Workers Are Humans Too.
One of my favorite Web sites for safety news is: www.safetyphoto.co.uk. The tag line on their blog is: Stories of workers who went to work with every intention of going home, but never did.
Anyone who has read my articles has figured out by now that I have a huge passion for safety. My theory is that safety people do their best to help employers ensure that every worker goes home to his or her family each evening with their lives and body parts intact. Saving companies money by steering them into compliance with the law is secondary.
The headline screams: “Two workers killed when scaffold collapses.” Back at the office a Project Manager suddenly regrets his decision to “save money” by going with the lowest bid.
How much is your worker’s life worth to you? How much can you afford to risk skimping on safety? If you see the worker as human with a family and friends, it is less likely you will cut a small corner off in the interest of expedience or profit. Compare the slight improvement in productivity with the value of a hand. … or worse yet, a life. Failing to protect employees from hazards is like going to work saying “I am going to see who I can hurt or kill today.”
You see: “Worker killed – crushed by trench cave-in on construction site.”
I see: A manager who has to call the new widow. A mother who has to deal with the sudden loss of her son. A grandmother who never got to say goodbye.
You see: “Young lady killed by speeding forklift.”
I see: Two young children who will wonder when mommy is coming back from heaven to make dinner. A grieving daddy who will never walk his little girl down the aisle.
With every fatality & serious injury, a worker’s family is shattered, changed forever. No one should have to be injured or killed for a paycheck. Every one of your workers plans to go home at the end of his or her shift – an important part of your managing is to help them be able to do so.
Most company owners and managers pay attention to safety because they have to. If you commit to safety because you want to, it is more likely you will succeed.
Author
Richard L. Jessup
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardjessup
Twitter: www.twitter.com/safetyrich
URL: www.safetyrich1.com
Safety Photos……… Health and Safety for Beginners………SafetyRich
