2025-06-16 [Mistakes] jargon, incident rate reporting, and excessive documentation

[00:00:00] Brye: Management says they want training done, inspections completed, documents handled, and programs written. You do all that, and yet when it comes time to make decisions or drive real change, you are still not included. You follow all their expectations to a T, but the support, it's just not there.

[00:00:21] Today, I wanna walk you through why that happens, because I know it's frustrating, but the reality is, the way most safety managers are taught to show their value is exactly what is keeping them from being seen as a strategic partner.

[00:00:38] In today's episode, we're digging into three habits that look productive and even get praised, but they are quietly keeping you stuck. We'll break down how these habits show up in your work, why they're not getting you the results you want, and what to do instead. If you wanna gain influence, my safety friend, if you wanna gain respect and a real seat at the table.

[00:00:49] We will break down how these habits show up in your work, why they're not getting you the results you want, and what you need to do instead, if you're wanting to gain influence, [00:01:00] respect, and a seat at that table. If you've ever left a leadership meeting feeling ignored or overlooked, this one is for you.

[00:01:08] Let's chat about what's really keeping you sidelined and how to shift out of it.

[00:01:12] But first, hey there and welcome to the channel. My name is Brye Sargent, your safety mentor and guide here at the Safety Geek. And we are all about elevating the role of the safety professional and helping you grow a career that's not only impactful, but also respected.

[00:01:30] Thank you so much for watching, and if you like what we're doing, please subscribe to the channel and hit that like button. It really helps other people find our work.

[00:01:40] Hello? Hello, hello, my safety friends. I am loving the summer weather here. As I am recording this, I can see out my window where my pup Lola is playing and her kiddie pool is out there that she loves to splash around in and keep cool in the summer heat and just let me know, [00:02:00] am I the only one that spoils their pets?

[00:02:02] Like I totally am spoiling this dog. I don't know what has happened to me over the past couple of years, but I had. A chihuahua that I had for 12 years and he got really, really sick and I kept him healthy as long as I could until we finally had to put him down. 'cause he had some brain issues going on and.

[00:02:27] That just killed me. And after he passed, I just became obsessed with animals. I have no idea what happened to me, but now I have Lola and I totally spoil her to death. So hopefully you guys don't mind. It seems like every episode I'm talking about pets. So that's what's going on. But let's get to it.

[00:02:46] Let's get to it. This is part three in our series about shifting from being that compliance checker or that. Safety auditor to becoming an influential safety leader your organization [00:03:00] truly needs. And today we're talking about one of the biggest roadblocks in that transformation.

[00:03:06] The difference between meeting expectations and becoming a strategic partner. So many safety managers. Are doing what their leadership is asking them to do and they're doing it very, very well. But the results are just not translating into respect or authority or influence. So today we're gonna get into why that is, and more importantly, how you can start showing up differently without working harder or waiting for somebody to give you permission.

[00:03:39] 'cause it is not about your title, my safety friend. So let me ask you something. Have you ever walked into a leadership meeting feeling prepared and confident, and then left feeling invisible? You bring the data, you talk through the numbers you share, your training updates and your inspection reports.

[00:03:59] But [00:04:00] instead of being seen as a thought leader, it feels like you're just there to check a box. Like, yep, we got our safety person. And it starts to feel like nobody actually cares about safety other than you, like they're just meeting the requirements just by having you there. And that's gutting because.

[00:04:18] You do care. You care about your job, you care about the results you're creating, and you're doing the work, and you're trying so hard to protect people, but the way you're being taught to present your work isn't translating into that kind of respect and influence that you deserve, and that's what we're digging into today.

[00:04:38] Those habits that you've been taught seem like really good safety practices, and honestly, it's what a lot of people in our industry are doing. But they are actually just reinforcing the idea. That you're just an admin, you're not a strategic leader.

[00:04:54] So let's walk through three big ones. So mistake number [00:05:00] one is using safety jargon in leadership conversations. So we think that using big technical terms and acronyms and citations and all that shows that we know what we're talking about. We may think that it's building credibility, but here's the thing, if the people in the room don't understand what you're saying, they will tune you out.

[00:05:24] And when you sound too technical, they stop seeing you as somebody that they can collaborate with. And they start seeing you as a compliance person or the rule enforcer, and your message just doesn't land. So what you need to do instead is translate your expertise into their language. You need to think like a chief operating officer or an operations manager.

[00:05:51] What do they care about? And instead of saying, well, nineteen ten one seventy eight P one requires power, industrial trucks to be yada, yada, [00:06:00] yada. Instead you say, we're running the inspections to prevent breakdowns that could delay shipments or injure workers.

[00:06:07] We're being proactive, right? Make safety, make sense from a business perspective. And that's what builds influence. And I saw this happen one time where I was in a meeting where a C-level executive was presenting to the entire leadership team, and he was using these overly complex business terms and acronyms, and honestly, half of what he said went right over people's heads and nobody stepped up to ask for clarification.

[00:06:43] And that happens because people don't wanna feel like they're the only ones that don't know what is being said. Everybody just kind of nodded along and pretended to understand because they didn't wanna look like the only ones in the room that didn't get it. And afterwards, one of the department [00:07:00] heads leaned over to me and he said.

[00:07:02] I have no clue what that was about. And that moment stuck with me because I felt that way too at the meeting. And on top of it, I hated to have meetings with this person because that was the way he always talked. He talked over people like he was smarter and knew more these big terms and he never seemed like a partner.

[00:07:24] And another reason why it stuck with me so much is that this is exactly what happens when we speak. In safety jargon, right? You lose the entire room and nobody tells you and they just tune you out. So one of the tricks that you can do to prevent this is to make sure that you're always speaking at a fifth or an eighth grade level.

[00:07:46] And you might be like, wait, I graduated, I have a college degree. I'm not speaking at a fifth or eighth grade level. The reason why you do that is 'cause that way it's easier to understand and there's more clarity. There's a lot of things going on in people's minds as you're [00:08:00] in this meeting and sharing information, and there's a lot of distractions in our world right now.

[00:08:05] So the more complex you're making things, it's harder for them to stay in tuned with it. So if you can make it really simple, then it's easier for them to get on board and to understand it. And then anytime you do have to use an acronym, always explain what that acronym is until it becomes commonplace in your entire audience.

[00:08:28] All right. Now, mistake number two, obsessing over incident rates. Now, look, incident rates are super easy to track. They give us measurable data, and yes, they are important, but they are not enough. And when you build your whole strategy around incident numbers, you're focusing on what has already happened.

[00:08:49] They're lagging indicators and they don't change. Fast enough to guide decision making week over week and even month over month. They look exactly the same. [00:09:00] It takes a lot to move that needle unless you are at a corporate level where you have hundreds of locations and tens of thousands of employees.

[00:09:09] Incident numbers do not change week over week or month over month, and leadership can't tell if their actions are actually making a difference or if anything does need to change. And more to that. They don't tell the whole story of what you are doing. They're pro

[00:09:27] to proactively create a safe work environment. I. And more than that, they don't tell the whole story of what you're doing to proactively create a safe work environment. The results leadership will just tune them out because the numbers don't feel actionable, or they think, well, our rates are low. We don't need to do anything different.

[00:09:40] Right. And you wanna shift that narrative because once you get past the low hanging fruit, or you get to an incident rate that is below industry standard, you wanna keep going. But they may see it as that's low enough. We don't need to do anything extra. So instead you wanna talk about trends, you wanna talk about leading indicators, which are the behaviors that [00:10:00] people are doing out there.

[00:10:01] You wanna talk about engagement and culture and actions that are being taken. You wanna tell stories of what's working and the impact that it's having on the business, as well as the safety results. So here's a tip. Always lead with your leading indicators. So whenever you're presenting to leadership.

[00:10:20] They're going to always remember the first thing you said and the last thing you said. So you wanna start off and you wanna end off with proactive metrics and the actions you're taking to improve them. And then in the middle of your presentation, that's where you can put the lagging indicators.

[00:10:40] That way the focus stays on what you're influencing and not just what is already happened, and that's how you demonstrate to leadership what you are doing. Now, mistake number three is drowning in documentation. Look, you've got training rosters and quizzes and sign off sheets and inspection [00:11:00] logs and acknowledgement forms, and the list goes on and on.

[00:11:03] And you have been told that documentation protects you. That if you didn't document it, you didn't do it , and that if something goes wrong, you can point to the paperwork. But let's be honest with each other. Most of it ends up just in a filing cabinet or a digital folder, and it is never seen again.

[00:11:23] And honestly, the chances of OSHA or a third party auditor ever needing an exact piece of documentation. Are pretty small in the grand scheme of things, and it eats away at your time and it fills your day. It looks productive from the outside, but it's not building influence. It's not reinforcing the idea that you're not an admin.

[00:11:47] That you're a strategist. Now, I'm not saying get rid of documentation completely 'cause it does have its place. But we need to ask is the documentation being used to make better decisions? Is it [00:12:00] improving safety performance or is it just for show? So your goal is to document what matters and to use it as a tool and not a shield, right?

[00:12:11] And focus on what supports coaching, decision making, and strategic insights. So that's where you really wanna spend a lot of time if you're documenting things. Anything else, try to simplify that documentation. I do know we need to have training records. I get that.

[00:12:27] But maybe you don't need to do a quiz with everything. Maybe you don't need an individual acknowledgement form for everybody. Maybe you don't need to spend your time. Filing it away an individual employee files, and instead just scan it so that way you just have it right and you can use a search index to find what you're looking for.

[00:12:46] So just simplify your documentation that if you can't let go of it completely. So here's the bottom line. You're not being ignored. In those leadership meetings and being treated [00:13:00] like you're invisible because you don't care or because you're not doing enough, you're being sidelined because of the way you've been trained to communicate.

[00:13:09] And work, and you're reinforcing the wrong image. You look like a compliance checker or the safety cop, or the admin when you're spending all your time, documenting things, talking about incidents, and using fancy jargon, you're not the trusted advisor or the leader, but here's the good news, you can start changing this stuff and you don't need permission to change how you're doing these things. So here are three things that you can actually do this week that will start helping you gain that respect that you need to earn that seat in the C-suite. Number one is audit your language the next time you're in a meeting.

[00:13:48] Listen to how you explain your recommendations. Are you using insider language? Are you translating it into business results? Maybe even record yourself on your [00:14:00] phone and listen to it later and see how you sound. And then when you're listening to it, listen to it from the mindset of an executive and be like, if I was the executive of the business, how would I take this in?

[00:14:13] Number two, rework your metrics instead of leading with incident rates. Share short stories about proactive improvements you've made and how it's impacted operations, and try not to share the lagging. Incident rates that often maybe only share 'em every two months or every three months, or the more you can spread that out, the better because they're not going to change that often.

[00:14:38] So my rule of thumb is I only show lagging rates every three months unless I'm asked for them in between. And number three, simplify your documentation. Pick one document at a time. Look at the documentation coming into you and ask yourself, how can I simplify this? Maybe the simplification is in your filing system.

[00:14:59] Maybe [00:15:00] instead of filing inspection reports in a certain way, you can just scan them all and then save them to a digital folder. So that way you're not doing it by individual piece of equipment or I'm not sure how you would be doing that, but simplify it that way. Look at your training rosters or your training documentation, your new hire documentation, your refresher training, your inspection documentation, anything you have, and go, how can I simplify it?

[00:15:25] Can I turn this into one form? Can I turn this into an easy filing system? And then ask yourself, who actually is going to need it and how quickly can I get to it if they do ever need it? And how can you make it more actionable? How can you take that documentation, actually turn it into something that gives you data that can focus your efforts?

[00:15:49] Now the good news about all of these tips is that you don't need to have to wait for a promotion or a title change. You can actually start thinking like a strategic leader now. And in [00:16:00] next week's episode, we are going to be diving into exactly that, how to step into leadership before anybody ever gives you permission.

[00:16:09] You got this, my safety friend, and I will chat with you next week. Bye for now.

[00:16:13] ​