It’s Not Easy – 7/11/22

Safety E-QuickTips

U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.

Monday Jul 11, 2022

It’s Not Easy

You’ve seen the signs: “Safety First,” “Hard Hat Required,” “Caution . . .,” “Danger . . .,” and “Stop . . .”

Then you see someone using a piece of equipment in an unsafe way, proceeding without caution, walking right into danger, or entering when they can clearly see the sign that says stop.

In fact, maybe you have experienced this firsthand with your own behavior. Ever used a piece of equipment in an unsafe way?

I know I have.

Workplace safety – it’s not easy.

Everything seems to work against it.

·You forgot to bring the right tool to do the job safely
·No one else is wearing a hard hat
·It will only take a minute
·You’re young and invincible
·Workplace safety is just common sense
·You’re older and have done it this way for the past X years and never have been injured doing it that way

And the list goes on and on.

You see, with so much working against workplace safety, there’s no way a few signs will prevent us from working in an unsafe manner and risking possible injury.

So, how do we get past everything that works against a safe workplace?

Here’s a 5-step process that will get you started and keep you on track:

1.Get everyone from upper management down to the last employee to recognize that there is a problem and the negative consequences. You can do this by providing the pros and cons and show them how the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term effort.
2.Read, talk, and gather information about the problem so they become committed to changing and are motivated to take the necessary next steps.
3.Use the strategies learned in the previous step to start new, safer behaviors. This takes willpower, and there is a high risk of failure and slipping back into old behavior and habits. To help prevent this, you might try setting rewards for achieving intermediate goals. Supporting one another is also essential during this step.
4.Now you must maintain the process. Everyone is onboard and realizes the benefits of changing. They understand that maintaining change will require effort, but they are aware of its value. At this point you need to create strategies to prevent relapse until the new habit becomes familiar and natural.
5.This last step is critical in making sure everyone stays on track. Make sure everyone doesn’t relapse back into their old ways of thinking and doing things. Relapsing is a normal part of the process of change, and we’ve all seen it happen in our lives time and time again. The key is to identify the trigger that caused the failure and look for new and better strategies for dealing with it. By keeping in mind the benefits of the change, you can help everyone regain motivation when having to take a step back and regain control of the process.

I know change is difficult when it comes to workplace safety because of everything you are up against. If you can make it a reality, everyone in the company benefits, and that’s something worth working toward.

Employee QuickTip

There is real value to workplace safety for you and those you go home to at the end of the workday.

Employer/Management QuickTip

Make workplace safety a priority for your company and you will protect your most valuable assets -Employees, Company Reputation and Profits.

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Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy and Work Safe.