Another silent killer…..Complacency

With their “can do” attitude, new workers are more apt to be injured than experienced workers.  Workers who have been on the job from 2 to 10 years are statistically the safest workers.  They have been around long enough to recognize hazards and to respect and observe safety standards.  New workers tend to imitate the actions of the more experienced workers.  When these more experienced workers rely on their “experience” and take shortcuts around safety rules, they put not only themselves at risk but also the new workers that imitate them.  As our experience grows we must be on guard of becoming complacent, overconfident and taking shortcuts in hazardous situations.  As we demonstrate our ability to ignore simple safety rules (standing on a chair instead of getting a ladder) we send the wrong message to our new workers.  The new worker will view the ignoring of safety rules as a rite of passage from a probationary employee to a seasoned veteran. 

            In order to keep from falling into complacency and increasing our chances for injury we need to encourage each other to follow all safety rules and as managers we need to recognize workers who are showing their willingness to maintain a safe working environment.  Be sure to look for and acknowledge what your fellow employee’s are doing right.  A small amount of encouragement may mean the difference in an employee going the extra mile to do something the safe way instead of the quick way the next time.  The quick way may be a fatal decision.

Click here to access your  e-mail account. http://mail.truckeefire.org