Be Vigilant About Safety. Fundamental #1

Dear Cyberteam, 

So this is our first fundamental and given its about safety it will always be the number one priority at Cyberhawk.  

Many of you that know me, might consider me a risk-taker, I am. I love riding motorcycles, scuba diving, snowboarding, and anything that makes you say “ here goes”. I don’t mind putting my body in the line of fire in pursuit of fun and adrenaline. I have fortunately escaped serious injury so far and plan to keep it that way. 

This risk-taking behavior does not however extend to my work. Even when I did rope access dangling in confined spaces or under bridges I never felt the need to risk my life for my job.

That asset will be there tomorrow and next year so take the time to do it safely. Trust your gut and make sure you have an exit route, a backup plan, and a way to get help if you need it. We have developed lots of procedures to keep you safe, some of which have been born out of near misses.

If you have a near-miss report it so we can learn and prevent somebody else from having the same issue. 

If a client tells you to do something risky tell them to no thanks and leave the worksite, you have the power to say no or stop the job at any time if you feel it's unsafe. You will not be doing the right thing if you work unsafely. 

If you are a manager or a planner, think about how your words might lead to unsafe behaviors..  

“So and so did it no problem, so home come you didn’t get it done? 

“Jobs a doddle, you should be done in half a day.” 

“Do you think you can handle it?”  

“ I know you aren’t properly trained but nobody else is available” 

 These are all phrases that might encourage unsafe ways of working so please be mindful of what you say as this can lead to holes opening up to swallow someone. 

 If you are a software developer or in finance you might be thinking how the hell does this apply to me? Well, sometimes the people who aren’t closely involved get a better perspective than those closest to danger. If something looks unsafe, have the courage to say.. Hey, are you sure that’s safe? Is there a better way of doing that?

Thanks for reading, play it safe, and thanks for reading.

 Chris F, CEO