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Safety is the Presence of Positives... What Now? | Applying Human & Organizational Performance (HOP)
- The HOP Nerd
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Tired of just talking about Human & Organizational Performance and ready to actually do something? This series delivers concrete ideas for action to operationalize HOP in real life...
So, If you've ever asked "Okay, I get the theory... What Now?," tune in as Sam guides you through the real steps where HOP meets reality.
On Today's episode, Sam asks: Safety is the Presence of Positives... What Now?
We've been banging the "zero accidents" drum for... ever, right? And look, aiming for zero harm is a good idea in theory, but it come is a lot of 'baggage' - really, a lot of unintended side-effects. Things you likely know well: under-reporting, managing incident classifications, silence, etc...
So here’s a thought that might just flip your perspective, a core idea from the world of Safety Differently: Safety isn't just the absence of accidents; it's the presence of capacity.
(Mind blown? Stick with me.)
I often share this concept with folks like this: Safety isn't the absence of negatives... it's the presence of margin. We know that word. We use "margin" all the time in our work worlds, don't we? When we're planning a project, we build in a little buffer in the schedule, right? Or when we're setting a budget, we try to have some contingency funds. Why? Because we know things rarely go exactly as planned. We build in that margin so that when the inevitable hiccups occur – a delay here, an unexpected cost there – the whole thing doesn't fall apart. That margin allows work to go wrong and still go right.
It's about making sure that work can well, even when it goes wrong...
This idea of 'margin' or 'buffer' is a fantastic way to start thinking about safety capacity more broadly. For too long, we’ve been hyper-focused on what’s not happening - no incidents, no injuries. But just because nothing bad happened today doesn’t mean we’re actually strong, resilient, or ready for the curveballs that work inevitably throws our way. We might just be lucky, or operating right on the edge with no margin for error.
"Capacity," on the other hand, that’s about having the good stuff built in – the resources, the skills, the knowledge, the wiggle room (see, that margin again!), and the smarts built into our systems and our teams. It's what allows us to handle the unexpected, adapt on the fly, and still get the job done safely and effectively. It's like having a really strong immune system - you’re not just avoiding getting sick; you’re actively equipped to deal with whatever germs (or operational gremlins) come your way because you've got reserves and defenses.
So, the big question is, how do we stop just chasing zero and start actively building this "capacity," this "margin for success"?
Understanding the principle is cool. Making it happen is where the real work begins. Here are 5 ideas for actions you can take to build genuine capacity in your organization:
"What Now?" Action 1: Focus on Life-Saving Controls and Safeguards!
This is ground zero for capacity. We’re talking about the presence of physical lifesaving controls and safeguards. These are your non-negotiables, your critical lines of defense – the machine guards, emergency stops, lockout/tagout systems, fall protection, all that jazz and beyond...
Are they actually there? Are they functioning like they’re supposed to? Does everyone know how to use them, why they’re critical, how to ensure that they are present and functioning, to 'start when safe,' and feel empowered to stop if they’re not right? We need to be actively, almost obsessively, verifying these.
What Now? This week, pick a few of your most critical lifesaving controls. Go see them. Talk to the folks who rely on them. Are they 100% present, fully functional, and truly understood by everyone? Don't just assume – verify, verify, verify.
"What Now?" Action 2: Flip Your Scoreboard.
This one’s a biggie, especially if you’re tired of the doom-and-gloom metrics. For too long, our main safety "success" measure has been the lack of something – a lack of injuries, a lack of incidents. It's like judging your health only by the fact you haven't had a heart attack... yet. We need to get out of the business of measuring failure and start measuring the presence of positives, the capacities we're actively building!
Think about measures like:
How many proactive improvements (suggested by the frontline!) were implemented this month?
How many insightful learning reviews (from normal work or successes) did you conduct?
What’s the percentage of your critical controls that are verified as present and functional?
How many people were actively involved in co-designing or redesigning a task to make it safer and better?
Tracking these kinds of things totally changes the conversation. It shifts the focus from fearing failure to actively building and recognizing successful performance and resilience.
What Now? Brainstorm 2-3 "positive capacity" indicators with your team that you could start tracking. Make them visible. Celebrate them when they happen!
"What Now?" Action 3: Become Curious About Success.
We’re pretty good at picking apart failures. An incident happens, and the investigation machine cranks up. And that's important. But what if we put just as much, if not more, energy into understanding why things go right, especially when it's a complex job, a high-pressure situation, or when things could have easily gone pear-shaped but didn't?
That’s where the real learning often hides! What did the team do differently? What specific skills, knowledge, or teamwork came into play? What conditions or tools helped them navigate the challenges successfully? By studying success, we uncover those hidden capacities – the smart adaptations, the effective workarounds, the informal networks that get things done safely.
What Now? This week, find one example of a tricky task that went really well. Sit down with the people involved (buy them coffee!) and ask: "What made that a success? What did you guys have or do that really helped?" Listen for the capacities.
"What Now?" Action 4: Fuel Margin, Don't Just Force Compliance!
Work is messy. It’s variable. The real world rarely matches the neat-and-tidy procedure perfectly. So, while rules and procedures have their place, just trying to hammer people with compliance to rigid instructions, especially when the situation on the ground is different, doesn’t build capacity. It often just builds frustration or encourages unsafe shortcuts.
Instead, we need to fuel margin. This means making sure our people have the time to think, plan, and adapt; the right tools for the job (not just the cheapest ones or the ones that look good on paper); training that actually prepares them for real-world variability; and crucially, the authority and psychological safety to make smart decisions and speak up when faced with the unexpected. This is about building their capacity to manage variability safely and effectively.
What Now? Ask your team, straight up: "If you could wave a magic wand, what's one thing that would give you more capacity or support to handle unexpected issues safely and effectively out here? More time? Better info? A different tool? More say in how things are planned?" And then actually listen to what they say.
"What Now?" Action 5: Co-Create
Who knows the work best? The folks doing it day in and day out, that’s who (duh)! They know the real hazards, the daily frustrations, the shortcuts that have to be taken because the 'official' way just doesn't cut it in reality. They also usually have some pretty brilliant ideas about how to make things safer, better, faster, and easier.
So, instead of designing safety solutions for them in an office somewhere, let's start co-creating safety with them. Get frontline workers deeply involved in designing and redesigning work processes, safety procedures, even in selecting new tools or equipment. When they have a genuine hand in building it, they own it, it’s practical, it fits the real work, and you’ve just massively boosted your organization's collective capacity for safe and effective work. You're tapping into the genius that's already there.
What Now? Pick one task, procedure, or rule that you know causes a bit of eye-rolling or seems clunky. Get a small group of people who actually do that task together. Lay it on the table and ask: "Okay, folks, how can we, together, make this work better, smoother, and safer for you?"
The Real Shift?
Moving from a fixation on the absence of negatives to one that actively builds the presence of positives—real capacity—is more than just new buzzwords. It’s a fundamental shift in mindset. It demands genuine curiosity about how work actually gets done, a deep trust in your people's expertise, and seeing your role less as an enforcer of rules and more as a facilitator, a supporter, and a provider of the resources people need to be successful.
Start small. Pick one of these actions. Try it this week. The next time your instinct is to just tell someone what to do or point out a failure, pause. Ask them what they need to succeed, or explore what made a recent success possible. You might just unlock the capacity you’ve been looking for.
Get in touch with Sam Goodman
Book a Chat: thehopnerd.com/meetsam
+1 480-521-5893
Sam Goodman is the founder and independent Human and Organizational Performance practitioner of The HOP Nerd LLC. He is the creator of Starting Points Operationally Curious Questions, a simple and easy way to begin pre-event learning. He has also authored multiple books focused on Human & Organizational Performance, the safety of work, and the safety profession, such as "Aren't You Curious? The Operationally Curious Leader," "10 Ideas to Make Safety Suck Less," Safety Sucks," and more. Sam is also the host and producer of The HOP Nerd Podcast. He is an experienced safety and HOP practitioner, accomplished author, passionate speaker, and respected consultant and coach. Sam brings extensive, hands-on HOP experience from a wide array of sectors, including commercial nuclear generation, utilities, construction, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and transportation. He has partnered with numerous organizations, guiding them in the practical application and integration of HOP methods. His impact is demonstrated through initiatives like the 'Starting Points' card deck, which alone has reached hundreds of organizations, deploying thousands upon thousands of decks to facilitate learning. Whether you're just starting or looking to deepen your HOP implementation, Sam possesses the flexibility, passion, and expertise to guide your organization's journey.
Sam offers the flexibility, passion, and know-how to help your organization begin, or go further on its HOP journey.
Keywords: Human & Organizational Performance, HOP, Safety Differently, New View, Presence of Capacity, Building Capacity, Safety Capacity, Resilience Engineering, Work Insights, Learning from Normal Work, Learning from Success, Frontline Expertise, Worker Empowerment, Proactive Safety, Positive Indicators, Lifesaving Controls, Critical Controls, System Thinking, Adaptive Practices, Psychological Safety, Feedback Loop, HOP Actions, HOP Principles, Operational Curiosity, Safety Margins
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