“Tuning Into Safety; Preparing Your Mind for the Safety Message,” should be a ‘must read,’ for every employer and/or safety supervisor. Martin has gone far beyond the usual safety chiding and warnings of the typical safety guide, most of which fail to address the biggest barrier to a safe working environment. That factor is employee acceptance of and implementation of safety guidelines. There are numerous reasons that employees only do lip service to safety procedures, from trying to save time, to a ‘macho’ mentality. This book discusses a host of them, and also gives concrete suggestions how to include employees in safety efforts in a way that will make them want to create a safe environment for themselves as well as their colleagues. The real-world stories the author uses as punctuation in the text make the book readable (as opposed to many dry safety manuals), and much more impactful. The author sets out clear principles to be followed and summarizes them at the end. The fact that Martin has been on the front lines in industry gives weight and authority to this book. If you only read one book on safety this year; this should be the one.

Bill C., M.A., A.A.M. - Loxahatchee, Florida

Tony- I got a chance to listen to your book today. Honestly, my expectations for a book on safety were low, but being recommended I was ready to listen. It was very well done. It was honest about the struggle to keep a safe work environment. It has clear explanations, examples, and actions to be taken. It was edifying and an enjoyable listen. Thank you for sharing with me, and I will be recommending to others.

Tim H. - Algonquin, Illinois

Tony's unique book teaches ten, very sound principles of safety, but not as a stern lecture. Unlike some safety books there are no platitudes to choke on and there is no false moralizing to battle with. I cringed as I remembered very similar close calls of my own while reading through the chosen case study incidents, yet it is not a book of accident statistics. Tony's extensive industrial experience takes the reader into the psychology of work teams where safety culture has developed and then perhaps stalled or backfired a little, and then asks 'why'?

If you've worked in industry the issues addressed will read like the voices you've heard in your head as you've struggled to reconcile your own inconsistencies around safety behavior. You can also read this book as a primer, a bit of roleplay even, to prepare you for more productive safety related conversations with your team. Each chapter ends with a question to consider that will not allow you to deflect, but rather, encourages you to reflect.

One of my favorite chapters was 'Receiving the Message'. This one challenged my own emotional intelligence in a good way. The chapter story about the motor scraper repair gone bad was very instructive as well.

In 'Tuning In to Safety' Tony has done a great job of providing a practical guidebook for real, human teams.

Carl D. - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

This book is an invaluable practical resource manual that (most importantly) makes us think about the implications of our actions. Too often we ignore the mundane, everyday, and ordinary routines that we go about. This little book makes us actually think about why our actions do matter, and the potential drastic consequences of our actions (or inactions). This is a good read and is well suited as a safety primer (and a refresher) for anyone working in any industrial field.

William S., P. Eng. - Olds, Alberta, Canada

Having read the paper version of Tuning In to Safety, I introduced this title in both paper and e-book versions to my automotive program students in August 2018. I was immediately taken aback by number of positive comments and feedback from all 16 students who had purchased their own copies, read the chapters and had completed a quiz. The book provided an excellent segue into classroom discussion, where students readily disclosed having either witnessed or heard about similar safety-related scenarios in their own workplaces. 

This was somewhat surprising, because students often have to be "encouraged" to participate, when discussing the importance of ongoing safety learning and best practices. Safety cannot be taken for granted, while that has often been the mentality and practice in many places of employment. Incorporating Tuning In to Safety into the learning process, was met with enthusiasm and created a high level of engagement in active classroom discussion. The book used situational awareness to demonstrate the importance of safety. Scenarios presented throughout the book, were readily and often recognized to have happened to someone known by the students, either resulting in an accident or a close call. 

Recently, I took the opportunity to listen to the audio version of Tuning In to Safety and found it refreshing. The download process was straightforward and narration by Josiah Martin, was very clear and well-paced. This offers an alternative way to read this book for the first time, or can serve as an excellent review when contemplating discussion of safety issues, whether it be for oneself, students or co-workers. This book inspires the reader and does a great job encouraging due diligence and best practices. The portability and versatility of the audio version, may fit the needs of those with active and busy schedules, who find little time to sit and read. 

Martin S. - Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your book “Tuning In to Safety.”  I try and find a way to work a reference into every meeting that I have and have encouraged many others to go out and purchase a copy. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it with me and I hope you don’t mind that I plug it every chance that I get.

I can tell you that the focus on safety at my company has been significant over the last few years and it has not been an easy path.  Being metric-driven it is easy to get lost in trying to change the number and missing actually changing the culture.  I can tell you that your book has played a part in helping me lead a culture change by causing me to look at the way I handle safety personally.  Keep up the good work and know that you have made an impact.

Chet B. - Anchorage, Alaska

Speaking as a person that has been involved in a work place accident, this book helps you understand all costs involved when a person is hurt at work. It makes you question the risks that you are willing to accept, and makes you look at work place safety in a different light. I highly recommend this book. This book is an easy read and keeps you thinking from start to finish. Tony Martin- excellent work.

Nick C. - Fairbanks, Alaska

What I like best about this book is that it’s not written by a lawyer trying to save his clients a few bucks, or by an OSHA bureaucrat reading the riot act to an industry they have no clue about. It’s written by a regular guy who has had to fix things fast - meaning he’s been tempted to take shortcuts that might not be the safest. It’s pretty clear from cover-to-cover that the author’s experience is real world, his research was exhaustive, and his motivation was based on the Golden Rule. Tuning In to Safety will inevitably save a lot of grief and suffering for folks who are in a hurry in the real working world. If it saves a single life - it will be worth every minute of his efforts!

Dave H. - Kokomo, Indiana

Tony, whether you intended or not, your book is about so much more than workplace safety. It’s just as much about a way of living and working with other people, with workplace safety being what Alfred Hitchcock called ‘the McGuffin;’ the object of the plot but not necessarily the point of the story.

Your statement on page 55 says it all: “Doing your best to make other people look good is fundamental to prosperity in your work life…..”

I was taught that concept a long time ago and have tried to live it my whole career. This is what helps working people go home at the end of the day feeling good about their job, whether it’s sweeping floors or brain surgery. You also point out that it requires one to consider other people’s situations and motivations, including those we might dislike, in order to foster effective communication.

This book shows your familiarity with adult education techniques; your understanding of employers, employees and the power of workplace culture, and your respect for other people. Even if workplace safety is not a major concern, I would recommend this book to every worker, every supervisor and every employer in any field.

Well done.

Jacques G. - Devon, Pennsylvania

Very well written book that looks at safety from a different angle than most do. This is a great read for front-line supervision and managers to get them thinking about the human element of safety. Well written book, Tony!

Pat F. - Fairbanks, Alaska

A book like this one is long overdue. It’s a really easy read and flows right through all the way to the end. Many good safety-related stories that are told well so that anyone can relate to them and learn from them as well. I would even say that this book should be a staple for any tech school to incorporate into a safety class which most schools don’t really teach enough of as it is. It’s not enough to learn safety in the field or on the job. Very well put together and job well done, Sir!

Ragan B. - Juneau, Alaska

Technically, I guess you could say this is a textbook, but it doesn't read like one - by which I mean it is actually interesting. The author takes what most people would consider to be a dry subject, and turns it into an enjoyable, easy read by using lots of real-world examples. This book should be required reading for anyone who works in an industrial environment. In particular, it is helpful to old guys (like me) who have been through more safety lectures than they can count, and who think there is nothing more they can possibly learn on the subject. Too often, safety training is seen by the trainees as nothing more than a list of rules they need to memorize. Many times, there is an unspoken message that safety is counter-productive. Regardless of the words of the executives and managers, the overall workplace culture quickly teaches workers that safety is an impediment to getting the job done - that their mission is to get the job done "in spite of" the safety requirements. This book specifically refutes that mindset, and shows that lack of safety awareness is a much greater impediment, and that, far from being counter-productive, an active safety culture is very good for business.

Colin H. - Austin, Texas

Tuning Into Safety certainly caused me to look into my own attitudes, the attitudes of fellow workers, superintendents and management over many years in the trades. I must admit that the subject of safety was not of foremost importance and in many cases was ridiculed or completely ignored. This book deals with these negative attitudes head-on and the reader is finally led to answer the question “what’s in it for me?”

As for my company, our future jobs will be safer because of a change in attitude in Numero Uno.

Thanks to Tony Martin for his thoughtful work.

Richard L. - Anchorage, Alaska

Author Tony Martin has delivered a long past due common sense assessment of safety in this well-written book. Not only has he given H&S Managers a good compilation of documented data, he has given an easily read set of foundation fundamentals that all working in any industry should learn to go home safely everyday. I bought 12 of these books for a small staff I manage. We are using one chapter each month in our safety meetings. Each employee is encouraged to think and apply what is learned, then approach a fellow employee throughout the month to discuss. Excellent work Mr.Martin. I hope to see more of your works in the future.

Bill W. - Henderson, Kentucky

Here's a gem of extraordinary proportions for anyone involved in the physical workplace. Every day I wake up with the pain of the accumulated stresses and injuries of a long journey in the construction, mining, and logging industries. For me, fifty years ago would have been a great time to have read this. But the importance of this book is now; to learn the lessons of the past and to not repeat them.

Mr. Martin has accurately identified the lack of foresight in the workplace of the past, and how to address this as we move into the future. The stories of pain, suffering and injury are tempered with plans for action. While it is an easy read, it's not easy to read, and digest, some of those stories of pain and suffering as we reflect on our own past practices. But you must. Or risk repeating the failures of the past.

If you are involved in industry and professional technical education I think that we shall look at this book as a watershed moment in our "Tuning In to Safety". Why not set up future generations with thoughtful practices?

As Mr. Bennett notes in the Foreword, "By abandoning the tedious recital of regulations used in most safety literature, this book is innovative because it invites the reader to engage in the dialogue of safety strategies". Now is the time to engage everyone in that dialogue. What could it hurt?

Jeff C. - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

A fantastic safety read, relatively short, great stories, and applicable to most industries. This would make the perfect safety book for any company or school.

Darrin M. - Anchorage, Alaska

All industrial accidents leave a lasting impact on the witnesses, businesses, and, most importantly, the victims and their families. This book takes a new approach at how working people can approach their workplace, whether its a mechanics shop or a mine, and keep aware of the everyday hazards that exist. The book hammers home that it is each and every individual’s responsibility to be tuned into a safe work place. It also sheds light on some ill-fated attitudes towards employers and production and provides real world strategies that will help everyone go home safe at the end of the day. Good Job! Mr. Martin, thanks for your efforts.

Tom B. - Juneau, Alaska

Typically safety books focus on the overall culture within a work place. A culture directed and moved by operating procedures, bottom lines, and safety programs. Tuning into Safety moves past those things, and gets to the core of work place safety, which is the individual. This book looks at the personal side of safety, and the individual attitude. It helps one take an introspective look at why they would want to work safely, and the real cost of not maintaining those safe practices. It truly sheds light on what safety is ultimately about, which is folks taking control of their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their co-workers. It provides tools, and challenges an individual to think, so they make smart decisions when it comes to their and their co-workers safety. This is an easy reader, and should be in the hands of everyone who has work boots on the ground.

Ryan S. - Fairbanks, Alaska

This book...can be considered a “light” read that is easily accomplished in a session or two at most. The content brings to light, a number of real-world examples of risks assumed at all levels of business operations. Avoidable workplace "accidents", along with how such situations could have been better managed, provide thought-provoking instances of mishaps, close calls and fatalities. It reminds those of us with extensive work place experience and those just entering the work force, to take time to consider the implications and liabilities associated with not working safely. All parties from the worker at the centre of the risk-taking activities, to middle and upper management, are targeted. Discussion of how an approach of "cutting corners" to complete work faster and meet production quotas and compromise safety, will alert and encourage readers to review our own "best practices". Consider this offering as a useful work place safety "hand book", that all members of any work force should be given the opportunity to read and digest. This a "two thumbs up" read!

Martin S. - Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Tony has provided a "worker's eye view" of safety from the ranks at all levels, from the "lowest on the pole" to upper management. It hits on key points, especially the old "production over safety and risk factors" view, that many of us have experienced during our careers, when pressured to perform. 

It is a refreshing reminder of how, even for those of us who routinely demonstrate and engage our students in safety as a primary learning need, must to be focused and not allow ourselves to become "complacent". 

Having accumulated many "battle scars" in almost 50 years of wrenching, I can recall and visualize firsthand many similarities to the mishaps and "close calls" that Tony describes in his book, along with worst of all, the fatalities. 

It is also a "light" read, easily digested in a session or two.

Martin S. - Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada