National Safety Month Week 2 – Rushing Can Hurt
While safety is a topic that requires attention and focus every day and every second, National Safety Month in June is an ideal time to rally employees around a theme. By holding safety meetings with every member of your organization, you are placing emphasis on the importance of on and off the workplace health and safety.
The theme this week is Slips, Trips and Falls. How often are you in a hurry at work? Below is a helpful article about how being in a hurry and distracted while working can cause accidents:
Rushing Can Hurt
We’ve all been in a situation at one time or another where we were in a hurry, didn’t pay close attention to what we were doing, and ended up with an injury. Hurrying on the job can cause both minor accidents and life-threatening injuries. You may hurry dozens of times without incident, until finally it happens – an accident. The old adage, “Haste makes waste,” is all too true.
Have you done any of these:
- Used the wrong ladder because the one you needed wasn’t close by?
- Climbed a ladder with tools stuck in your pockets or in your hand because you didn’t have a tool belt?
- Reached a little further on the ladder rather than get down and move it?
- Climbed up the side of a bin or shelving unit instead of getting a ladder?
- Not worn safety glasses because the job would only take a few minutes?
- Used a dull saw blade for just one more cut?
- Removed a guard to repair your machine, and not gotten around to putting it back?
- Used a wrench instead of a hammer because your toolbox was not close?
- Not unplugged a power tool before making adjustments, because you’d only have to plug it in again, or the plug was a little distance away?
- Given a forklift truck just as little more “pedal” so you could get one more load in before lunch?
- Not slowed down at a blind corner because you never saw anyone there before?
I’m sure you can come up with a dozen more examples of shortcuts you’ve taken, or seen co-workers take, to get the job done more quickly. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes there are near misses, until finally there is a real accident and you, or someone you work or live with, gets hurt. Yes, someone you live with; what we do at work carries over into what we do at home. Our children follow our example. If we take shortcuts, they will do the same thing, assuming it’s all right because they saw us do it.
Practice safety everywhere. You can never be too careful. The example you set may save your life, or the life of someone you love.