I Know My Shoes Are Untied.: Mind Your Own Business! Paperback – August 5, 2018

Ah Yes...Phil La Duke. At the risk of sounding like a "condescending a** hat", I'm going to write a review of his book on Amazon. As a 15 year safety professional, have very much enjoyed reading this book. Mr. La Duke, who would very likely call me an a** hat if he saw I called him Mr., has a refreshing style that is both boastful and self deprecating at the same time. I have read his work on a certain professional site for years and have even been a naysayer a time or two because of his style and professional tact (or lack thereof). In the end he does a tremendous job (like no other) of speaking from the point of view of the blue collar worker and diving into the disservice the gimmick filled safety professional has provided. I will read this many times. I think two of the opinions I share with Phil La Duke are his disdain for the way Zero is applied to workplaces and his take on Behavior Based Safety.Reading about safety is boring...reading Phil La Duke isn't.

I purchased this book based largely on its provocative title “I Know My Shoes Are Untied: Mind Your Own Business!” Throughout my lengthy career in the service industry, my years as a real estate developer, and the weekend I spent as Sherpa, I was consistently and repeatedly plagued by the hellish nightmare of my shoes becoming untied. It didn’t seem to matter what knot I tried: granny, slipknot, bowline, sheepshank, Gordian, it always seemed to end in the bitter disappointment of my shoes coming untied. This naturally led to the unavoidable consequences of tripping, stumbling, falling, injury, loss of blood, loss of consortium, and the subsequent litigation that logically followed. I was overjoyed to discover a book that (based on its title) I assumed would offer real world solutions to the problem of untied shoes. Imagine my sorrow to discover upon reading this heady tome that it doesn’t deal with untied shoes at all, but in fact covers worker safety. Was is informative? Yes! Was it entertaining? Very! Does it have anything to do with shoelaces? Sadly not!

Phil La Duke is not someone a safety professional mistakes for a conformist or trend follower. Phil's roots in worker protection run to his immediate family and his passion for protecting workers (not safety professionals or corporate reputations) jumps off the page in this collection of his articles and musings. These vignettes cover topics from the application Deming CI principles to safety to setting the mindset of your companies managers and a lot of humorous and personal motivation in between.If you are looking to have your current ideas reinforced, your past accomplishments lauded or your behavioral based safety program fawned over you should seek a different and less challenging book. But if you want to challenge your conceptions about corporate safety, it's sacred cows, how you do your job (and how well you do it) and the consequences your current actions have this book is for you.

The "Dear Safety Guy" letter from the dead employee who reported to work expecting to NOT die, made me squirm. But then, a lot in this book made me squirm, cringe, and even laugh. I took a great interest in Safety when a safety team member at my place of employment chose to not report an injury or the hazard that caused it, because it would deplete the Safety Bingo pot. Phil La Duke's book deals harshly with these anti-Safety Professionals, and the so-called safety culture that spawns them. It's a roller-coaster ride of a book, and well worth every life and limb it could save.

This guy is dead on. I have been working in the safety industry for 10 years and very rarely do you meet a safety professional that "gets it". The author uses a lot of safety jargon but breaks it down so that anyone involved in an industrial environment can understand the material. After working in safety I have to agree with Phil on his views of proper safety training and the downfalls of behavior based safety. This book should be mandatory reading for safety professionals and anyone that cares about improving their safety program, from the plant manager to the janitor! thanks phil

This is a great book. I have been working in Factories and shops for more than 40 yrs. And this is the first time I have heard a "safety professional" make much sense I can't say I agree with every point he makes. But you understand everything he is saying. A Lot of great wit and humor makes this book great and a lot of fun to read

For anyone involved with industrial safety, this is a great read!Phil offers a stripped bare perspective on behavior based safety that is educational and entertaining.

Even for those who have a vested interest in the things Phil tackles head on, such as BBS, it is a great, thought provoking read for all safety professionals and want to be safety professionals.Warning for the squeamish, Phil pulls no punches and is not afraid to slaughter the sacred cows the safety profession clings to. And be warned, do not expect highly polished and edited writing... this book is comprised of his blogs and these essays are his raw ideas and beliefs on how to make safety better and what he sees the faults are, but this is what not only makes Phil's writing so great, it is why this book is so compelling.Phil's passion for _real_ safety in the workplace and his universal desire that others share his passion is plain to all who read his words. His raw freestyle method of writing as he thinks, and not being afraid to say what he thinks, is what makes this an essential read for those with direct, or indirect responsibility for worker safety or just those who care about employee safety.

Not worth money or effort to read through. A lot of simplistic blog posts that are high-school level reading at the hardest. Author is very full of himself. This is not a "visionary" book or writer. It's polemic, simplistic, opinionated. This reads just like the assignments I get from OHS students who have limited or zero experience actually doing safety in organizations or field situations. A great disappointment. I am concerned that many believe this author is something special or that this work is praised. Does not reflect well on the state of the profession.

My copy just arrived, I excited to read. Phil’s catchy no holes barred approach to safety is refreshing. As a safety professional trying to influence the status quo of safety, this book will no doubt provide some good food for thought.