What This Safety Leader Added to Every Report—and How it Changed Everything

Building a safety program is part science, part grit, part heart. But if you ask seasoned safety professional Olufunke Osaigbovo what truly moves the needle, she’ll tell you it comes down to one thing: knowing how to speak leadership’s language.

“I just put the cost-benefit (into every report), calculate everything. Tell them, this is what you’re losing (by not investing in safety),” she explains. “That has helped me a lot.”

It might seem like a small addition, just a section at the bottom of her safety reports. But that cost-benefit analysis changed everything. It turned hesitation into approval. Indifference into urgency. Safety into strategy.

Safety That Starts With People

Olufunke didn’t set out to be a safety leader. Originally on track for medical school, her journey took a sharp turn after working on a World Bank-sponsored project in Lagos, Nigeria.

“We actually managed to create the parameters for environment and safety in Nigeria, in Lagos… We followed [Washington State’s] protocol,” she said.

It was a crash course in environmental health, stakeholder collaboration, and the hard reality that systems don’t build themselves.

From Blank Walls to Battle-Tested SOPs

Olufunke learned how to work with clients at every end of the safety spectrum. She encountered one situation where the client’s safety program was starting from zero.“There weren’t even [safety] stickers on the walls,” she said. “There was nothing.”

So she created everything—policies, procedures, signage, training materials. “Every SOP they use now, I wrote.” And just like that, safety was front and center; no longer an afterthought. 

But great safety systems aren’t just built—they’re sold. And that’s where her game-changing addition came in.

Turning Safety Into Strategy

To win leadership support, Olufunke began including a cost-benefit section in every report. No scare tactics. Just clear, direct numbers showing what the company stood to lose—or gain—from their safety investments.

“(Business owners) don’t want to spend more,” she said, “but if you tell them what they’re losing by not doing it, [they listen].”

This wasn’t just a reporting tweak—it was a strategic shift. It reframed safety from being a “nice-to-have” into a business imperative that made the company more competitive. 

What It Really Takes to Build a Program

Olufunke didn’t stumble on a miracle — she built a method. It was all about the mindset required to build a safety program from nothing:

• Educate. She recalled the story of a young worker who lost his hand in an incident. When speaking to him, she realized his training had been inadequate. “He didn’t know why he had to do all those (safety) things,” she said. A checklist wasn’t enough. Workers need real education and training.  
  
  
• Curiosity. “I steal knowledge,” she joked. “When I’m talking to you, I’m trying to learn something from you.” That hunger to learn helped her absorb insight from engineers and industry leaders throughout her career.
  
  
• Courage. She was once dismissed by a client for being “too young” to lead. But she delivered results. “They happened to be my longest standing client,” she later said with pride.
  
  
• Ownership. “It gives you ownership of some sorts,” she said about creating programs from scratch. And that ownership often led to lasting cultural change.
  
  

The Takeaway for Safety Leaders

Olufunke’s story offers a blueprint for any safety professional tasked with building—or rebuilding—a safety program:

• Start with the people. Understand their environment and make sure they understand the risks. 
• Learn relentlessly. Every interaction is a chance to sharpen your skills. 
• Show the math. Use ROI logic to win over leadership. 
• Own it. Systems don’t create themselves—you do.

Build a Stronger Safety Culture with YellowBird 

Safety doesn’t begin with policies. It begins with leadership that knows how to write them, sell them, and bring them to life—one report at a time.

At YellowBird, we match companies with top-tier safety professionals who know how to drive results—fast. Whether you’re launching cross-functional safety initiatives, need help demonstrating safety leadership ROI, or want expert support to build culture across departments, YellowBird is your flexible, on-call partner in building a safer future. Contact us today, or match with an expert.