The Problem With Old School Safety

Safety isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about making sure people go home in one piece. But when rules focus more on compliance than actual safety, they can create new hazards.

Take tying off at two steps on a ladder. Some sites require full fall protection as soon as a worker climbs more than a couple of feet. In theory, that sounds great. In reality, those harnesses create tripping hazards. They get tangled in tools and make movement clunky. As a result, workers end up at greater risk of falling.

Or consider mandatory gloves for everything. Hand protection is crucial. Yet, requiring thick gloves for tasks that need dexterity—like electrical work or handling small bolts—can reduce grip. This lack of control can make accidents more likely. In cases like this, an overzealous rule increases risk instead of reducing it.

“You start dismissing all the rules when you’re hit with one that just doesn’t make sense,” said Wes Rundle, a safety manager with years in the trades. “That’s when it gets dangerous—because some rules really do matter. But if people feel like everything’s just being shoved down their throat, they tune out”​.

That said, compliance is still critical. Workers should always follow their workplace’s safety policies and defer to official guidelines. The key isn’t to ignore rules but to recognize when a policy could be improved for real-world application. If a rule seems impractical or even unsafe, the right move isn’t to disregard it. Instead, workers should bring concerns to supervisors. Together, they can find solutions that balance compliance with safety effectiveness.