The following was recently sent to me and I thought it worth sharing.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Safety

1. Taking shortcuts

Some people think that by doing the job quicker it will help prevent an accident.  Does taking a shortcut actually enhance the chance of an injury to yourself or a fellow worker?  The answer is a resounding YES.  You will find that shortcuts with safety increase the chance of an accident.
A shortcut in safety is a shortcut to hospital.

2. Over confidence 

Having confidence in your abilities is a good thing.  But over confidence can lead you to think injury will never happen to you.  This can lead to misuse of tools and thinking of ways to make processes quicker increasing the chance of an accident.  Chance takers are accident makers.

3. Starting a task with incomplete instructions

To do a task safely and right the first time, you need to be sure about what is required of you.  Don’t be shy about asking for more information on safety precautions and procedures.  It isn’t dumb to question, it’s dumb not to!

4. Poor Housekeeping 

When visitors walk through our facility, they can get an accurate indicator of how much we feel that safety is a value by the state of the housekeeping.  A well-maintained area speaks volumes about how we value our safety.  As we know this ties in well with quality as well as production.  Good housekeeping gives people a sense of pride in their facility.

5. Ignoring Safety Procedures 

When people purposely ignore safety procedures they are breaking the site cardinal rules.  They endanger the health of not only themselves but ever other person on site.  Remember that being casual about safety could result in casualties.

6. Distraction at work  

If someone is distracting you while you are doing a complex task, firmly – but politely – tell them to be quiet.  They may be offended but this can mean the difference between going home in one piece or not.  Don’t allow yourself to become a statistic due to distraction.

7. Failure to plan your work  

Being hasty when starting a task, or not giving a task enough thought could be putting you in harms way.  Instead you should plan your work and work your plan.  Daily safety talks or check sheet may help us with our planning.