A Great Attitude About Safety

A positive attitude toward safety is one of your best tools for preventing workplace injuries. When you are in the right frame of mind, you are alert to hazards, aware of your responsibilities and willing to learn.

Let’s look at some negative safety attitudes and how to change them to a positive way of thinking:|

• "The company or the boss is responsible for keeping me safe at work so I don’t have to make an effort." You’re right that your company and boss want you to stay safe, but they can’t do so without your co-operation.

• "Training isn’t necessary because safety is just common sense." Maybe you were born knowing a fall is a bad thing, but you had to learn about less obvious hazards. Without workplace training, you might have no idea about the atmospheric dangers of confined spaces, which can suffocate you within seconds, or the link between asbestos exposure today and incurable cancer later in life.

• "Safety rules are written for ordinary people, not the smart, athletic and talented worker like myself." It’s great that you are so exceptionally qualified for your job, but hazards have a way of finding an overly-confident worker.

Pay attention to the thoughts that go through your mind when you work. Are they the kinds of thoughts that will help you do your job safely and well? If not, consider giving your thoughts an overhaul. Replace negative thoughts with positive, productive ones. Stewing about your worries, figuring ways to get around the safety rules, or mentally replaying conflicts with your fellow workers aren’t the best use of your mind at work. Instead, focus on the job at hand and see how you can do it better, faster — and safer.