THE DANGER
Rushing, fatigue, frustration, complacency, anger, etc.—all of these emotions and states can contribute to making critical mistakes. A person who’s normally a safe driver becomes a different person once he sleeps through the alarm and is now running late for work. Suddenly the good habits disappear and are replaced by tailgating, cursing, and speeding. Accidents are most likely to happen when people get into such states.
The same thing happens in the workplace. When the machine is down and you haven’t been able to make parts all morning, and the customers are waiting, you start rushing. All your good habits and training go out the window, and risky behavior takes over.
Four things basically cause accidents:
- Not Watching What We’re Doing. Most of us have had our fingers pinched in a car door at one time or another. Now if we’d had our eyes on what we were doing, our reactions would have taken over, and we would have jerked our hand out of the way—no injury, just a close call. Not watching what we were doing took away our ability to react.
- Not Concentrating on What We’re Doing. Not all hazards are visible. Some hazards must be thought about and prepared for. We need to know they’re lurking even if we can’t immediately detect them with our eyes. Examples: A hot stove, a film of oil on the roadway, and electricity. We need to concentrate on the task we’re performing so that we can recognize and avoid the hazards.
- Being in or Moving into the “Line of Fire” Failing to recognize that we’re in the line of fire is another cause of accidents. It’s often the result of not keeping our eyes and mind on the task at hand.
- Loss of Balance, Traction or Grip. This type of error is also apt to occur when our eyes or minds are not on task.
How to Get Back on Track
When we’re rushing, tired or frustrated, we’re less inclined to be focused on the task at hand or aware of the dangers around us. So the best way to protect yourself is to recognize when you’re rushed, tired, or frustrated and use it as a warning. Some people already do this type of thing. They’re working on a project, and nothing seems to be going right. Say a bolt is really tight, and they can’t seem to get it loose no matter what they do. They start jerking on the wrench a little harder. But before the wrench slips and they fall or hurt their shoulder, they realize that they’re getting frustrated and are likely to get injured if they keep it up. They put the wrench down and get a cup of coffee. When they return, they’re calmer and can now take a reasoned approach to solving the problem, such as getting the right tool or seeking help. Many workplace injuries are the result of external factors like rushing, frustration, fatigue, or complacency.
The next time you find yourself in a state of mind contributing to risky behavior, take a deep breath and say, “Hey, if I keep this up, I’m going to hurt myself.” Take the time to get your mind back on task.
