Why Can’t I Just do My Job?
After we presented a program to an association recently, one of the people in the audience came up to us and asked, “Why can’t I just do my job and leave the safety stuff up to the Safety Department?”  We said, “Safety is what you do… it’s part of your job!” 

Working safe is not something someone else does for you or to you; it is what you do for yourself and co-workers.  Unfortunately, when one person in a company has the attitude that safety is up to someone else, we usually see that others in the same company have a similar attitude.  And, injuries are rampant.

It’s About Choice
If you work in a company or location where people are frequently injured, workers don’t seem to take responsibility for safety, or safety processes aren’t in place, you may need to ask, “what else do I need to learn to stay safe?”  Never forget that you always have .a choice.  And learning can give you much more information about your choices.   Therefore, it is imperative that you learn everything you can so you can decide what is safe and what is not.  It takes a conscious effort to make the decision to be safe, regardless of the situation.

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A Decision to Be Safe
Consider the following experience that Carl had when faced with a decision about what was safe:

I recently learned another lesson in responsibility in the highest way when I was on one of my first solo cross-country flights.  You don’t have to be a pilot to appreciate how anxious one can be entering the traffic pattern of a busy airport.  If that airport is also busy with corporate jets and fast small airplanes, your nerves can be on higher alert!

On one particular day, I was preparing to land at such an airport in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.  As I approached the airport, I was handed off to the tower.  Keying the mike, I announced myself and my intentions according to the regulations, but without any response.  I repeated my announcement three times before realizing that something was amiss.  Either nobody was listening or I wasn’t hearing them.  For a few seconds (which seemed like minutes) I messed with the radio trying to figure out what was wrong.  That’s when I recalled my instructor’s words… FLY THE PLANE!  I had already been cleared to land behind a Bonanza airplane so I turned on final approach and set up for a safe landing.  As I neared the airport on final approach, the tower flashed the “green light” which meant I was “cleared to land.”  Later I realized that in my uneasiness I had selected the wrong radio frequency but was so nervous I didn’t notice.  In my training the instructors said, “You are the pilot and ultimately you have to decide what to do!”  When I told my instructor what happened he said, “Good, your training worked and you made the correct decision!” When no one was there to give me the instructions on landing, I had to make a choice to fly the plane, using what I had learned.

It’s Up to You
In your workplace, the decision to work safe is ultimately yours.  Making this decision places a responsibility on you to learn what has to be done to create a safe workplace.  We call this choosing safety.  You need to consider your choices:

1. The first choice is to learn everything you can about your job and how to do it safe.  Some people leave all of their training up to the company.  Others take the responsibility to learn all they can even if it means taking a manual home to have time to study processes and procedures for new equipment or safe work practices.  That choice can mean the difference in being injured or not.

2. The second choice is to apply what you learn no matter what the circumstances.  When it comes to working safe, the choice is often to keep information at the top of your mind so you can use it when you need it.  Performing a job briefing prior to starting the job or using a checklist prior to initiating a work process can help put safe work practices and procedures at the forefront in you mind.  Then, should the unexpected happen, you’re ready to apply what you know to the situation.

3. The third choice is decide to work in the field you’re in.  Sometimes people find that they are not in the right field of work.  One good way to know is to assess how safe your work and how much support you get from the company to work safe.  If you aren’t learning all you can to work safe either because you’re not interested or you just don’t understand the work, then think about the choice of where you work and what you do.  It may be time for a change. 

Learn all You Can to Have a Safe Future
The key to making the best choices about working safe is educating yourself about your safe work practices.  That will give you a clear picture of the alternatives you have.  Make learning a priority.

The individual who asked us, “Why can’t I just do my job and leave the safety stuff to the safety department?” had to come from the back row of the meeting.  His choice when he first arrived was to “take a back seat to safety.”  He sat at the back of the room with his arms crossed and his head down, as if to say “this isn’t worth my time to be here.”  His attitude about learning showed up loud and clear.  Take responsibility for learning everything you can about your safe work practices by attending training and conferences that relate to your job.  This will help you to make an informed decision while you work.  To learn more about safety, take the best seat in the meeting – it’s in the front row.  Then, you will have a better chance of working every day without an injury.

Each day we need good thoughts to live by.  And remember… you get what you order in life.  – Alfred A. Montapert

Carl Potter, CSP, CMC and Deb Potter, PhD, CMC work with organizations that want to create an environment where nobody gets hurt. As advocates of a zero-injury workplace, they are speakers, authors, and consultants to industry. For information about bringing Carl and Deb to your company or your next conference, contact them at Potter and Associates International, Inc. 800-259-6209 or www.SimplySeamlessSafety.com.

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