Dawg Tracks Safety Talk

Safety Always

Many newsletters give safety tips for specific type job task. The truth is when you are out there on the job, or even when enjoying your hobbies on the weekend, the person ultimately responsible for your safety is YOU.

There are 3 things that can be done to minimize the risk and increase your safety during any task, any job duty, and really for any situation in life.

1. Recognize the Hazards and Have a Plan.

There are hazards everywhere, no matter if simply crossing the street or handling poisonous chemicals. The goal is to recognize what hazards exist and have a plan on how to avoid them.

Hazards and their risks can be recognized by asking yourself, “What would happen if...?”. Then, have a plan of how to avoid the risk or what to do if something goes wrong.

2. Practice Situational Awareness

During the job task or life situation, ask yourself, “Are things getting better or worse?” If all is going well keeping moving forward. But if things are getting worse, slow down and re-evaluate. Tackle the situation from a different angle, make a new plan, and make corrections to change the path.

Are there near-miss accidents happening? Are the same safety recommendations being made repeatedly on reports? Are things changing in a good way or a bad way? Are you feeling more uncertain or are you feeling more confident in how things are progressing?

3. Know Your Limitations

Remember the saying, “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” Be honest with yourself.

Can you handle the job task or situation, both mentally and physically? Are you trained to handle it? Can you handle the situation if things go wrong? Do you know how, and have the tools, to respond quickly to a possible emergency?

Sometimes you may have to just step back and say NO, out of concern for yourself and others. Know your limitations, therefore knowing when to ask for help or stop for safety sake.

Many accidents are from risky behavior, not faulty equipment or poor facilities. So, take personal responsibility by doing these three things in all your activities.

Sources:

Usually, at the bottom of this page is where resource information for these newsletter ideas and compilations are revealed. Today’s safety spin came from a 13 minute You Tube video of a speech by Will Gadd, an extreme ice climber, and I encourage you to watch it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTdFkPT TnsA