28 May Common Sense And Accident Prevention

Common Sense and Accident Prevention

Accident prevention starts with awareness, sound judgment, and attention to the task. What is often called “common sense” is largely the result of experience—learning to recognize hazards, understanding how injuries occur, and making safe choices before something goes wrong.

Workers should never have to experience an injury personally to learn from it. Pay attention to lessons learned from incidents, near misses, safety training, and the experiences of others.

Common Causes of Unsafe Decisions

Being in a Hurry

Rushing can cause workers to skip important steps, overlook hazards, or take shortcuts. Production schedules and deadlines should never take priority over safety.

• Plan the task before beginning.
• Allow enough time to perform the work safely.
• Follow established procedures even when the job seems routine.
• Never bypass guards, PPE, inspections, or other safety requirements to save time.

Do the job efficiently—but never at the expense of safety.

Taking Unnecessary Chances

Risk-taking can expose both you and your coworkers to serious injury.

Do not:

• Take shortcuts around established procedures.
• Use equipment improperly.
• Ignore warning signs or barricades.
• Perform work for which you are not trained or authorized.
• Engage in horseplay or practical jokes.
• Assume that an unsafe action is acceptable because you have done it before without being injured.

A previous shortcut without an injury does not make the shortcut safe.

Distractions and Inattention

Distractions can cause workers to miss changing conditions, moving equipment, warning signals, or other hazards.

Keep your attention on the task. Avoid unnecessary conversations, phones, horseplay, or other distractions while performing hazardous work.

If something prevents you from concentrating safely, stop the task and address the distraction before continuing.

Poor Judgment

Frustration, anger, fatigue, complacency, and overconfidence can affect decision-making. Recognize when your condition or attitude could interfere with your ability to work safely.

Never allow frustration or pressure to cause you to:

• Rush a task;
• Ignore a hazard;
• Operate equipment aggressively;
• Bypass a safety procedure; or
• Put yourself or another worker at unnecessary risk.

Complacency

Familiar tasks can be especially dangerous when workers become too comfortable with them. Performing a task hundreds of times without an incident does not eliminate the hazard.

Treat every task with the attention it requires. Conditions, equipment, personnel, and surroundings can change from one job to the next.

Look for Changing and Hidden Hazards

Work conditions can change throughout the day. Before beginning a task—and while work is underway—stay alert for hazards such as:

• Spills and slippery surfaces;
• Tools, cords, materials, or debris creating trip hazards;
• Floor or wall openings;
• Overhead obstructions;
• Moving vehicles and equipment;
• Falling or shifting materials;
• Missing guards or barricades;
• Changes in weather or lighting;
• Nearby work activities; and
• Workers entering hazardous areas.

If you identify a hazard, correct it when authorized and safe to do so, or report it immediately to your supervisor. Do not simply work around an uncontrolled hazard.

Think Before You Act

Before beginning any task, ask yourself:

What can go wrong? What could I contact, fall from, be struck by, get caught in, or be exposed to? What controls do I need before I start?

If the conditions change, reassess the task.

Remember

Accidents are rarely prevented by luck. They are prevented when workers recognize hazards, follow procedures, remain focused, communicate with one another, and stop when conditions are unsafe.

Common sense on the job means making the safe choice even when the unsafe choice appears faster or easier.