Common sense safety talk? Do you want to know another way to say accident prevention? It's that simple, just common sense safety. If you use the precautions dictated by common sense, you will essentially know what is meant by the terms accident prevention, loss prevention, or whatever you want to call, our efforts to achieve an accident-free work environment.
What is common sense?
Common sense is called the set of knowledge, beliefs and
explanations, based on personal experience, shared by a community (family,
town, nation), and considered prudent, sensible, logical and valid.
Common sense is based on the idea that there is a series
of principles, values, thoughts and behaviours that are shared by the whole
society and, consequently, common to all. It is made up of reasonable judgments
or practical conclusions, without complications, that make it possible to give
meaning or logic to any event or fact of our daily life.
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As such, it arises spontaneously in our daily lives,
either from personal experiences or shared experiences. Likewise, it is
transmitted from generation to generation through principles and values,
traditions and beliefs, maxims and sayings.
If you thought that way about the accident prevention
program, you would esteem the precautions dictated by common sense more than
ever before. A moment of inattention or an unsafe act can cause you to injure
yourself and have to stay in bed for days, weeks or even months. The injury
could last a long time – even lead to permanent disability.
Common sense means the right decision
You could be disfigured or crippled in such a way that you
will never be the same again. You may be crippled and never be able to do your
normal job again. Whether you were crippled, disfigured, or in permanent pain,
you would be a living example of what happens to a worker who does not use
common sense safety taught in accident prevention.
Naturally, you may see an accident not caused by your
failure to follow common sense safety. But there is not much consolation in
knowing that a fellow worker did not use common sense in his work.
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Based on what has been written above, we could infer that common sense is to make the right decision to obtain an expected result based on previous information. Thinking that an accident causes pain, suffering and disability; then common sense would guide towards compliance with the accident prevention program. Additionally, accidents can be highly costly. Will the family be exposed to lower income due to injury? This question also tests common sense.
A worker who has received training and has clear
procedures for their work should NOT:
- Pass under a suspended load
- Grinding without safety glasses
- Clean machine parts with flammable solvents, especially in closed places.
- Using an ungrounded power and portable hand tool
- Check for a gas leak with a lighted match or a lamp
- Take a shortcut by running over a moving conveyor
- Lifting weights that are too heavy
- Overloading a scaffold
- Block access
- Bypass safety devices.
I have just named ten things that I trust none of you
will do, as they are very dangerous. But there are dozens more than you could
call. How many violations of common sense have you seen right here, in your
work?
Common sense safety in the workplace
However, these ten unsafe actions cause serious accidents
in many industries. Other wrong actions are committed daily that are less
common and can be just as dangerous, but with the help of common sense, they
could be avoided.
On the other hand, within the standard practices of the
company, risk behaviours are often rewarded, such as those who do a job faster
in a certain time, even when a specific duration of the procedure is
stipulated. The behaviour of “I am the boss and I can break the rules” harms
the generation of culture and the making of good decisions of the staff in
general.
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The company must be clear at all times about the culture of prevention that it wishes to have to adjust behaviours at all levels and establish clear objectives and an adequate source of communication, hand in hand with the support of personnel in making decisions. Right decisions. The results, in the end, will have a significant impact on sustainable productivity and the work environment.
Unfortunately, most of the things I just mentioned have
been the cause of accidental injuries. A minor concern for accident prevention
and the use of common sense could have prevented all those injuries.
Common sense safety tips
- Do you walk or run alone, early in the morning or late at night, when the streets are quiet and deserted?
- Do you put your money, keys, credit cards, chequebook, etc. in your bag and then leave it wide open on a counter, desk, or the floor? Do you put your wallet in your jacket pocket and then hang it on a coat rack or leave it on a chair?
- While walking or driving your car, do you let your mind wander distractedly about your work or the many things you must do?
- Do you think it is a waste of time to lock your car if you are going to be back in a few minutes?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above
questions, you will have several habits to change. But even if you answered “no”
to all of them then you have understood today's common sense safety topics
very well.
Conclusion
To finish, I think we are all going to benefit a lot from
today's common sense safety topics. I trust that from now on you will have a
different perspective to approach accident prevention practices.
All that each of you has to do is use common sense for
your conservation.
For more health and safety topics, visit: Safety Zone
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