We’ve been brainwashed! Since childhood, we’ve heard the phrase “You can’t control what you don’t measure.” This phrase has been repeated so many more times, it has become a standard part of management wisdom. If you don’t measure all things that can be measured, you will be a poor manager. This has lead us to be apathetic in the areas of workplace safety, accident prevention, and workplace safety. The accident statistics are included in key performance indicators for supervisors, team leaders and managers. They are posted in the workplace, and featured prominently in company newsletters and magazines. They are used as indicators of workplace safety. It is assumed that safety has declined if the figures rise. However, safety is assumed to have increased if figures go down check this.
All concerned should ask me the following question: “Is there a way to work unsafely without contributing to the accident statistics?” After some reflection, you will likely find that it is possible for someone to work unsafely and not have an accident or be included in the accident statistics. If you visit your workplace today, you’ll find many people working in unsafe conditions who don’t have accidents and are not hurting. You’ll also notice unsafe working conditions that don’t contribute to injuries or accidents at this stage. Once you have overcome your mental barriers and realized that safety in the workplace does not reflect in the number or severity of incidents or accidents, then you need to look at other methods of displaying safety.
Safety in the workplace can be described as a situation that does not include unsafe conditions or unsafe behavior. Can you still have a workplace incident in such a situation? I don’t think so. Every industrial accident I’ve investigated had several components as their main causes. In all cases, unsafe and unsafe behaviors were present. You can improve safety at work by eliminating all unsafe conditions and unsafe behavior. It would make it extremely difficult to inflict injury on oneself. This simplistic view of safety could be called dangerous. While this may be true, it’s a good place to start in creating safer workplaces.