This National Safety Month, let's strive to practice safe work procedures and spread awareness.
June is National Safety Month – it’s one of those “national months” that we don’t always know about since it isn’t advertised as much. It can be especially hard to remember the importance of National Safety Month if you work a desk job where the risk of getting hurt on the job is relatively low. No matter what field you’re working in, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of the importance of following safety protocol and spread awareness.
You may be wondering why National Safety Month is so crucial. After all, it seems to be pretty obvious, doesn’t it? It helps you avoid getting hurt on the job. It’s so simple, yet injuries are still so prevalent in the workplace. According to 2017 statistics from the National Safety Council, a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds. That adds up to over four million injuries a year. Now, injuries can be anything from cuts and bruises to soreness – all of which can make a person incapable of working, depending on the severity.
But the statistics are about more than just injuries – some people can even risk losing their lives. In 2017 alone, fatal work injuries reached 5,147 – about 14 people a day. Work injuries and fatalities are preventable, and it’s time we band together as employers and employees to take the necessary steps to ensure safe work practices.
It goes without saying that safety procedures are put in place for a reason: to protect you on the job. Whether it’s safety gear, a certain set of rules, or anything in between, none of these things are there “just because.” It’s not to make your life harder or your job more tedious. It’s literally to make the job site a place where you can safely do your job with the lowest possible chance of getting injured. This low possibility can stay low as long as you follow the proper protocol.
It can be tempting to skirt around the rules for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’ll get the job done faster. Maybe your co-workers don’t follow the safety protocol. Maybe you’ve been working your position for years and think you’ve got it figured out and don’t need to practice safe work procedure unless it’s a “real emergency.” Whatever the case may be, these excuses seem all but useless after considering the rate at which people are injured on the job.
The good news is it’s often not difficult to follow safety protocol. Each job handles it differently, but you will be provided opportunities to both refresh your memory on current safety procedures as well as learn about new ones as your company evolves its practices. Take these opportunities and use them to the best of your ability, for your safety and your coworkers’ safety.