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3 Tips for Creating a Zero-Injury Workplace

By Carl Potter, CSP

It’s surprising how many people we run across in our business that still believe that safety is someone else’s responsibility. Sometimes I think that we’ve made changes in our society that make it “okay” to not take responsibility for a lot of things, to blame others if something is wrong or doesn’t work. I believe the world is ready for those who will step up and take personal responsibility for their own choices and who will work to make the world a better place. A great place to start is in your own workplace with safety – for yourself and those around you.

It’s far too easy to let things get in the way of taking on the responsibility for workplace safety. A barriers few to consider are poor attitudes toward management, the union, or the work itself. Sometimes workers are frustrated with their pay and say they are going to do “just enough to get by” or they get caught up in an attitude of “lack”. When workers and supervisors continually complain about what they don’t have (budgets, tools and equipment, time, or training), it’s tough to get focused on creating a workplace where nobody gets hurt. This attitude doesn’t even have to be focused on the workplace. An attitude of lack can come from outside. How many of you find yourselves caught up in the rhetoric of the day about how bad things are? It’s easy to fall into that trap – it even happens to me. But what we can do is focus on what we have control over and how we can improve the work situation with what we have.

You have plenty at your disposal to make your workplace safe. Consider these three things you can do to help create a safe workplace:

1. What is something you learned from a co-worker, a class, a trade magazine article, or a vendor that you thought was a good idea, but did nothing with?

Dust that idea off, discuss it with your co-workers and boss to see if applies to your workplace. Even if it doesn’t, you’ve probably come up with a better idea just by talking about it.

2. When is the last time you read through (and I mean really read) your safety manual or accident prevention book? It may have been a long time since you’ve refreshed your mind. Commit some time every day to reviewing a section and discussion it with a coworker or your boss. This doesn’t have to be a formal effort, just something you do on your own to make sure you’re in top shape when it comes to knowing the rules. And, if you see something you think is unclear, or just flat wrong, bring it the attention of the safety department.

3. How are you doing on your job? Have you stopped to think about if you are using the latest techniques and applying the newest safe work practices? It’s very common to get in a groove and just keep doing the same job the same way day after day, year after year. Do a little self-assessment on your next job. Better yet, ask a knowledgeable coworker to observe you on the next job and give you feedback about how you are doing and how you can improve.

If you haven’t quite got the underlying message here, it’s about continuously learning. I strongly believe that safety is about knowledge – knowledge that individuals have and that the organization has collectively. Organizations who are made up of individuals who are willing to learn, apply, and assess themselves are the most successful. And, individuals who put these practices to work will stand out of the crowd. Sure, you may think you need new tools, more training, or better equipment. If you can get these things, great! If not, don’t give up. Start taking action with what you have and you might be pleasantly surprised with what starts happening in your workplace. You’ll be setting a great example of how to keep moving forward with the goal of creating a zero-injury workplace. When times are tough or the environment seems to change constantly, safety comes from being willing to learn and apply. And that’s something we can all live with.