The Armor of Safety
Self-discipline means consistently protecting ourselves.
Discipline equals freedom. That’s a leadership dichotomy that Jocko Willink and Leif Babin address in Chapter 12 of their book “Extreme Ownership.”
Similarly, in the Bible, just before instructing the Ephesians to don their spiritual armor, Paul urges Christians to live disciplined lives according to the Ten Commandments “so … that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (see Ephesians 6:3). He then lists six pieces of spiritual armor that will help them stand up to the devil’s schemes: the belt of truth; breastplate of righteousness; feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace; shield of faith; helmet of salvation; and sword of the spirit.
This article follows Paul’s example, offering six metaphorical pieces of safety armor that utility safety and operations professionals can use to combat hazards and invisible forces like complacency, stress, time pressure, distractions, assumptions and risk tolerance:
- Belt of verification.
- Breastplate of caring.
- Boots of fitness for duty.
- Shield of the hierarchy of controls.
- Hard hat of emotionally intelligent decision-making.
- Sword of courage.
Belt of Verification
Wrap yourself and your TEAM (Together Everyone Accomplishes More) in verification practices by consistently asking questions and determining the accuracy of assumptions, particularly when you notice confused expressions or hear statements like, “I think so,” “We’ve always done it this way,” “It worked last time,” “This will only hurt a little,” “It will only take a minute,” or “Let’s see what happens.”
Belts stop our pants from falling down. Verification stops us from falling victim to assumptions.
Breastplate of Caring
Soldiers once wore breastplates to shield their vital organs. Put on your breastplate of caring and act in ways that support your TEAM. Consider the fact that team members are appreciating assets only if you care enough to prevent their harm and encourage their growth.
Boots of Fitness for Duty
Fitness for duty includes job- and task-specific training and qualification, as well as healthy physical, mental and emotional states. We can use the act of putting on our boots as a prompt to evaluate everyone’s fitness for duty and speak up if someone seems off or unprepared.
Shield of the Hierarchy of Controls
Defense often comes to mind when we think about shields. However, watch Captain America in action and you might reconsider their purpose. He uses his shield for protection and as a weapon. The hierarchy of controls is our version of a shield (note: it’s better than vibranium). We wield it as a safety weapon, and it offers us safety by design and defense in depth.
Hard Hat of Emotionally Intelligent Decision-Making
Controlled emotions typically lead to controlled behavior. Or, more bluntly, our 6 inches up top help to determine how quickly we will find ourselves 6 feet below. By consistently using the Event + Response = Outcome tool – which regular “Frontline Fundamentals” readers know is my favorite – we don the hard hat of emotionally intelligent decision-making. Deliberately pausing before we respond to events gives us precious time to define our desired outcomes, setting the stage for safer, more informed and more rational choices.
Sword of Courage
A discussion of availability bias during a recent Frontline Fundamentals class evolved into conversation about how we use screwdrivers for various purposes beyond their intended use. When I mentioned a tool specifically designed to open paint cans (no, not a screwdriver), one student confessed to being unfamiliar with it. Three more students then chimed in to say the same thing.
Eventually, the entire class learned that the local hardware store where the students live provides free stirring sticks to its paint-buying customers. The can openers are free, too, but customers must grab one themselves from the bucket they are kept in. Albeit a simple example, this illustrates how an entire group can benefit when just one person is vulnerable and brave enough to speak up.
The point here is that we must supplement our safety armor with offensive tools to be truly effective in battle. Among those tools is the sword of courage, which we employ whenever we voice our questions, concerns, ideas or feedback.
Conclusion
The protective value of our safety armor largely depends on whether we are disciplined enough to use it consistently. Paul ended his spiritual armor discussion by asking his readers to pray. I am ending this discussion by asking Incident Prevention readers to actively use all six pieces of your metaphorical safety armor so that we may enjoy long life on the earth.
About the Author: David McPeak, CUSP, CIT, CHST, CSP, CSSM, is the director of professional development for Utility Business Media’s Incident Prevention Institute (https://ip-institute.com) and the author of “Frontline Leadership – The Hurdle” and “Frontline Incident Prevention – The Hurdle.” He has extensive experience and expertise in leadership, human performance, safety and operations. McPeak is passionate about personal and professional development and believes that intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are key to success. He also is an advanced certified practitioner in DISC, emotional intelligence, the Hartman Value Profile, learning styles and motivators.
About Frontline Fundamentals: Frontline Fundamentals topics are derived from the Incident Prevention Institute’s popular Frontline training program (https://ip-institute.com/frontline-online/). Frontline covers critical knowledge, skills and abilities for utility leaders and aligns with the Certified Utility Safety Professional exam blueprint.
The Armor of Safety
May 13, 2026, at 11 a.m. Eastern
Visit https://ip-institute.com/frontline-webinars/ for more information.