Every week we have a toolbox safety talk. Most of the time that involves talking about an injury that happened to someone else. Lots of times the injuries we talk about appear to have been caused by something the injured employee did wrong. He may have been on the roof without fall-protection. He may have been using a ladder without having it tied-off. He may have jumped off of the back of a truck, or tried to lift something by himself that was too heavy or cumbersome.
All of those things point back to the person who got hurt. But have you ever stopped to think that the influence of his coworkers might have played some role in those injures. Chances are pretty good that the employee who fell because he wasn’t wearing fall-protection worked along-side other guys who didn’t wear fall-protection consistently. Likewise, think about the guy who fell when the ladder he was climbing began to slide. I bet you that he worked with a group of guys who didn’t tie-off their ladders every time either.
You get the picture. Whether good or bad… safe or unsafe, our actions influence the folks around us.
Normally we are asked to set a good example when there are new employees on the crew. Why? It’s because new employees are sponges. They soak-up every bit of information that they can so that they can learn the job and fit-in with their new coworkers. But it is a HUGE mistake to think that you only have that influence on new employees. The truth is – what you do influences everyone you work with!
A note to supervisors, know that your actions speak louder than your words. Please never catch yourself saying that tired old phrase “Don’t do as I do; do as I say.”
Maybe some of us feel we are already setting good examples with regard to safety. Try to think about the example you are setting with your coworkers and strive to be safe for their benefit. If you don’t…. just be prepared to look yourself in the mirror the next time one of your coworkers gets hurt and ask yourself if it would have happened if you had been a better example.
DISCUSSION NOTES
Have you ever worked with someone who set an excellent example at work for safe behavior? If so, why do you think you remember that about him?
Do you think that you set a good example to your coworkers?
What is one way you could set a better example of working safely to your coworkers this week?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!