Happy Birthday Sandie – Safety Speaker John Drebinger

Happy Birthday to my editor, Sandie Gilbert. I wonder what safety topics go with a birthday celebration. My first creative thought related to safety and birthday celebrations is for a more experienced worker you could do a fire extinguisher demonstration making a joke about the number of candles on their birthday cake being a safety hazard.

As my friend, Scott Geller says, “Safety is about, “Actively Caring” for others.” When dealing with others we don’t want to make them uncomfortable when it comes to how they think about safety. The danger is that the birthday celebrant may be self-conscious about their age and it could be perceived as making fun of them. As a safety speaker making sure my message is effective is always important.

There is also the danger that if you were making that joke with a friend you knew didn’t mind, it might make someone else uncomfortable thinking you might pull the same prank on them some day.

Trust me, this is not about being politically correct. It is about effective communication. Whenever you turn off your audience you make your message weaker. So have fun in a way everyone can enjoy. However, be reasonable as you can’t please everyone all the time. Do your best, guided by the attitude of caring for others and you should be fine.