Safety Consulting Corner

Smelly Safety?

We know that when more senses are used, we remember things better. Advertisers are beginning to consider using smell in their marketing messages now. Gas stations in California are already putting coffee smells at the pump in hopes that you are overcome with an overwhelming desire to rush into the store for a steaming hot cup of coffee. I am sure we have all experienced a certain smell bringing back a strong memory.

So, how can we use this in safety? Walmart is testing DVDs with "smell-o-vision" that release smells related to a movie at just the right time such as the smell of a burning building during fire scenes. If "smell-o-vision" were to make it's way into the safety world, we would perhaps see safety training DVDs for use with chemical safety training that demonstrate the concept of odor threshold by emitting different smelling chemicals (such as the very recognizable hydrogen sulfide). Or maybe use the Walmart idea and use the smell of smoke in fire extinguisher training. 

This is definitely "out there" thinking and probably many years away but I think there are some possibilites for use in the safety world. What do you think?

Summer Reading

Well today is the first day of Summer so it's time to start devouring some of the dozens of books sitting around my house. I'm kind of a buffet reader - a taste of this and a taste of that. I am usually reading about 5 books at once. So, here is what I am committed to reading (and telling you about) this Summer:

Clear Blogging by Bob Walsh, Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi, Life Hacker by Gina Trapani, The Dip by Seth Godin, Send : The Essential Guide to Email for Home and Office by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe, You, Inc. by Harry and Christine Beckwith, Time Power - A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracey and finally, Be The Elephant - Build a Bigger, Better Business by Steve Kaplan

Stay Tuned....

Two to Tango?

Do you work with your spouse? If not, would you? I have run into only a dozen or so safety consulting couples and they have been as varied as all of the other individual consultants I have met. Sometimes one half of the team is really a "front" (unfortunately, usually the wife) so that the consulting firm can be certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). I have met some of these business owners and they know about as much about safety as my 7 year old - okay - I'll get off of my soapbox and get back to the topic - Other safety consulting partners are truly partners and both the husband and the wife are true professionals.

In either event, working together can be tricky. First, have you determined if one of you is "boss"? (and does the other know it?) Have you determined specific responsibilities for each partner? For instance, who is responsible for paying the bills or hiring and firing? If you can't agree on something, who has the final say? (this could be a sticky one). You should also establish guidelines for professional behavior. Although this might seem like a no-brainer because both partners want the business to be successful, what's appropriate at home may not be appropriate at work and this should be discussed. Finally, try to keep some division between work and home. While one partner may be ready to jump out of bed and start discussing work before they even brush their teeth, the other partner may not. Try to keep your personal and business lives separate  - at least for part of the day. With some pre-planning, you can work successfully with your partner - and still have time to tango.

RFP stands for...

I just read an excellent post on Alan Weiss's new blog, Contrarian Consulting, about the uselessness of Request for Proposals (RFPs).  I really enjoyed this post because I have toiled through many of these things - usually for the federal government but also for the State of New Jersey (my home state). If you read Alan's post, you will see a variety of strange questions that may appear on RFPs. I have seen most of these and more. Alan hits my pet peeve right on the head and that is the requirement to make multiple copies of the RFP and associated paper work. I always wonder why I, as a small business owner (who doesn't own a high speed copier), must make 6 copies of a 60+page document, and then pay to mail this giant package of paper when I am pretty sure the government has more than enough copiers available. Wouldn't an electronic submission be nice? (and save a lot of trees?)

Additionally, I am pretty sure that many of these RFPs are already pre-decided so for the unknowing bidder, they are also a complete waste of time and money. Alan's suggestion to really know who (and what) you are dealing with on the inside can help you to avoid spinning your wheels. Alan's post refers to an RFP as Really Flatulent Paperwork. I like RFP = Really Futile Process. Either way, you get the message.