The Spiral: A Blog about Safety
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What I Like About Being a Safety Professional
It is the easiest job I have ever had. I explain the painfully obvious to the blissfully ignorant. I read acts, regulations, codes, owner’s manuals, corporate codes of practice, safe work practices, safe work procedures, permits, etc and explain what they mean. If they do not make sense to me there are hundreds of resources…
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Bare Minimum
There is a bare minimum that you have to do, brush your teeth, bathe, eat, … At work there is a bare minimum for safety: Pre-use inspection of equipment Be fit for work Arrive on time Do not go into areas you are not supposed to Pay attention to what you and others are doing…
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Comfort and Safety
Complacency is comfortable, safety is to bring you out of your complacency. Safety is not comfortable.
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Incomplete Information
One of the retorts I often hear in safety is, “I know what I am doing, I’ve been doing it for ‘x’ years” or “This is the way we’ve always done it and now you’re telling me it’s wrong.” This is usually points to a problem of incomplete information. My job is not to do…
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What Safety Does for Us
Safety is the process to make things better. To anticipate problems to avoid them and things will run smoother. If safety is getting in the way, you are doing it wrong and that is on you.
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Adaptation
I recently had a client for a fit test ask, “Why aren’t respirators designed for how people are?” In context we were talking about how men need to be clean shaven for a proper fit with a respirator. My response was, “They are.” Respirators were designed to meet a purpose, to protect people being exposed…
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Safety in Business Context
A business is a set of systems to deliver valued products or services to customers and increase value for the shareholders. The systems are: Sales and marketing Accounts receivable Accounts payable Payroll Product development Product manufacturing Product delivery Maintenance Safety (loss control) Not a complete list to be sure and some systems could have different…
Got any book recommendations?