Thanks For A Great Week

What a great week! First, as a safety speaker I had the privilege of giving a keynote presentation for the Enform Petroleum Safety Conference in Banff, Canada. What a great event! I was able to share my keynote version Would You Watch Out For My Safety?™ to the entire conference. Thank you to the conference organizers and staff. I will be posting video clips to my website later next week. Second, I traveled to Battle Mountain, Nevada to speak at a Newmont Energy power plant, which was in the process of an outage. It was a kick doing the meeting right next to the turbine. There is something magical about being able to speak right where people work. I especially love speaking at turnarounds and outages as I usually speak before each shift and in the tent set up for briefings. We ended the day with a great lunch, tri-tip, chorizo sausage and salad. Awesome and I still was able to burn off 7 pounds of fat this week because I planned ahead.

The other powerful thing I love about such events is they allow me to share your safety vision with all the contractors who are temporarily on your site to get the job done. In addition to the training and briefings you give them, I am able to drive the message home and give them the “how to” of watching out for the safety of others.  That brings us to this week’s topic – “Learning is State Dependent”

Learning is State Dependent

Years ago, I learned a technique that helped people learn more effectively. It is based upon the premise if you learn something in a particular physiological position and state of mind you will be able to remember it much easier in the same physical position and emotional state. In my work with the Boy Scouts, I used this technique to help some of our scouts pass their drivers license test. One scout had taken the test twice and did not want to fail again. To help him, I pointed out in California you take the written test standing at a small counter and fill out the test sheet. Up until then, he had been studying for the test on his bed, the sofa in the living room or some other situation. I told him to read the drivers manual one more time and this time do it while standing at a counter. He did and the next week passed with flying colors.

Tailgate meetings, and job site safety briefings are so powerful because of this phenomenon. When you discuss the specific safety issues at the site of the work to be done, they are learning in the same location they will be using the information.  The challenge is often times these briefings are not looked on with the value they deserve. Make sure the people you have conducting them realize the positive impact they are having on the safety of their fellow employees. Help them to do the best job possible.

If you would like to have me come and be an outstanding safety speaker at one of your outages or turnarounds, please give Diane Weiss a call at 209-745-9419 today.

Yours in Service,

John Drebinger

How Often Has Someone You Love Driven Under The Influence Unknowingly?

My wife and her friends love to go wine tasting. I am the perfect chauffeur as I don’t drink and never have. This way no one has to give up anything to be the “designated driver.” As I drove them from winery to winery, I could tell they were progressively being affected by a higher blood alcohol level. Most interestingly, when asked, people almost always said they felt fine and fully capable of driving. As a safety speaker and a layman, I did not think that was an accurate assessment of their condition. I developed an experiment in order to find out if their personal assessment was accurate or putting them and others at risk. I found an outstanding source, Breathalyzer.net and purchased a breathalyzer. On our next wine tasting trip, I brought it along. After each winery, I had all the people in the van take a test. As the day went on, I would ask them what blood alcohol level they thought they had achieved. Almost everyone underestimated his or her blood alcohol level. After a few wineries, everyone was over the legal limit of .08 yet most felt they were under that number. I found in my brief study most of my friends thought they were under .08 when, in fact, they were at or above a .13 reading.

None of these participants have ever been arrested for a DUI and they have often waited after drinking to drive home or even had someone take them home. Their intentions were great yet they were unknowingly getting behind the wheel and if they were pulled over for a bad taillight or other issue they would be at risk for failing a blood alcohol test.

The next weekend, my daughter invited my wife to join her and her husband at a wine tasting club event. Each couple brings a bottle of wine wrapped in plain paper. One person pours out the tasting samples so no one knows who brought which bottle. At the end of the evening, after everyone voted for their favorite, the winning bottle earns a prize of a few bottles of wine for the donor of that variety.

In addition to my wife, our new associate pastor and his wife, were at the event.

I stayed home to write and enjoy a movie or two on TV. I did send along the breathalyzer which was a big hit.

At the end of the evening, people would have normally headed home believing they had waited long enough after the wine tasting to be driving safely. Instead, they used the breathalyzer and more than half a dozen people were above a .08 and some of them were over .13! Safety considerations aside, it would be really embarrassing to be driving home from an event with friends from church and end up being arrested for a DUI.

The following Sunday, our pastor shared how cool it was I sent the breathalyzer to the party. He pointed out several people stayed later than they planned because they found out they were above a .08 level.

That breathalyzer went with my son when he returned to Southern California to begin his new job after graduating college. He now uses it with his friends and they won’t let someone drive home unless they are below the legal limit.

I have ordered enough breathalyzers to have one in my wife’s car, my daughter and her husband for their cars; also my editor is getting one for her car. The model I purchased was the BACtrack B70 Breathalyzer.

If you want to try this experiment at home or if you want to purchase a breathalyzer, I would appreciate it if you used one of the links on this page as I have an affiliate relationship with Breathalyzer.net. Also, you would be doing me a favor if you tell people about it so just send them to my main website, www.drebinger.com and tell them to click on the breathalyzer link.

How Can You Access Your Condition With A Brain Already Under the Influence?
I can tell you, I sleep better knowing the people I love now have a tool to check their blood alcohol level before they drive. This is also critical because alcohol alters your brain, so the very instrument you are relying for an assessment of your condition is impaired. If you are under the influence that tool is already altered.

Are You Safe To Drive?

I need to point out having a test level of .08 or below does not mean you are safe to drive. “Breathalyzers are for informational purposes only and there is no acceptable level of alcohol consumption that makes it safe to drive. Any alcohol that enters a person’s body can impair reflexes, motor skills, and cognitive abilities.”

Another interesting fact I discovered while looking for a supplier, was a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is not the only factor in determining whether or not a DUI is given. The %BAC is not the only factor considered. Many people do not realize they can be charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) even if their %BAC is under the legal limit. A person can be charged if they are at or over the “legal limit,” which is .08 %BAC in all 50 US States, or if they are “impaired to any degree,” regardless of the %BAC level.

You can also share this information with your employees so they can take action to protect themselves. Perhaps we can keep more impaired drivers off the road and get more people home safely every day and night.

Yours in Service,

John Drebinger Jr.

Just last week, I was visiting friends in Southern California. My friend was driving in Hollywood and suddenly a car made an unexpected lane change in front of us. My friend commented on how stupid the driver was and then proceeded to close the distance between us. This didn’t make sense to me.

The other driver was driving erratically as if they didn’t know where they were going. I noticed the decal on the car said it was a courtesy vehicle from a local car dealer. So we already know they are not driving the safest way possible and probably are unfamiliar with the vehicle and also are unsure of the neighborhood.

Logically, it would make sense to drop back and give them all the extra room they need. Instead, the emotional need to get somewhere quickly was causing my friend to actually speed up and get closer. Tailgating an incompetent driver didn’t seem like the best choice to make.

I smiled and said, “So, let’s see, you have declared the driver in front of us to be incompetent and they are driving erratically so the obvious answer is to get closer and leave us less time to react to their next stupid move.” They smiled and pulled back.

As a safety speaker I have discovered humor can be an effective way of sharing safety.

Yours in Service,
John Drebinger Jr.

Dynamic Presentations Institute – Special Opportunity
If you have wanted to attend John’s Dynamic Presentations Institute and are available April 25th and 26th contact Sandie Gilbert at 209-747-2770 or sandie@drebinger.com to see if any seats are available. John will be doing the Institute for a private client and they have given him permission to have a few others from outside their company attend. Better yet schedule an institute at your company location for your safety team. If you want more information about the Institute please (CLICK HERE)

Using Events or Anniversaries to Teach Safety

Events and anniversaries of events can both serve to commemorate people and be a safety discussion point.

Sunday January 27th, 2013 was the anniversary of the Apollo One fire where Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died on Pad 34.

And Monday was the anniversary of when the NASA family lost seven of its own on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, when a booster engine failed, causing the Shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after launch. Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Mike J. Smith, and Ellison S. Onizuka.
On a personal note Greg Jarvis worked for my dad at Hughes in El Segundo, CA.

Both events were partially the result of rushing forward and not placing a high enough value on safety. In the case of Apollo One we were racing to the moon doing whatever it took to beat the former Soviet Union. In the case of Challenger some believe that the White House wanted the launch to occur prior to the State of the Union Address. The additional time pressure resulted in less than the safest decisions. While both these explanations are oversimplified they are useful to make a teaching point.

Pay attention to the daily news and keep up on the anniversaries of events that you could use to illustrate a safety concept you want to get across.  If you were discussing the events described earlier you could reflect on any way you or your organization may be rushing without taking safety into account. As a safety speaker I have heard far to many stories of this type.

Yours in Service,
John Drebinger Jr.

Have a safe day and please take a moment to check out my DVD, Ensure Your Safety (Click Here)

Sharing Safety On The Highest Level – An Open Letter to President Obama

To read the entire letter read on. A few weeks ago, I was speaking at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita. A previous copy of my newsletter discussed elements of that visit. What I did not share with you was an action I took to help protect the safety of someone. We all believe it is important to walk your talk. As a safety speaker I am committed to improving the safety culture of every workplace by getting everyone to watch out for the safety of others. One of the key reasons it is important to share safety with others is you will never have the regret of failing to point out a hazard to someone and then witnessing or hearing about them getting injured. One such opportunity came into my life recently.

Across the street from the location I spoke in Wichita, is the facility that is used to make repairs and improvements on Air Force One. This reminded me of an unsafe activity I felt compelled upon to take action. I had noticed while watching the news on more than one occasion I had observed the President of the United States, Barack Obama, ascending and descending the stairs of Air Force One. Each time I noticed he does not use the handrail. Clearly, we all know a slip on a staircase can result in a serious injury.

No matter what your political leanings, I hope we can all agree it is vital to the country for the President to stay as safe and healthy as possible. To ignore this unsafe behavior is contrary to what I teach, so last week I drafted a letter to the President.

Below is the text of that letter. I know they receive thousands of letters each and every day and I hope a staff member who is committed to safety reads mine. By the way, I used the form of communication preferred by the White House as stated on their website; I emailed the President. I am sharing this letter as I have mentioned at several speaking engagements my intention to do so. I will keep you apprised of the follow up I receive.

John Drebinger Jr.

13541 Christensen Rd.

Galt, CA 95632

john@drebinger.com

209-747-9645

December 3, 2012

President Barack Hussein Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is John Drebinger and I have been a safety motivational speaker for the past twenty-two years. In my most recent book and presentations, I teach employees the importance of and how to watch out for the safety of others, which brings me to the purpose of this letter. Mr. President, would you like me to watch out for your safety? I am assuming the answer to be yes.

I have noticed on more than one occasion when you are going up or down the stairs of Air Force One you do not use the handrail. There are two problems with this. One, you yourself could be injured if you slipped and secondly, others could be hurt by following your example. Of all the ways people are injured on the job, falls are typically the most common and often have tragic consequences.

As you know, leadership by example is one of the most powerful ways to help people follow in the direction you want them to move. I know you are committed to the safety of every person in this nation’s workforce. We safety professionals spend a significant amount of time encouraging people to use the handrail and to make it a part of everyone’s safety culture. It would provide an outstanding lesson to people if they saw the leader of our great nation taking care of his own safety and setting the example for everyone else.

I know the image of youthfully bounding up and down the stairs is important and yet I am sure you could convey that same image while doing the safe thing and holding the handrail as you descend or ascend the stairs.

I look forward to being able to point out to my audiences that our President cares enough about safety to protect himself and others by providing such a significant example. I would love the opportunity to share my safety message to the staff of the White House as I have done for the employees of many of our nation’s largest corporations.

Thank you for giving this issue your consideration and let me know of any way I can be of service to you.

Yours in Safety,

John Drebinger Jr.