Most potentially harmful situations can be avoided by being observant and mindful. Learn to recognize safety hazards to minimize the occurrence of accidents. Most worker compensation cases deal with fatigue as a major factor to the accident. When workers are tired, they aren't paying as much attention to their work or their surroundings. This may cause them to make mistakes they wouldn't usually make if they were awake and alert, which could put themselves, or other employees, in harm's way. While accidents in the workplace are common, most are preventable.
Of course, it’s important for all employees to be aware of the hazards that may come along with their jobs. And, naturally, some jobs present more risks than others. Construction workers, for example, often have to work with heavy equipment and at high elevations. Clearly, protective gear must be worn and extra precautions need to be followed. There are steps, however, that we all must take in order to be safe, no matter what type of environment we work in.
Lacking awareness of one’s surroundings places employees in high-risk exposure situations that can lead to accidents, such as:
Being distracted by loud noises or coworkers
Taking one’s eyes off the road while driving
Multitasking
Rushing to complete a task
Working while fatigued or extremely tired
Working at a new job site
Safety consciousness
We all know that safety consciousness is the most potent factor in the prevention of accidents. Safety consciousness may be defined as awareness of hazards and alertness to danger. This has a strong influence on the actions of an individual because of his desire to remain alive and uninjured. We need to develop safety consciousness and Make Safety a Value.
How do we develop safety consciousness?
By observing the following eight simple steps, we can establish a strong safety consciousness toward our safe way of life.
1.Know the job and be thoroughly familiar with the work plan.
2.Make, revise and utilize Job Safety Analysis for tasks to be done.
3.Perform our own work in such a way that will not create or leave hazards which may cause accidents involving other employees.
4.Obtain training in first aid and become thoroughly familiar with knowing how to give artificial respiration.
5.Take an active part in safety meetings.
6.Report all hazards, unsafe practices, and accidents. Correct all hazards we observe and are capable of correcting safely.
7. Accept responsibility for using safety protective equipment on the job
8.Teach our own families, co-workers and others about accident prevention.
How to be observant
Eliminate distractions from your work area. Whether it is someone talking to you or excessive noise, try to get rid of anything distracting you from your work. Also consider good housekeeping practices as a tool to eliminate unnecessary distractions in your work areas.
Be aware of surroundings. Look around and identify workplace hazards that could cause harm.
Look for ways to reduce or eliminate hazards, and implement them.
Report unsafe areas or practices
Take the time before starting a task to stop and look around your work area. Really focus on the different tools or equipment in that area. Are there hazards you are missing? Do you have everything you need?
While completing a work task monitor your thoughts. Is your mind truly on the task?
Workplace Hazard Identification
One of the main reasons for workplace accidents, illnesses, incidents, and injuries is simply the failure to identify current hazards or potentially dangerous situations and/or activities. To identify hazards, both the company and employees should do the following:
- Collect and review known and possible hazards.
- Immediately rectify trip hazards, spills, or other potentially dangerous situations.
- Conduct regular inspections to identify new or recurring hazards.
- Investigate all incidents, including close calls/near misses, and determine the hazards, causes, and any safety policy shortcomings.
- Identify trends in reported injuries, illnesses, and hazards.
- Immediately correct inappropriate or dangerous activities or behavior.
- Consider potential hazards during emergency or non-routine situations.
- Determine the severity of incidents that could result from each hazard that is identified, and prioritize corrective actions accordingly.
- Report all unsafe activities/situations
- Always wear appropriate safety equipment and gear
- Routinely inspect all personal safety gear and equipment
It is critical to slow down and be able to observe the environment around you while are at work to be able to safely perform tasks. Remaining safe at the workplace and preventing accidents is a full-time commitment. Employees and their employers should work together and actively explore and communicate new ways to make the job site safer and less prone to accidents.
Article by Dr.Yashoda Tammineni,
MSc, Ph.D.
HSE,HOD at NIFS
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