A safety-first culture goes beyond simply ensuring everyone follows safety rules and procedures. It means everyone feels equally responsible for safety, both their own and that of those around them. It means everyone actively pursues a safety-first culture on a daily basis. From top to bottom, all employees unite behind the shared goal of reducing near misses and accidents through proactive rather than reactive actions. It requires that safety come first before everything else—before a product ships, before a sale is made, and before we turn the lights on each day. It takes time, effort, buy-in, and everyone working together to create this culture.

The Red Ball Oxygen Five Non-Negotiables are as follows:

SAFETY 
We take care of each other. Nothing we do here is worth getting someone hurt. We are empowered and expected to correct unsafe conditions on the spot.

QUALITY
We do the job right the first time. We strive to make the customer’s life easier. We do something every day to get better. We are never satisfied with our performance. We don’t meet benchmarks—we shatter them.

INTEGRITY
We keep our promises. Our partners respect and trust us. We don’t lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate anyone who does. Every action we take, every word we speak, and every deal we strike will withstand the light of day. In our family, bad news and good news will travel at the same speed, the speed of light.

RELIABILITY
Our customers and our fellow employees can depend on us. We deliver—every time, on time, even when it seems impossible. What others view as impossible is routine for us.

RESPONSIVENESS
We care about our customers, and we respond with a sense of urgency. Our customers’ problems are our problems. Our customer’s opportunities are our opportunities.

OUR BUSINESS IS RUN FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF OUR CUSTOMERS, 24 X 7 X 365.

Safety is at the top of Red Ball Oxygen Non-Negotiables for a reason. It’s because safety is paramount, both our safety and our customers’ safety. To steal a line from Gary Kennedy, we are all customer service representatives; we should all care about taking care of our customers. Good customer service shows up in sales, profitability, the Perfect Order Rate, and our bonus every month, but customer service is not “good” if done unsafely. If we have a safety-first culture, it will show up in Safety Observations Submitted, Near Misses Reported, Coaching Reports Completed, Monthly Inspections Completed, few to no accidents or violations, and a lack of findings from inspections and audits.

We have all heard examples exemplifying our safety-first culture, such as not allowing customers to leave with flammables in an enclosed vehicle. The other day, I heard a salesman say he had told customers that he couldn’t in good conscience sell them gases because the facility wasn’t safe to house them. This is what we must strive for because being customer service-focused and prioritizing safety first go hand in hand. We want to take care of our customers and do it safely, never at the expense of safety.