See the invisible
Some of the most important influences on safety are easy to miss in a report. Notice whether concerns reach leaders, how responses affect participation, and what the organization encourages in practice.
About Beyond Zero Injuries
Why zero injuries is not your goal.
For years, safety leaders have been challenged with hitting the goal of zero injuries. Millions of dollars are spent in search of it. Many of those efforts proved beneficial, and many others must be questioned.
- Top 0
- National Safety Council speaker
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- Five-star Google reviews
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- Positive reinforcement systems designed
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- Helping organizations change behavior
The hard question
Some of the finest safety cultures hit zero, then a tragic event shatters it.
Why does that happen? Is zero the right goal, or is there a better one that drives continuous improvement?
Zero is a result. It tells you what already happened, and nobody can go to work and directly perform a number. The daily work sits earlier than the report: notice the behavior, coach the choice, and recognize what protects people.
A culture built around zero at-risk behaviors gives leaders something practical to see, discuss, and improve on every shift.
The shift
From counting the past to leading the shift.
Same people, same plant, different question. This is what changes when the goal moves from the number to the behavior.
- Count what already went wrongNotice the behavior that protects people
- Chase a number nobody can performCoach a choice someone can repeat
- Recognize productionRecognize the safe decision, specifically
- Report the incidentClose the loop with the person who spoke up
What leaders actually practice
Four habits that make safety visible.
None of these require a new program. They require attention, and the willingness to follow through.
Make positive reinforcement specific
A useful response acknowledges the specific contribution, takes the concern seriously, and follows through. That gives people more information than a general good job.
Practice servant leadership
Leaders ask what gets in the way, listen to the answer, and take responsibility for the support their teams need. This is how care becomes visible.
Build commitment through ordinary interactions
Ask a better question. Notice a useful contribution. Resolve an obstacle. Return to the person who raised it. These practices make safety engagement part of everyday work.
Case study · ARBIt holds up in the field
The philosophy, in numbers.
From 20 lost-time injuries and one fatality to zero of both, with engagement up from 28% to 98%.
Founder · Keynote speaker · Author
Bill Sims Jr.Safety leadership people remember.
Bill teaches safety leaders how to build successful teams using behavioral science. For more than 30 years he has helped organizations create a culture of safety excellence, and a stronger bottom line along with it.
Clients include Disney · NASA · UPS · Coca-Cola · Siemens · DuPont
Top 10National Safety Council speaker
The work behind the stage
A practitioner first. A speaker second.
Bill leads the Bill Sims Company, a pioneer in positive reinforcement systems for workplace safety. He has designed and implemented more than 1,000 of them across diverse industries.
He holds issued patents related to positive reinforcement systems, and his sessions are certified for continuing education credits by BCSP and HRCI. He founded SEAL Academy to build the safety leadership skills that change a company's culture, and wrote Green Beans & Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement.
His keynotes combine behavioral science with Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), shifting the focus from compliance to real employee involvement.
- Issued patents in positive reinforcement systems
- BCSP & HRCI continuing-education certified
- Founder of SEAL Academy
- Author of Green Beans & Ice Cream
On stage around the world
Trusted by the rooms safety leaders fill.
Bill has keynoted across the US, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
- National Safety Council (NSC)
- American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
- Associated General Contractors (AGC)
- IOSH / NIOSH
- Saudi Council of Engineers
- Truckload Carriers Association
Recently on stage
NSC Safety Congress & Expo · Indianapolis
The Safety Leader's Playbook: Building High Performance Safety Cultures
Wilmington Safety School Conference · Keynote
The Invisible SIF: What HOP Has Missed
How Bill takes teams beyond zero
One idea, four ways in.
Educate.
The recipe for rapid, sustainable behavior change, written down in Green Beans & Ice Cream.
Read the bookMotivate.
Keynotes that show leaders how to get from where they stand to where they want to be.
See the keynotesUnite.
Workshops and SEAL Academy bring the whole team on board through real-world stories.
Explore SEALSustain.
Recognition systems and apps keep the behavior going long after the event ends.
Explore the appsIn the media
Listen before you book.
Recent podcast and interview appearances on positive reinforcement, psychological safety, and culture.
Where it goes next
Put the thinking to work.
Real safety lives beyond zero.