Dangerous Thinking and Thoughts

Who is responsible for your safety on the job?  Is it the government, the company, your boss or the other members of the crew?  Actually, all of them have a responsibility for your safety.  Ultimately, the responsibility is yours.  Just because you have been doing a job for years does not make you safe.  Taking responsibility for your own safety is a full-time job.  Here are a few tips on how to do it:

  1. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Your work environment can change from one moment to the next with the approach of a vehicle, something falling from overhead or the presence of an intruder.  Stay alert.
  2. Upgrade your workplace safety training on a regular basis. Take advantage of company training sessions. Review the operator’s manual for equipment you use and company safety documents such as the emergency plan.
  3. Talk about safety with your team members. In the break room, at meetings and in one-on-one conversations, put the focus on safety.
  4. Perform your own workplace inspections. Maybe other inspectors have overlooked the faded sign marking the eyewash station or the fire door that won’t stay closed.
  5. Look for solutions to safety problems. When you find something wrong, try to figure out how to make it right and discuss it with your supervisor.
  6. Don’t be afraid to point out unsafe practices by your fellow workers, using common sense and courtesy, of course. Encourage them to do the same for you. When you make a mistake, it is better to be embarrassed than injured.
  7. Don’t let someone else, even your supervisor, make you do something you believe to be unsafe. If somebody tells you its okay to enter a confined space unprotected, he is wrong.  It’s just possible your boss could use some more safety training too.

You can do a lot to keep your fellow workers safe, and they can do a lot for you.  But in the end, you are responsible for your own safety.

Dangerous Thoughts: Do You Ever Think This Way?

  1. I have been doing this job for years and haven’t had an accident yet.
  2. There’s no need for face shield and safety goggles because I’m only going to be grinding a few seconds.
  3. Why wear safety glasses? They just fog up anyway.
  4. Spilled material on the deck: I can clean it up after I finish my break.
  5. I’ll stack this in front of the exit and pick it up later.
  6. Anyone who is able to drive a car can drive a forklift or operate a crane.
  7. There is no use putting these lift subs on the rack because we will need them on the next trip anyway.
  8. Why lockout the mud pump to change a liner? The driller knows I am working on it.
  9. Why bother about it?
  10. The next shift can deal with the overheating. Why bother with it now? To take care of it I would have to stay back and not get cleaned up and have my clothes changed when relief gets here.
  11. I can leave this on the stairs so that I remember to take it when I go back down.
  12. Why wear my seatbelt? It’s just a few blocks anyway.
  13. That’s safety—it’s not my responsibility.
  14. There is no written safety policy against doing it.
  15. Why ask someone how to do this job? I don’t want them thinking I’m not capable of handling it.

If this is you, you are setting yourself up for an accident!

The above thoughts are the kind that can lead to accidents and injuries to ourselves and other people.  Try making safety a habit and applying it at all times. Make sure you have checked all safety aspects before proceeding with a job.

Take hold of safety before an accident takes hold of you!

Remember safety starts with you!