Let’s take a safety quiz. I’ll show you two (2) pictures and you tell me which one shows a risk.
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Most everyone can recognize the rattlesnake as a risk, as it presents an immediate threat to our safety.
How many saw the fire extinguisher, with it last annual inspection in 1965, as a risk?
The rattlesnake is recognized because it is an immediate threat; the fire extinguisher goes unnoticed as an uninspected fire extinguisher is not an immediate threat to our safety. But rest assured they both present RISK and in fact, most safety professionals would agree they are both “life-safety” risks.
The rattlesnake is a risk right now and the improperly maintained fire extinguisher poses a risk further down the “line of dominos”. For the fire extinguisher to rise to the same level of identified risks we must fist have a fire, which most adults can identify as a risk. It is how we respond to the fire (risks) when the improperly maintained fire extinguisher becomes a recognizable risk to most trained personnel.
