By Dave Sanders, Safety and Loss Prevention Manager
“Safety Keeps Us Growing” – that’s our safety motto here at Ruppert Landscape. These few simple words mean we realize that the health and wellbeing of our company depends largely on the health and wellbeing of our employees. Our commitment to safety and performance excellence is underscored by our continuous promotion of a culture of safety, our safe work practices, the company’s safety training, and the implementation of a structured safety and loss prevention program.
While our injury rates are getting better, we have seen an uptick in the past couple of months. Many of our recent injuries are a result of not recognizing a hazard or making a poor decision by not adhering to a safety rule. Remember: safety rules and policies are in place for your protection. Taking shortcuts with the intention of getting a job done quicker only increases the risk of injury to you and your coworkers.
Our goal in accident prevention is, and must be, ZERO injuries along with no lost work time. Among the many roadblocks to achieving this goal is one in particular that the company can’t directly control and that is the human element. Our culture of safety and our loss prevention program won’t save you from an injury – if you don’t THINK.
Thinking and being aware of your surroundings is a personal action that no one else can do for you. Failure to think is the one unsafe act that contributes to nearly all accidents and 90% of all accidents are attributed to unsafe acts on the part of the worker. What we do or fail to do does have a direct effect on our personal safety. How often have you done something on impulse only to say afterward, “Why did I do that?” Perhaps you were confused, angry, daydreaming or just in a hurry, but whatever the reason, your attention just wasn’t focused on what you were doing. Paying closer attention to the task at hand will enable you to work safely and more productively.
So as we wrap up this year and look forward to the holidays and a busy 2017 and beyond, we ask you to protect yourself and your co-workers by thinking ahead. Follow the rules and do it the right way every time. If we can get in the habit of concentrating on what we are doing and doing it safely, we will be well on our way to achieving our goal of ZERO injuries and helping us live the Ruppert mantra “Safety Keeps Us Growing.”