By law, employers are required to protect their workers and provide a safe work environment. However, statistics show that employees are less likely to be injured on the clock than after hours, at home, in their car or even in public places. While employers have the most control when it comes to diminishing occupational hazards, Don Wilson of SafeStart suggests that employers who are concerned with worker safety and want a more stable workforce should consider switching to a 24/7 safety program.
Workplace and worker safety was the focus of the 2013 Michigan Safety Conference held in April 2013 in Grand Rapids, MI. This year’s keynote presentation by Wilson focused on how 24/7 safety awareness by both business owners and employees can reduce the likelihood of injury overall.
The three-part series, Safety Awareness for Your Agricultural Employees, by Michigan State University Extension and Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (MIFACE), explores the concepts behind SafeStart’s techniques to reduce injury both on and off the job.
While the first two articles covered the "states" that can cause or contribute to four "critical errors" which can then lead to an increased risk of injury, the third article discusses developing safety skills that, Wilson claims, will help employees avoid incidents.
The four skills to develop are:
Self-trigger:
Wilson explains that recognizing that you have fallen into any of the four states (rushing, frustrated, fatigued or being complacent) can help you adjust your behavior and reduce the chances of having an incident. The self-triggering process will help get your mind and eyes back on the task at hand.
Analyze close calls and small errors:
As Wilson says, it is easy to agonize over incidents that could have been even worse, but much more difficult to find the small errors and close calls. By taking a closer look at everyday close calls and determining what went wrong, you can begin to develop what to avoid a similar situation in the future.
As Wilson says, it is easy to agonize over incidents that could have been even worse, but much more difficult to find the small errors and close calls. By taking a closer look at everyday close calls and determining what went wrong, you can begin to develop what to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Look at others:
Learning to recognize patterns of risky behavior in others will help you to examine your own behaviors, Wilson says. This can lead you to make adjustments that will help reduce your own risk of injury.
Learning to recognize patterns of risky behavior in others will help you to examine your own behaviors, Wilson says. This can lead you to make adjustments that will help reduce your own risk of injury.
Work on Habits:
Train yourself on different safety habits. For example, training yourself to look before you stand up, or put on your seatbelt every time you get into a car is a “habit” that can be formed if practiced regularly.
“We don’t have to accept that accidents ‘just happen,’” Wilson says. By increasing your safety awareness and developing safety skills to avoid “critical errors,” can benefit workers on and off the job.
To learn more about these concepts and techniques derived from on of SafeStart’s safety training programs, please visit www.safestart.com. To read more from the 3 part series on 24/7 safety, click here.
