Measuring STICK

The old wooden yardsticks with advertising on them were called “measuring sticks.”  They were handy tools before the invention of tape measures and laser measuring devices.  They had feet, inches and fractions of inches marked along the edge of the stick.  You could hold them up to an item to see its length or height or stick it in liquid to see its depth. 

Today, the word “stick” is used more and more to mean the retention of information. “Sticky” information is easily remembered.  Remembered information is used in decision making and planning.  In safety, we often attempt to communicate critical information that could potentially improve safety performance.  We sometimes measure the amount or reach of this communication, but we seldom measure its “stick,” or retention.  Information that is sent but forgotten does not improve safety.

So, how can we make safety information stickier and how can we measure the stick?  Three easy steps to improve stickiness are to 1) start with the story, 2) stress the people and 3) tally all the numbers.  For example, if you want to communicate an accident that occurred, tell the story of how it happened, stress how it impacted the people involved, and tally the number of similar accidents that could have been prevented by the same precaution that could have prevented this one. Periodically ask workers to recount recent accidents.  Ask which precaution could have prevented the most accidents over the past several months or years.  Measure the “stick” of your safety communication and constantly improve it.

-Terry L. Mathis

Terry L. Mathis is the founder and CEO of ProAct Safety, an international safety and performance excellence firm. He is known for his dynamic presentations in the fields of behavioral and cultural safety, leadership, and operational performance, and is a regular speaker at ASSE, NSC, and numerous company and industry conferences. EHS Today listed Terry as a Safety Guru in ‘The 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS in 2010, 2011 and 2012-2013. He has been a frequent contributor to industry magazines for over 15 years and is the coauthor of STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence, 2013, WILEY.