Your attitude towards safety can make all the difference

People instinctively seek to avoid pain and death. And yet, we often may behave and act at work in a manner that is a threat to our well-being. There are a couple of reasons why this occurs. The first is lack of knowledge. What you don’t know, can hurt you! The second reason we may act in a risky manner is attitude. Now might be a good time to do a quick self-analysis and ask yourself “What is your attitude toward safety?”

When asked, some are for safety and others may complain about any safety effort being made. The difference between the two often is one of attitude. Your attitude affects almost all that you do and how you do it.

Have you ever noticed that people who are successful in life, or are just happy, tend to have a positive attitude? And so it is with safety. Look at it this way, safety rules and procedures are written to protect you from harm. They are not written to make your work life more uncomfortable or inconvenient. After all, safety equipment and training costs additional money.

If you work in a safe manner, not only is there less likelihood of your getting hurt, but in the long run, you’ll often find yourself more organised and effective at your job. You should feel more confident on the job knowing you have a better chance of making it thorough the day without injury.

None of us are perfect. Even the best of us can forget or make errors in judgement. To maximise our safety efforts, we should also look out for one another. If someone tells you that you are not working in a safe manner, don’t become angry or defensive. They are just looking out for your well-being. If you didn’t know you were doing something wrong, be thankful your behaviour was noted before someone got hurt. If you simply forgot or got a little careless, be grateful that someone cares enough to get you back on track. If you see someone doing something unsafe, speak up, but do so diplomatically. Treat others just as you would like to be treated in the same situation.

Remember, attitude affects behaviour. If you have a positive attitude, odds are you will do your job safely. A negative or careless attitude toward safety will only cause conflict, stress and quite possibly, an accident. How’s your safety attitude? It can make all the difference in the world.