Instilling Safety Awareness

Meeting Objectives
To stress the importance of attitude and common sense to safety and point out examples.
The result should be increased attention to and responsibility for safety on the job.

Introduction/Overview
Safety requires, and receives, a lot of attention here. The government has numerous safety
programs and regulations that the company follows. The company makes an effort to purchase
equipment and design processes that reduce risk and improve safety. The company also
provides you with training and protective clothing and equipment, all with the goal of preventing
accidents and keeping you safe and healthy.

However, all the regulations, training, and equipment in the world can't protect a person
who doesn't look out for himself.

The sad fact is that most accidents are someone's fault. They're the result of carelessness, of
someone not paying attention or not thinking safety is important on his or her job.

The company provides you with a lot of safety tools, but the most important safety tools of
all are the ones you bring to the job: your attitude and your common sense.

General Hazards
People can be the biggest hazards on the job. When someone gets careless, someone gets
hurt: maybe the careless person and maybe an innocent bystander. The concept of no-fault
doesn't really apply to on-the-job safety.

Most careless accidents can be pinned down to one of these causes:

• Complacency. That's what happens when someone has done the job so often that he
thinks he doesn't have to think about ft. But no job is so simple that It doesn't require
following all the steps and paying attention. When you go on automatic pilot, you
crash.

• Emotions. We all get angry or upset at things happening at home, an incident with
someone here on the job, or even at some stronger who cut you off on the way to
work. These are understandable emotions, but they distract you and make you
careless. You just can't afford these emotions when you're working with Complex
machinery, hazardous chemicals, electrical power, and other things that can cause
serious accidents if they're not handled with full precision and attention. You've got

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 to learn to push these emotions back when you're at work; if you let them take over,
you're only likely to create new and more serious things to worry about.

• Tiredness. Whether the cause is too little sleep, too long a shift, or maybe a second
job, tiredness is a serious risk on the job. When you're tired, your physical and mental
reactions are slower. You have trouble paying attention, remembering what to do, or
actually doing it when and how you're supposed to.

You can't always prevent getting tired, but you can be aware of it and either slow
down, get help, or switch to a task that doesn't require as much precision. Don't let
too little sleep jeopardize your safety.

• Lack of Knowledge. In our training programs, we try to cover all the things you
need to know and do to be safe but sometimes ft doesn't all get through. That may be
because the training didn't provide information or procedures in enough detail. Or it
may be that there was so much detail you couldn't take it all in. That, by the way, is
one reason we have safety meetings, which are good refresher courses.

Sometimes the training is very good, but the trainees don't pay close attention or take
it very seriously. And sometimes people think that having been through training
means they're expected to remember every single thing, so they're afraid to ask
questions.

The bottom line here is simple.

If you're not sure what to do, ASK.
If you're not sure how to do it, ASK.
If you're not sure how it works, ASK.

Don't go ahead unless you know what you're doing, what the risks are, and how to protect
yourself.

If you run into a situation regularly that hasn't been covered in training or a safety meeting,
mention it to me. It may be something that everyone needs to go over or something we can go
over in a small group.

• Know-it-all or reckless attitude. Some people think they know it all. Some people
don't care what they know or what they do. They'd rather show off and goof off than
work.

We can't afford people like that on the job. They not only put themselves at risk. but
they put the rest of us at risk, too.

Work is serious business. It involves a lot of equipment and substances that can be
dangerous If they're not treated with core, respect, and knowledge. There's no place for
people who treat this as a joke or think that safety is somebody else's concern. It's

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 everybody's concern. If you don't take it seriously, you may create a serious accident
that could easily have been avoided.

Identifying Hazards
One of your most important safety responsibilities is simply to be aware of the need for
safety. That means applying what you know to what happens on the job. It means thinking
ahead to what hazards you could encounter, thinking ahead about what could go wrong, on
everything you do.

It means recognizing that safety is your job.

It means using the common sense you were born with.

Protection Against Hazards

A safe attitude means recognizing and understanding the risks you face on the job and
planning what you do to protect yourself and prevent accidents.

There are a few basics to this approach:

• Treat safety as one of your most important job responsibilities.

• Think about what could go wrong so it won't go wrong.
• Use the knowledge, information, and protective equipment the company provides.
• Develop good work habits that follow the rules and incorporate safety.

Safety Procedures
Let's look at some of the ways you can put these basic safety precepts into action on the job.
Keep in mind that these are general procedures and approaches; ft's up to you to turn them into
specifics that apply to the job at hand.

• Plan each job before you start. Think about the tools, materials, and protective
equipment you'll need, and the procedures you'll follow.

• Look for problems. Think about what could go wrong, what hazards you could
encounter, and what the risks are. Then think about how to prevent problems and
accidents before they happen.

• Use labels, MSDSs, protective clothing, and all the safety information and equipment
available to you. That's what they're there for.

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• Keep your work area clear of potential hazards: items that could be tripped over or
bumped Into, materials that could catch fire, chemicals that could spill, etc.

• Keep food, drinks, and cigarettes out of the work area-and wash thoroughly before you
touch them.

• Check tools and equipment before you use them to make sure they're In good working
order. If there's anything wrong, don't use them. Tag them so no one else uses them
and report the problem to me so it con be fixed.

• Select the right tool for the job. The wrong one is more of a hazard than a help.

• Check ventilation. When you're working with chemicals, good ventilation protects
your health. You're not responsible for Installing or maintaining ventilation systems,
but you are responsible for making sure they're operating when you need them.

• Don't work on hazardous jobs, such as tasks in confined spaces unless the confined
space procedure is in place and properly supervised.

• Know and follow company rules. It may take longer to do the job, but that's better
than doing it wrong or not getting it done at all because of an accident.

• Don't ignore a safety hazard. Fix it or report it, but don't ignore it.

• Don't ignore other workers' unsafe practices. Either correct them or report it to me.
That's not snitching; that's helping to keep them, and the rest of us, safe.

• Don't let others talk you into bypassing safety procedures. You know the right way to
do ft.

• Don't take shortcuts. All these procedures exist for a reason, and that reason is often
your safety.

• Don't fool around. Horseplay, showing off, and practical jokes don't belong in the
work area. They're simply too dangerous. Save games for somewhere else.

• Pay attention to what you're doing, if your mind is on last night or tonight, on a ball
game or your bills, you're likely to make mistakes. There's just too much at stake not
to give your job your full attention.

• Know what to do in an emergency. We have contingency plans for fires, spills, etc.
Be sure you know where alarms and emergency exits are and what to do if the worst
happens. There's no time to look things up In a real emergency.

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 • If In doubt, ask. I can't repeat that too many times. No one is expected to be perfect.
We all have to ask questions sometimes or, at least, we all should.

What this all adds up to is simple. Safety is a part of your job. Training helps. Equipment
helps. But none of them ore any substitute for good old common sense and your genuine belief
that safety is important and that you're responsible for ft.

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. What is the greatest cause of accidents?

2. What are some of the reasons for careless accidents?

3. What types of information and equipment are available to protect you?

4. What should you do before you start any job?

5. What are some of the important work habits that show common sense and a safety-
minded attitude things we've mentioned today and things we haven't?

6 . What are some of the things to avoid on the job to prevent accidents; things we've
mentioned today and things we haven't?

7 . Are there any other questions?

Wrap-Up
Carelessness causes accidents, and a safe attitude and common sense prevent them. It sounds
simple, but the number of accidents and near-misses that occur indicate it must not be as simple
as it sounds.

You are responsible for your own safety and for that of those around you. The government
enacts safety regulations for your protection. The company provides training, procedures, and
equipment with the same purpose. But the key ingredient in the safety equation is you. You
have to use the tools you're given and apply your own caution and common sense to what
happens around you.

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 Instilling Safety Awareness
Do's and Don'ts Checklist

DO:
Treat safety as an Important job responsibility.
Plan each job before you start.
Think about what could go wrong and how you'll prevent problems and accidents.
Use labels, MSDSS, protective clothing, and other safety information and equipment.
Keep your work area clear of potential fire, spill, or tripping and falling hazards.
Wash thoroughly before eating, drinking, or smoking.
Check tools and equipment before you use them.
Select the right tool for the job.
Check that ventilation is working.
Know and follow company rules.
Pay attention to what you're doing.
Know what to do in an emergency.
Ask questions when you're unsure of what to do or how to do it.

DON'T:
Eat, drink, or smoke in the work area.
Use a malfunctioning tool or machine. Tag it and report it.
Work on hazardous jobs, such as tasks in confined spaces, without a buddy (Attendant).
Ignore a safety hazard; fix it or report ft.
Ignore other workers' unsafe practices; correct them or report them.
Let others talk you Into bypassing safety procedures.
Take shortcuts.
Fool around.