Have you ever thought twice about a decision you made? Wondering how things would be if you made the other decision and how life changing it could have been. Everyone has in personal and professional situations. In the article “Managing Safety: Three Steps to Build Character in Safety” David G. Lynn talks about making the right choices in the workplace and helps to identify situations that lead to unsafe decision. The three steps are:
- Stay on the road. In the workplace you make goals for yourself to help achieve a milestone. Sometimes pressure and demands of your work can detour you and can lead to unwise choices, increasing risk for injury. Focus on staying within the safety guidelines at the workplace to keep you and others safe.
- Pay attention to the signs. Curiosity gets the best of people, but may not be the correct choice when it comes to safety. The initial path beyond the safety boundaries may seem harmless until each step of compromise brings you closer to danger. According to David Lynn, “Train yourself to recognize signs that prompt you to act with prudence and develop the courage to turn back to safety.”
- Don’t jump. If you experience fear and hesitation you may want to step back to analyze the decision you’re about to make. It’s not too late to turn around at this point. Once you make the final decision you can’t turn around, you will be taking two steps back before making a step forward. Don’t allow pressures and demands lead you to making wrong safety decisions; it will catch up to you.
David Lynn suggests, “Adding character to your safety program by eliminating the unwise choices. Every step has the potential to create momentum. Safety character is all about stopping the unsafe momentum before it starts.” By taking a few additional seconds to decide on the best solution for getting the job done correctly and in a timely manner it will not cost the company unnecessary grief due to a poor judgment. SLIPNOT® Metal Safety Flooring can take the guess work out of floor safety. Non-slip products keep workers safe and are long lasting.
EHS Today, David G. Lynn. (2011, October 28). Managing Safety: Three Steps to Build Character in Safety. Retrieved October 31, 2011. http://ehstoday.com/safety/management/three-steps-build-character-safety-1101/
