A challenging aspect of any work environment is the prevention of mishaps and accidents which can result in damage, injury or death. The very group of individuals that are being protected often have little or no interest in the processes, procedures and equipment presented for their protection. Even something as innocuous as safety vests are often rejected.
A big misconception is that those professionals charged with preventing mishaps are responsible for making the workplace safe, meaning devoid of the possibility of damage, injury or death. In reality their responsibility is to manage risk, and the way they do that is to identify those risks and develop recommended strategies for mitigation. These they organize and present to leadership for a decision.
Human beings seem hardwired to believe in an irrational sense of indestructibility, or at least their behavior would indicate that to be the case. How else could one explain that people engage in such a wide variety of thrilling and dangerous events, voluntarily, in the pursuit of excitement and happiness. Rides at amusement parks are engineered to draw as close to the limits of human physical tolerance as possible.
In addition, people have come to expect thrilling or dangerous situations to be a part of their entertainment experiences. It is the reason that the more dangerous a ride sounds, the more popular it becomes, and marketing agencies are fully engaged in promoting such excitement. Sound bites exuding the speed, height and gravity defying characteristics of a new ride spell dollars to any theme park.
Not all of the rejection is predicated on spite, people have a natural feeling that the kinds of injuries and mishaps targeted in the work environment require are prevented by common sense. The idea they have become the focus of attention is due to recurrence is not accepted as a normal event, but the result of buffoonery at some level. The preventive measure is then sensed as punishment for the incompetence of others.
In the animal kingdom, there are mating rituals which pit competing males against one another in the hopes of impressing the female of the species. The general understanding is that the winner of such extreme contests is the bigger and stronger specimen, and therefore more likely to have superior survival genetics. While such human rituals are not as dramatic, there is still an ingrained need for teenage boys to demonstrate bravado.
With this as a backdrop to the population from which the labor pool is derived and it becomes obvious that there are difficulties in imposing risk management on workers. Even without people actively trying to avoid doing the things that makes sense to create a safer workplace, identifying all the risks and managing them is a challenge. Seat belts in cars, construction hats and better football pads are a few successes.
In reality, nearly every piece of protective equipment has faced a steep uphill climb for acceptance, almost all are universally eschewed when introduced. The challenge is to devise equipment that is not burdensome and does not make the user appear somehow cowardly. It is a shame that when something as simple as a safety vest can save lives, it is so difficult to get workers to wear them consistently.
A big misconception is that those professionals charged with preventing mishaps are responsible for making the workplace safe, meaning devoid of the possibility of damage, injury or death. In reality their responsibility is to manage risk, and the way they do that is to identify those risks and develop recommended strategies for mitigation. These they organize and present to leadership for a decision.
Human beings seem hardwired to believe in an irrational sense of indestructibility, or at least their behavior would indicate that to be the case. How else could one explain that people engage in such a wide variety of thrilling and dangerous events, voluntarily, in the pursuit of excitement and happiness. Rides at amusement parks are engineered to draw as close to the limits of human physical tolerance as possible.
In addition, people have come to expect thrilling or dangerous situations to be a part of their entertainment experiences. It is the reason that the more dangerous a ride sounds, the more popular it becomes, and marketing agencies are fully engaged in promoting such excitement. Sound bites exuding the speed, height and gravity defying characteristics of a new ride spell dollars to any theme park.
Not all of the rejection is predicated on spite, people have a natural feeling that the kinds of injuries and mishaps targeted in the work environment require are prevented by common sense. The idea they have become the focus of attention is due to recurrence is not accepted as a normal event, but the result of buffoonery at some level. The preventive measure is then sensed as punishment for the incompetence of others.
In the animal kingdom, there are mating rituals which pit competing males against one another in the hopes of impressing the female of the species. The general understanding is that the winner of such extreme contests is the bigger and stronger specimen, and therefore more likely to have superior survival genetics. While such human rituals are not as dramatic, there is still an ingrained need for teenage boys to demonstrate bravado.
With this as a backdrop to the population from which the labor pool is derived and it becomes obvious that there are difficulties in imposing risk management on workers. Even without people actively trying to avoid doing the things that makes sense to create a safer workplace, identifying all the risks and managing them is a challenge. Seat belts in cars, construction hats and better football pads are a few successes.
In reality, nearly every piece of protective equipment has faced a steep uphill climb for acceptance, almost all are universally eschewed when introduced. The challenge is to devise equipment that is not burdensome and does not make the user appear somehow cowardly. It is a shame that when something as simple as a safety vest can save lives, it is so difficult to get workers to wear them consistently.
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