Accidents occur for many reasons. While your employer has the ultimate responsibility for providing a safe workplace, you must also do your part to prevent accidents.
Consider the behaviors described below. Avoiding these behaviors can help prevent accidents and keep you safe on the job.
□ Taking shortcuts: Every day we make decisions we hope will make the job faster and more efficient. Don’t take shortcuts that risk your own safety or that of others.
□ Being over confident: Confidence is a good thing. Overconfidence is too much of a good thing. “It’ll never happen to me” is an attitude that can lead to the use of improper tools or methods in your work, which can lead to an injury.
□ Starting a task with incomplete instructions: To do the job safely and right the first time, you need complete information. Don’t be shy about asking for explanations about work procedures and safety precautions.
□ Poor housekeeping: When clients, managers or safety professionals walk through a job site, housekeeping is an accurate indicator of everyone’s attitude about quality, production and safety. Poor housekeeping creates hazards of all types, while good housekeeping results in a safer workplace.
□ Ignoring safety procedures: Purposely failing to observe safety procedures can endanger you and your co-workers. Be sure to always follow company safety policies. Talk to your supervisor if you have suggestions for improving safety policies. Being “casual” about safety can lead to a casualty.
□ Mental distractions from work: Dropping your mental guard can pull your focus away from safe work procedures. Don’t become a statistic because you took your eyes off the task at hand “just for a second.”
□ Failure to inspect: Beginning work without carefully inspecting the machinery, tools and safety equipment you plan to use is a recipe for trouble. Ensure that your equipment is in shape to safely complete your task. Immediately report defective equipment to your supervisor.
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