Safety Culture: Two Job Sites, Two Worlds

Picture two job sites. Same weather, same neighborhood.

They’re split by more than just a chain-link fence. They’re divided by worldview.

Working on one site, the crew looks like a catalog spread for modern PPE: clean, compliant, coordinated.

Next door, the other looks like a flashback to 1994, or maybe the set of Deadwood. Dusty “orange-like” t-shirts, dented hard hats, and a lot of squinting instead of safety glasses.

You see this and you have to start asking: why?

It reminded me of something I wrote in The Tariff Experience - that systems only work when culture supports them.

This wasn’t a difference in resources. It was a difference in values.

And it’s not just anecdotal.

As someone who’s been in the safety industry for over 20 years, I’ve seen it firsthand: every country has safety rules. The two largest markets - Europe and America -  have strict safety regulations.

But one built a system. The other built a spectrum.

Here’s what that means

Back to the jobsites.

On one side: a clean, orderly crew in bright, coordinated gear including high-vis jackets, modern hard hats, eye and ear protection, even ergonomic kneepads. These workers look like someone was thinking ahead. Like they had a supervisor - or maybe an entire company - that took safety seriously.

The vibe is: we’d rather send you home safe than fast. 

You get the sense these folks knew where their gloves were, and what the safety procedures are.

On the other side? Dust. Faded orange t-shirts. Old-school hard hats that had clearly seen better decades. No eye protection. No gloves. If there were safety protocols, they weren’t visible.

It was the kind of construction that made you wonder what else they were skipping.

If you haven’t noticed this phenomenon, now you will.

On one job site, safety is the most important thing. On the other, you wonder how they’re not injured daily.

And it’s happening right now, in your town.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. It’s the Frequency Illusion in action.

These two job sites, side by side, tell me everything about American safety culture: it’s not that we don’t know how to do it right. It’s that some do. Heck, most do - yet others just don’t bother.

Europe: Safety by Design

It’s 1989. The European Union is taking shape and preparing for deeper economic integration. Organizers realize that a single market can’t function if safety standards vary wildly between countries.

That is, you can’t have labor moving freely if a worker in Hamburg wears certified flame-resistant coveralls, while someone in Athens gets handed a cotton apron and a wink.

So, the EU passed Directive 89/391/EEC, also known as the Framework Directive. 

Unequal safety laws weren’t just a social issue, they were an economic liability.

Workers needed baseline protection. Companies needed a level playing field.  The EU needed a common approach.

The directive allowed for national flexibility: a floor, not a ceiling.

By 1992, it the directive was law within every member country. Out with flimsy policies and flip-flops on the job site.

Today, it’s still the foundation of European safety culture.  In Europe, safety isn’t a corporate initiative. It’s a societal expectation. It’s embedded in national legislation, labor relations, and most importantly, company culture.

And you can see it. Walk around any European city. Simply look at the rampers when you land at any European airport. It’s visibly obvious that safety is ingrained in the culture.

It’s called “high visibility” for a reason.

The result?  A coordinated system where safety is expected, not exceptional.

The U.S.: Safety by Compliance

It’s 2015.  OSHA introduces a new rule requiring employers to report severe injuries such as amputations, hospitalizations, and eye loss within 24 hours.

The results are alarming.  Transparency was more threatening than injury.

In one incredibly stunning example, a staffing agency reported an amputation at a manufacturing plant. When OSHA inspectors arrived, the employer tried to hide an entire production line. They closed doors and shut off the lights.

They told workers to keep quiet!

Inspectors eventually discovered unguarded, dangerous machinery behind the blockade. This wasn’t just a one-off safety violation. It was a cultural signal, and it spoke volumes.

In another case, the candy manufacturer Cambridge Brands was publicly cited for failing to report an amputation.

Sweet on candy. Sour on compliance.

These weren’t outliers. In the first 21 months of the new reporting rule, OSHA recorded over 17,000 severe injuries in 29 states - about 27 a day - and still estimated that up to 50% of incidents went unreported.

A GAO-backed study later suggested actual injury rates could be 3x higher than what’s officially recorded.

So yes, America has rules.

But whether they’re followed? That’s up to leadership, culture, and incentives. And in too many cases, those come up short.

Because here, it’s company-by-company. Plant-by-plant. Manager-by-manager. What’s proclaimed in the boardroom might not make it to the shop floor.

Some companies are great at it. Really, they are. They choose to have a great culture.

And yes, OSHA exists. It sets rules, conducts inspections, and compiles excellent data.

But the bigger picture reveals something else: enforcement is inconsistent, and cultural buy-in isn’t guaranteed.

• Some American companies lead the world in proactive safety.

• Others cut corners, delay gear upgrades, or rely on slogans instead of systems.

The average worker’s experience depends heavily on leadership attitudes and budget priorities. And in too many cases, safety is treated like overhead, not infrastructure.

Brandon Schroeder: A Wake-Up Call in the U.S.

One person who knows this better than most is Brandon Schroeder.

It’s 2011. Brandon is working as an electrician when he suffers a catastrophic arc flash explosion.

It wasn’t a freak occurrence. It was the kind of accident that happens when you know the right thing to do yet choose not to do it.

Brandon is open about it: he made a shortcut decision, skipping proper lockout/tagout procedures because he was in a rush. He thought he could handle it. He’d done it before.

Heck, he didn’t think he’d need his PPE!

The result was a massive explosion that should have killed him. He was airlifted to a trauma center, endured excruciating treatment, and watched his career and physical confidence evaporate in a flash.

Brandon turned his experience into a mission. Today, he travels across the U.S., speaking about the real-world consequences of complacency.

He talks about jobsite bravado, the pressure to get it done, and the moments when “good enough” feels safer than speaking up.

His message? It’s not about rules. It’s about mindset.

And the only thing harder than doing safety right is living with what happens when you don’t.

His story reinforces that regulations matter. But culture changes when people start talking honestly, especially those who’ve paid the highest price.

Fortunately, we have someone like him to talk up safety.

Unfortunately, we need someone like him to do so.

The Takeaway

Europe has a better safety system and culture. The kind that shows up before the injury report. The US has a safety spectrum, the rules are there should you want to follow them.

Any American company can choose to adopt a European-style mindset: prevention over reaction, systems over slogans, uniform protection over variability.

And many do. But it takes intention.

This week, I’m predicting that the U.S. catches up with Europe on safety implementation.

You can feel it happening out there. You can see younger, more mindful safety leaders emerging.

And the leaders shaping it aren’t just enforcing rules.

They’re modeling belief.

Next week - Part 2!

I’ll continue on the topic of safety, looking at the numbers, and what injury data really tells us.

Stay in touch 

If you enjoyed this piece, please reach out. You can contact me at [email protected] or LinkedIn.

Stay safe out there!