to protect walruses and polar bears in the Gulf of Mexico.

Back to baseball.

Of the nine teams with the highest payrolls this season six will sit home in October. The Red Sox may make it seven.

Moneyball is good because it is based on a true story that is so relevant to the 21st century.

David Sneed

Cooperation

The following is part of the charter of the National Safety Council from 1953 when it was chartered by the Congress of the United States.  

"to cooperate with, enlist, and develop the cooperation of and between all persons and organizations, both public and private, engaged or interested in any or all of the foregoing purposes."

Cooperation is an essential aspect of getting Cowboy Safety, or whatever other names it may be given, to be a part of every small business. It is a part of what will make the coming years to be the best and most profitable ever. 

I can remember when there was complete secrecy within a business. Secrecy was a part of every contract and agreement. No more. Today we can go anonymously to the internet and find anything we want about our competitors or would-be competitors. Prices are readily available. Competitive advantage, strategy, whatever you want. Cooperation is the name of the game today. Making knowledge available on the internet is one of the tactics. 

From the Bible Jesus said "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give mint your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. " Luke 6:38

David Sneed

Why Crash Avoidance Could Cause More Crashes

The Financial Times this week had a special section on The Future of the Car. One article by Bernard Simon told of the crash avoidance systems that are in place now, will be in place in two years, seven years and the future.

The crash avoidance systems involve various sensors that can override the driver.

I'm reminded of the old story about the drunk on foot who is only a hazard to himself. Once he gets behind the wheel he can kill twenty before he gets injured.

I know that in winter weather driving that the four wheel drive vehicles are commonly off the road upside down or on their sides while the two wheel drive vehicles roll merrily along. Four wheel drive may get a vehicle moving but has no effect on stopping or steering.

Crash avoidance systems can encourage risky behavior. Crash avoidance systems cannot override physics. And it will still be true that two vehicles cannot simultaneously occupy the same space on the highway. More crashes could result from drivers believing they are invincible.

Designers of safety systems, no matter how small and simple, need to be aware of this phenomenon of invincibility. Extra expense may not produce any results.

A common response from OSHA is that more training is needed. In common sense cases no training should be needed.

David Sneed

Blog Guidelines

I ran across a list of guidelines that was issued by IBM in 2005 for IBM employees who write blogs. The rules make sense for anyone doing a blog. Cowboy Safety blogs have been following similar rules though nothing that we have published. I think that bloggers generally want to make a difference and these type rules are pretty much common sense.

I place an emphasis on confidentiality of client activities and on the content of private conversations and emails with all stakeholders.

At the same time I voice my opinions and do not edit for things that might adversely affect my income. As an example, while I do have connections with the oil and gas industry, I do not make it a secret that I am opposed to fracking for oil and gas. I know the pro side and find it reasonable but am also aware that water pollution nonetheless seems to follow the industry.

From IBM's rules for guidance of IBMers who wanted to blog:

• Speak in the first person.
• Respect copyright and fair use laws.
• Safeguard confidential and proprietary information.
• Protect company clients, business partners and suppliers. 
• Respect your audience and your coworkers.
• Add value.
• Don't pick fights.
• Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. 
• Adopt a warm,open and approachable tone. 

Not As Obsolete As It May Sound

If you are not familiar with the King James version of the Bible, conversation means behavior in today's English.

"Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." I Peter 2:12.

In the New International Version it reads, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

David Sneed

The Hazards of Customer Service

I visited a small flower shop for the first time while on a walk with one of my granddaughters. There were no other customers and just the owner. I did mention that we were out for a walk. We certainly were not there for the day from LA. We must be community residents.

When we entered the store I had mentioned that this was our first time in. There was no effort on the part of the owner to grab hold of the event. A brand new prospect had walked in the door without a coupon or as the result of any advertising. This was an event that every business dreams about.

The owner heard me ask my granddaughter if we should get something for grandma. No effort was made to help make a selection.

We did purchase one flower with some added leaves and paper. It was noticeable that even though it was a small purchase I did not ask the price in advance. And I paid in cash. Clues of a potential good customer.

After the sale was complete and I had gotten my change I asked the owner why I should shop there and not at other florists. Her immediate answer was "customer service." I told her that everyone says that. She then outlined various features that are true for any florist. She did say that I could save money in sending flowers to another state to buy from her. That really set me to thinking. If I was sending flowers to another state why would I not just call a florist in that city and give my credit card number and ask them to deliver? Why involve a florist in my city?

There was no definition of customer service. The Cowboy Safety approach is to define what is meant by customer service and have a way to measure it. For sure it is not the same for every customer. She should have struck up a conversation. When I left, most likely never to return, she did not know my name, what I did, the size and location of my family members, whether or not my Mother was still alive or how often I bought flowers. She did not know that I had been pleased that at a grocery store florist a few months back that it was suggested that I set a budget and that I could trust them to design something great. For my first time out I tried $100. They did a great job.

A hazard in any business is that a prospect or customer will not come back.

David Sneed

Irreversible Decisions

We tend to think of an irreversible decision as one where we can know the decision point in advance of the action.

The most dangerous and most irreversible decisions have unknown decision points. These involve risk. We do something and we know or should know what can happen. The consequence may not occur. Should the consequence occur, the decision point gets backdated to the time that we took the initial action. It is as if we made a conscious decision to incur that consequence. We  may not want that consequence yet we get it as a result of our actions. The consequence is an irreversible decision.

An irreversible decision differs from an unintended consequence because with the irreversible decision we can anticipate the consequence but we do not know the probability. An unintended consequence is something that we normally cannot know in advance.

Management of irreversible decisions is a key aspect of Cowboy Safety.

David Sneed

When Risk is Not Risk

At Thy word I will let down the net. Luke 5:5.

The deeds and miracles of Jesus are
         not actions of the past.
Jesus is waiting for those who are
 still prepared to take risks at His word
because they trust His power utterly.

The above, in English and German, is inscribed on a plaque at Capernaum in Israel. I have found it to be most inspirational. 

David Sneed

What is A Simple Definition of Faith?

Faith is

Believing it is so
When it is not so
Until it becomes so
Because God says so

source unknown

Waffle House Playbook

Waffle House restaurants have a unique approach to safety that turns a disaster into a sustainable strategy. It is their aim to be open as much as possible during power outages, storms or whatever. Waffle House spends very little on advertising but gains goodwill from their conscious efforts to stay open no matter what. When they lose gas or electricity or ice they have a shortened menu and a procedure for what to do. They also plan for how to get back fully on line.

With 1,600 restaurants over much of the mid-Atlantic, Florida and the Gulf coast Waffle house is susceptible to hurricanes and other weather problems.

The Wall Street Journal has put together a great video summary:



Other businesses with disaster plans are Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

Every business should have a plan in place for how to work during hurricanes and other disasters.

David Sneed

A Sad Story Just In

About two hours ago today a 17 year old student at Colorado State University in Ft Collins CO lost both of her legs when she fell while attempting to board a slow moving freight train. She has been airlifted to a hospital in Denver.

She was with three male companions. Apparently they attempted to flee the scene. Two have been caught and charged with trespassing. 

It is believed that they had come to Longmont by train and were returning to Ft Collins.

There are many questions. The young folks had made it to college. Why did they not know of the dangers in boarding a moving freight train? Why did they not have safe transportation? What was in Longmont that was not in Ft Collins?

Often accidents can be prevented not by removing or mitigating the hazard but by not doing the activity in question. 

David Sneed

Should I Adopt Best Practices?

A great deal of lip service is given to best practices. Who could object to it? When we go to conferences we are often challenged to take home a set number of ideas and implement them. Often it is a complete waste of time.

Best practices are by definition something already being done by competitors. That does not bode well for having a competitive advantage. A practitioner of Cowboy Safety does not do something just because someone else does it. Why do something the best when it may not be needed?

Often too a best practice from one location will not be adapted properly to meet the need of another location or a best practice will in fact not be adopted at a new location.

There are many legacy practices that can be eliminated. Most of them can be found in the overhead functions of a business. Rather than try to analyze your needs without any information let's look at something that Henry Ford did. I'll use the words best practices where appropriate.

At one point when bids were requested for engine blocks Ford personally wrote the packaging specifications for the engine block crates. Ford's purchasing people said that the crates were not based on best practices. The casting firms said that no one would need that much of a crate. It did not meet best practices. Ford insisted even though the cost was higher than the best practices approach. A contract was signed.

Ford then wrote the procedures for opening the cases. Again he was in violation of best practices for opening crates. Ford insisted.

Then Ford directed how the crate sections would be the floor boards for the Model T.

While his furniture works might be seeking an award for best practices in making floor board Ford closed the furniture works.

Best practices is actually the status quo.

David Sneed

Startups

It has been said that an entrepreneur is a risk taker. It has also been often noted that those who are known as entrepreneurs are in fact not risk takers. They know what they are doing.

Marc Ringel of Floor Works in New York was an unhappy math teacher.

He had learned something about the flooring business by working in the industry for a brief period of time. Then with $145 he started his own business by partnering with existing contractors. That money went for the basic technology that he needed.

By working with his network of contractors he had no need to make initial investments in fixed costs and he had no need to fund variable costs.

Then with net revenue gained from leveraging his low-cost technology he was able to do the basics of incorporation, licensing and insuring. He added more contractors to his network. He then got his first big job on his own.

During the slow season he leveraged more low-cost technology and added painting as a product.

Ringel has been in business for a little over four years. If he continues with his start-up approach his business will continue to grow while continuing to almost eliminate risk.

David Sneed

The Waitress and the Drink Refill

I was at a pizza restaurant in Denver with two of my daughters and a son in law, the husband of one of them.

I'm going to tell you what happened. The issue is not what it may appear to be at first.

One of my daughters asked for a refill of her soft drink. Picture this. The glass contained ice and a small amount of the soft drink. Simple to see.

The waitress brought a glass that was the same size as the one to be refilled. The glass she brought had no ice and was full to the brim. The waitress poured from her glass into the one needing a refill. Remember that the glass to be refilled contained ice and a small quantity of the soft drink.

There was some soft drink left over after completing the refill. That glass was about 1/3 full. The waitress seemed to be unsure what to do with the remainder. I think she considered leaving it on the table. She took it back with her. Did she pour it out or, like sourdough starter, would this be the beginning of the next refill? At her station does she have partial glasses of each type of soft drink?

I will admit that my first thought as the customer was that she must be the stupidest waitress ever. I have nothing against waitresses. They are some of the finest hardest working people anywhere. When I owned a restaurant I could not keep up with it even at the few times that  I waited on tables. Yet I wondered. Had this waitress never done a refill? Why did she not just bring a whole new drink with ice? Is what she did company policy? In any event what she did affected the customer experience. Quite possibly not for everyone but for me and possibly others.

Let's look at another event. One that did not end well.

A few years ago in Alabama a company had its annual fall protection training. It was a boring repeat for the employees. Thirty minutes after the class a supervisor was dead from a fall. He was on an elevated surface and was not using his harness. Dare we call him stupid? Was something wrong with the training?

There is something common with the drink refill and with the fall. In both cases the people were not thinking about the possible outcomes of their actions yet they did base their actions on some aspect of their training.

With the drink refill there was actually nothing wrong with what she did to provide the refill except maybe waste a little of the soft drink. At this restaurant the usual procedure is to use a pitcher. That way several refills can be done with one trip. The customer has no problem with a pitcher not becoming empty. By doing it with one glass there is the appearance that her plan was to transfer all of the drink to the refilled glass. In fact it was good that she brought a glass with more than was needed. I suspect that she did consider that the others in that party all had water and because it was not a busy time there were no other refills needed in her section. Because her training was related to using a refill container she did not stop to think how what she did would look. It would have been better for her to simply bring a new glass with ice and place it on the table though it would not have fit the training.

With the supervisor, and the key word is supervisor, he felt that there was no need for him to use a harness because he was not doing the work and his risk exposure was limited. Safety is often viewed as being done for compliance purposes only. Scheduled training is the most visible feature and employees view it as a waste of time to hear what they already know. While it might not suit OSHA, a better solution might be to emphasize the fall hazard and make the actual harness training optional.

There can be time savings and better results by applying Cowboy Safety principles. What is the result to be achieved rather than the means?

David Sneed

OSHA penalties of $76,005

OSHA has cited Burris Logistics for 13 alleged serious safety and health violations at its Harrington, Del., warehouse following an investigation initiated under the agency's Site-Specific Targeting Program for industries with high injury and illness rates. Proposed penalties total $76,005.

Some of the serious violations involve exposing employees to electrical hazards due to the company's failure to properly mark voltage panel boxes, properly guard voltage junction boxes, and cover live electrical parts. Additionally, Burris Logistics failed to consult employees, including contractors, on the process hazard analysis and other elements of process safety management. The company also failed to provide appropriate process safety information; provide appropriate operating procedures regarding safe shift changes, shutting down and starting up; document that the oil drain valve for one of the process pressure vessels complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices; address considerations related to fluctuations in ammonia levels; conduct inspections to maintain system mechanical integrity; implement a plan for emergencies involving a potential ammonia release; provide written procedures for employees engaged in maintenance activities; place electrical equipment in an approved location; and ensure that the ammonia machine room complied with ventilation and other safety requirements.

An other-than-serious violation, with no monetary penalty, was cited for not conducting annual hearing tests.

Safety is all too often viewed as an unnecessary expense. On the Burris website there is an obituary for their CEO who had been in the family business since age 12. There is a great deal of material about his Christianity and his faith in the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us that "Safety is of the Lord." One cannot help but wonder why if they are Christians they are not dealing with safety. 

Overall what could motivate companies to deal with employee safety? In the long run there may be greater motivation for the employees to leave and start their own business. Though not guaranteed, smaller firms often seem to have better safety records than the larger ones where responsibility is dispersed. 

David Sneed

Using One's Own Products

I have been amazed over the years at companies that do not use their own products.

When a salesman wants me to buy from him, I have often asked how it works for him. "Well I actually don't use it." "Why not?" I ask. It will be that we do not have it in our budget, it costs too much, we use something else, or they never thought about it.

Can you imagine someone wanting you to buy something that they do not believe in?

They should quit and go do something they can believe in. I have been counseling someone recently who is not doing well in selling. He admits that he does not really believe in the product. Passion is needed. To have passion one must be a believer.

Massive losses occur by not believing in what you do.

David Sneed

The Opening and Closing of Doors

The concept of opening and closing of doors is both a secular and a Christian concept albeit with different meanings.

In 207 B.C. in the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu ordered the Chu army to cross the river to attack the Qin army that numbered about 300,000. The Chu army numbered less than 50,000. After crossing the river Xiang ordered his men to burn their boats and destroy all but three days rations. To make up for their weakness Xiang utilized a bit of motivation. He closed one of the two doors. The Chu army did succeed in conquering the Qin army. They had no choice if they wanted to survive.

Today we are often powerless because of a belief that we should keep options open. If we fail we like to know that we can go back to where we were. Even Christians will do this.

The natural man wants to have it all. In being his own God he actually does close doors of his own volition. Time spent at work means time away from spouse and children. Moving to a new location means leaving another. Every decision about material things means closing a door. In the material world there are unlimited desires and limited resoures. This is true of both time and money.

As Christians we view that Jesus is our salesman, our guide, our mentor, and our counselor. At least we should view it that way. While He can close doors we must be careful not to commit the sin of "tempting" God by asking God to close a door if that choice is not His will. I often cringe when I hear "God closed a door" used so casually. We view a closed door as a loss and so we want to place blame somewhere.

More properly we should look for God to open doors. When we recognize this to happen we can close a door and not feel a loss.

I know that I am not listing scriptures right now. There are not direct scriptures to establish a door close door open doctrine. There are plenty that allude to it. And there are plenty of examples, with Paul and Jonah to name two, where there were choices and where God made His intentions clear. Perhaps door close door open becomes a way for us mortals to understand seeking God's will. At the same time it can become a source of much sadness and regret. God may open a door for us that leads us where we go backwards materially. Trials and persecutions may come. Or we may simply wish we were back where we were before. "God did I make a mistake in going through this door?"

We need to grow as Christians. This will often mean we give up something that we once had. We may no longer need the financial security that we thought was so important.

This is not intended as a substitute for scripture but I remember that it was Janis Joplin who once said "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose." She had a point there.

There is an old story about the man who figured out how he could take his wealth with him. After he was checked in at the gates of Heaven with his bags of gold and moved on in one of the angels said to another "Why is he carrying all that paving material?" We laugh but it is so true.

As we get older we can look back on things we dragged around at a younger age and can have regrets that we spent so much time and money on something that was of no real value.

Maybe you can tell me your thoughts.

David Sneed