It sounds noble: “Zero safety incidents.” What better way to show you care about your employees, right?
Not quite.
Paul Cardinal peels back the corporate PR and reveals the harsh truth: the goal of zero safety incidents often creates a culture of fear, deception, and silence. In theory, zero is perfect. In practice, it’s paralyzing.
“I can guarantee zero incidents tomorrow,” he says, “by shutting the company down today.”
Here’s the danger. When the goal is zero, even minor injuries like a paper cut become threats—not to safety, but to someone’s metrics or bonuses. Workers hide incidents. They quietly bandage wounds. They make up stories about falling at home instead of in the company parking lot.
Instead of reporting and improving, the organization becomes obsessed with appearance.
A prime example: a fatality at a Tesla plant in China. Media outrage focused on Elon Musk “stealing” employee bonuses. But under the company’s bonus structure, a safety incident—even a tragic one—meant a deduction in payouts across the board.
The irony? “Safety is the number one priority,” but only counts for 10–20% of the bonus structure. That speaks volumes.
The result of “Goal Zero” isn’t safety. It’s silence.A Better Goal: Goal 100
Instead of aiming for zero incidents, aim for 100% of the work done safely. That encourages honest conversations, safe planning, and real accountability. Not just statistics.
