FACTS

1. According to the Oxford online dictionary, “observation is the action or process of observing something or someone in order to gain information”. Our observation skills inform us about objects, events, attitudes and phenomena using one or more senses.
2. Hurry is a distraction. If employees feel rushed by productivity demand, injuries or mistakes may occur.
3. A bad fall or missed cue can have serious repercussions. Mixing dangerous tasks with distractedness creates a recipe for disaster every time.
4. Being tired can affect someone on a more significant scale than they assume. Cognitive processing slows down when the body doesn’t have rest, which weakens reaction time. Not reacting quickly enough to a roadside or job site hazard can cause major injury or death. Fatigue-related crashes tend to be about more likely to result in a fatality or severe injury.
5. The greatest distraction among employees today is cellphone usage. This includes texting, talking, gaming, and social media. Many studies show that cellphones impair employees’ ability to recognize and react to hazards in a timely manner.

STATISTICS

• According to the National Safety Council, 697 workers died in 2016 from suffering a multi-level fall, and 48,060 workers obtained injuries serious enough to require days off work. Although transportation- related deaths are the most common cause of fatality in the US workplace, fall-related deaths take the second spot, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, fall injuries account for nearly $70 billion in worker’s compensation and medical bills each year in the United States.
• Statistics prove distractions among employees cause many workplace injuries and fatalities. Distractions come in many forms. An employee might be mentally distracted by personal matters, such as family or finances. This can lead to inattention of pedestrians or other employees on site. Long hair can distract if it is not kept pulled back or under a hat. Even socializing, which is great for employee morale, can become a problem if it disrupts an employee’s attention and a mistake happens.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction saw 1,008 deaths in 2018, and waste management had 89. Mining had 130 fatalities, with logging at 75.
• These statistics are only a small sample of a select few industries — many more life-threatening occupations exist with similar or higher numbers. Exercising caution becomes a determiner for life or death in these careers, and employees aren’t always aware of how much disorder one error can cause.