What safety experts know for sure is that most, if not all, work place accidents can be prevented. Please don't take chances when it comes to safety by taking needless risks in an effort to save time or cut your work load. In reality, all you are doing is subjecting yourself and others to hazards that could cause a serious injury. This blog post is going to focus on the importance of staying safe at work and it will consider the impact that workplace incidents have on the family of the seriously (or fatally) injured.
Employees form bad habits when they repeatedly perform their jobs in an unsafe way. They become convinced that because of their skills they are incapable of being hurt. It’s this mentality that usually ends up being the last straw, because they take even more chances until eventually a serious accident does occur. Unfortunately, that one accident can turn out to be fatal.
Most of a chance-taker’s careless acts can be broken down into one of the following categories:
Failing to follow proper job procedure
Distracted driving
Cleaning, oiling, adjusting, or repairing equipment that is moving, electrically energized, or pressurized
Failing to use available personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and hard hats
Failing to wear safe personal attire
Failing to secure or warn about hazards on the job site and while commuting
Using equipment improperly
Making safety devices inoperable
Operating or working at unsafe speeds
Taking an unsafe position or posture
Placing, mixing, or combining tools and materials unsafely
Using tools or equipment known to be unsafe
Engaging in horseplay
Although OSHA does not cite employees for safety violations, each employee is obliged to comply with all applicable OSHA standards, rules, regulations, and orders. Employee responsibilities and rights in states with their own occupational safety and health programs are generally the same as for workers in states covered by Federal OSHA.
Employees should follow these guidelines:
Read OSHA notices at the job site
Comply with all applicable OSHA standards
Follow all lawful employer health and safety rules and regulations, and wear or use prescribed protective equipment while working
Report hazardous conditions to a supervisor
Report any job-related injury or illness to the employer, and seek treatment promptly
Exercise these rights in a responsible manner
If you are working with a risk-taker, ask them to stop and consider what jeopardy they are putting themselves and others in. It is your husband or wife, it is your children, friends and family that love you and that would miss you horribly if, god forbid, you were to be hurt at work.
If you see a safety issue, speak up and say something. Don't be embarrassed to show them a safer way to perform a task that may save their life. Remember, unsafe actions don’t result in saving time if a worker gets injured in the process.
If you are at work and trying to decide whether to work safely or rush, always remember that even if safety isn't a priority for you, make sure you do it for your loved ones. They need you.