The Problem with Safety? We Made it Boring.

Walk onto most job sites, and you’ll hear the same thing: “Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

Sounds great. Except that in a lot of companies, safety still lives in its own little silo. The safety person walks the floor, gives a thumbs-up, maybe rattles off a checklist. They go back to their office to update the system.

Meanwhile, the crew is out there making real decisions. In real time. With real consequences. They’re the ones balancing a ladder on uneven ground. They’re the ones guessing whether the insulation is live. They’re the ones dealing with surprise weather, faulty equipment, and the very real pressure to get things done fast.

Wes Rundle has had to make some of these decisions himself, and knows how important it is to keep safety simple. 

He’s helped overhaul safety systems across many companies. From emergency planning in chemical plants to concrete coring crews mid-pandemic, he’s seen it all. And the lesson’s always the same: if your system adds friction, people will work around it.

You can’t layer complexity onto complexity and expect it to stick. You have to meet people where they are. Make it seamless. Make it make sense. The more forms you pile on, the less likely someone is to stop and think. The goal is not more paperwork. The goal is fewer injuries. Fewer close calls. And more people going home safe.