Complacency Towards Safety? Here are a few steps to overcome it.

safety complacency

Research says that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Post 21 days, the brain functions in such a way that it uses minimum neurons to perform an action. Thus, making our body and brain perform the task with less effort. 

So this sounds like a good thing, right? If the brain works faster, the tasks take less time to finish and also, quite probably, make us better at them! These tasks that turn into habits & perhaps positively impact us – whether it is exercising, avoiding junk, or taking up good practice for the body.

But is that the whole truth, or could there be more to this?

Another way of looking at it would go this way: your body gets so accustomed to the regular tasks that it eventually uses less energy & consciousness to perform them. In this process, very often – safety takes a back seat. The brain & body feel that – if nothing has gone wrong for a significant amount of time, maybe it’s okay to relax the reflexes, just a little bit. And this is where it starts – complacency towards safety.

For instance, let us consider workplace safety cases. In a workplace, let’s say an employee has been performing a particular task for months or even years. So imagine this – the brain gets so habituated to these tasks that as the process becomes regular, a complacent behaviour is more likely to take precedence & significantly affect the safety aspect. Needless to say, 

It’s a story that every individual, and ergo, every organization can relate to; however, a few tips can help overcome it. Let us discuss some of them briefly. 

Tips to Overcome Complacency Towards Workplace Safety

Workplace safety matters since more than 2.7 million employees sustain a severe injury or illness at work each year, according to the latest statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Hence, in order to avoid the stage of employees overlooking the safety aspects of the job, we need to design a schedule so that the neurons do not have time to rest!

A Pre-Planned Checklist

This should not be a task for organizations thanks to the digitized system. Generating a pre-planned safety checklist every week or fortnight,  enables workers to ensure they follow all safety protocols. For example, the list might include safety operation dos and don’ts about tools and equipment. And as the list changes regularly, the employees have a chance to go through the terms of safety and address them appropriately.

Encourage Employee Participation

Such participation encourages the employees to be extra vigilant in their daily jobs. They pay more attention to detail and do everyday tasks with zest and vigours.

The employees witness more safety offences & violations than even their managers can catch. Having closely looked at or experienced them, they also often have the best ideas for improving safety. So here’s how you can help employees help your safety initiatives. Provide recognition, as it often believed to be the highest form of praise & motivation 

Offering employees free time away from their assigned jobs to assist in safety procedure development teams can increase safety drive.  Being involved in larger tasks encourages employees to implement or continue safety practices. 

Encourage employees to point out areas in  which employees may not be safety-conscious. A reward for management-chosen safety suggestions through a suggestion box or an online system or even a discretionary guarantee for safety whistle-blowing may be necessary since employees often do not want to “tattle” on persons or groups, an encourage employees to become involved in safety

Ensure Safety Laws Are Followed

An organization should have defined work hours. Increased stress levels also account for workplace hazards and injuries. Working for dedicated hours is one of the essential safety laws. Thus, an organization must ensure that they follow safety rules and take strict and quick actions against the violations. Any complacency with safety should not be tolerated. 

Thus, Create a Safety First Culture

The human body works in weird and beautiful ways. Therefore it is upon us how we ensure that it functions in the best way. Eating healthy, staying fit, and more is all great, but exercising the brain regularly should be a must.

Hence, let workplaces take the initiative of not giving a tiring, mundane routine but styling up the day’s work in exciting ways. And no matter what you plan, make sure safety comes first!

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