To reach that goal, we are taking a new approach to safety. We believe that our workforce has a right to expect safe working conditions and will continue to make that a priority. We also believe each member of the workforce has a role to play in defining and practicing safe behaviors.

To create a sustainable safety culture, Borax will rely on a wide range of tactics - from training employees to develop their own safety systems to publishing predictive data as the basis for preventing accidents and improving practices. The company is also working to reduce a reliance on regulatory compliance and fear of punishment as motivations.

Cultural change starts with education. For executives and managers, the lesson will be to evolve from directing to leading by example. Supervisors and employees will learn methods to take responsibility for their own safety and to be proactive in promoting safety among their colleagues. Developing communication and interpersonal skills is an integral part of the training program for all employees, as is understanding the human factors that affect safety.

For instance, members of Boron Operations' Mine, Maintenance and Shipping departments undertook an intensive training program to help them pinpoint the behaviors that cause incidents, and create safer alternatives. At Borax, some of the root causes of injuries include very simple acts - taking your eyes off your work (26 percent); neglecting to keep your hands, head, feet or body out of the "line of fire" of moving or falling objects (16 percent); failing to watch or protect your hands (14 percent); and even rushing or multi-tasking (five percent).

What's one of the simplest ways to avoid injuries associated with taking your eyes off your work? It's one that most people can relate to: keeping your eyes on the road while you're driving.

In addition to training individuals, the company will refresh its collective policies and procedures to ensure that these guiding principles identify safety as the ultimate value at Borax - and to overcome perceptions that safety is a discrete program, or in conflict with productivity or other business goals.

Ultimately, Borax's sustainable safety culture will promote bottom-up ownership rather than top-down control; create a focus on shared responsibility rather than external enforcement; and, ultimately, change people's minds about safety - making it their most important value rather than their most important priority.