Shortcuts Can Shorten Your Life

The definition of shortcut—a means of saving time or effort—sounds harmless enough. And if one is talking about using a computer keystroke to quickly complete a task that would require two or three menu pull downs—then we’re all for it.

But shortcuts taken at work often don’t fit that mold. Unless a shortcut has been designed into a process and has been proven safe, the outcome can be far different and much less favorable than the worker predicted.

There are countless stories about workers stepping over moving conveyors to save time and becoming severely injured or killed, or falling several feet to the ground because it seemed easier to stretch to the side of a ladder to get that last brush stroke in, instead of climbing down and moving the ladder to the right position.

If you have any doubt as to whether a shortcut is safe, don’t risk it. In the safety world, the hare often beats the tortoise—to the hospital.