How do Workers Develop an Unsafe Mentality?
Employers are usually blamed during workplace accidents but there are also incidents that the worker themselves did certain failures. This includes failing to wear protective equipment or deliberately not following safety procedures and protocols. Despite constant efforts of a company to eliminate all workplace hazards and ensuring the welfare of their employees, workplace negligence can easily result to a workplace accident.
This leads companies to question the mentality of their workers. Are they employing lazy people or is it a characteristic that is developed within the workplace? In most cases, it is the fact that workers are being constantly exposed to life-threatening hazards in a daily basis that leads them to develop an immunity from it.
For example, construction jobs will constantly require workers to transport certain heavy objects, from metal beams to large bags of cement. In the beginning, workers are aware of the possible dangers of carrying such objects like back injuries and having the possibility of it falling on their toes. As a consequence, they use the appropriate lifting equipment as well as wearing appropriate safety equipment like boots, gloves, and helmets. Though, after a few months of being constantly exposed to the hazards. Workers will start to get comfortable since they have not experienced any accidents in the duration of their employment. From time-to-time, they will start to omit using personal protective equipment and eventually start to hand-carry heavy objects since it is usually faster especially when dealing with individual objects.
The constant hazard approach desensitizes the workers from the dangers. This is an unsafe mentality since safety procedures and equipment are only effective if they are used. As soon as workers start to neglect their usage, it is as if they went to work without any proper protection.
Additionally, influence also plays a role in spreading an unsafe mentality. Workers are constantly being dealt with stress in the workplace and seeing other workers doing particular jobs in a different way leads them to think that it is acceptable. Evidently, they start to adopt actions without thinking of the possible risks or if they still abide by the safety rules and instructions.
Eliminating an unsafe mentality is correctable through education. It is a matter of when and how to provide them. In order to acquire safety training services, contact us at [email protected] or visit us at www.simplysafety.com.sg. You can also reach us by phone at +65 62640889.
Contributor:
Raj singh
CEO
Consultant
Futurist and thought leader
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