The measures we take to work safely can become redundant or repetitive at times, especially on jobs that do not change much. The reason why safety can become repetitive is because it is often the same hazards that lead to the majority of injuries. We need to appreciate the amount of time and money companies spend on safety in the United States. Not so long ago Americans faced horrible working conditions and a lot more risk when they went into work. Today there are many countries whose employees do not enjoy the same rights regarding workplace safety as we in the United States do. It is critical keep these facts in mind to not take workplace safety for granted.

DON’T TAKE YOUR SAFETY FOR GRANTED

Taking things for granted actually involves many factors that produce safety violations, among them: poor communications, not being alert, and taking chances. Check and double-check when necessary. Check tools for flaws before you use them. They may have been okay yesterday, but today’s another day. Look before you blindly put your hands anywhere. Boxes are usually clean, but this time there might be protruding nails. Look before you step out into an aisle. Power trucks may not normally travel that route, but this time a new driver may have wandered off course. On the way to and from work, you’ve seen the wreckage at intersections where a driver had assumed everyone would stop on the signal and had charged into the intersection only to discover that the assumption was tragically wrong.

In a recent study of characteristics of accident-prone employees, one of the personality factors associated with the tendency to have repeated injuries was self-assurance. The accident repeater is convinced of his or her superiority—and the ability to cope with all problems. Such overconfidence leads to taking unnecessary chances, which are followed by frequent accidents and injuries.

Another accident factor was found to be the desire for dominance. The accident repeater has decided opinions but comparatively little regard for the opinions of others. The repeater’s attitude is “There are two ways to do anything—my way and the wrong way.”

Such people take it for granted that they will always make out okay, even though the fact that they’re accident repeaters proves how wrong they are. To avoid being like them, never take safety for granted. If there’s the least doubt or question about how to perform a task in the safest way, don’t assume and don’t guess. Check with your supervisor.

EMPLOYEES

Is Your Workplace Safe?

When deciding whether to accept a job, the usual considerations such as salary and location typically apply. However, few people think about workplace safety when deciding on an employer, but they should.

10 Crucial Points Hi – liting Safety

1. Are you informed about industry and duty risks?
2. Does your employer engage staff without a valid license?
3. Are employees allowed to perform new duties without prior training?
4. Is a safety training calendar maintained?
5. Are safety policies implemented?
6. Is high-quality safety gear provided?
7. Are regular safety audits carried out?
8. Is “safety first” your company’s motto?
9. Does your employer lead by example?
10. Does your employer have a workers’ compensation insurance policy?

FINAL WORD

We need to realize how lucky we are to have basic protections as employees. Furthermore, companies spend a lot of money and time to go beyond just basic compliance to ensure employees are comfortable and safe while at work. Think about this safety talk alone, it was only five minutes or so, but multiply that time for each individual worker in this room and total it up for a year’s time. Safety does benefit the company’s bottom line as well, but workers enjoy more benefits from the amount of attention given to workplace safety than the company does.