Practicing Safety

As an industry, we use the term “practicing safety” often. Most of the time we use this to mean using safe behaviors on a job site. This falls under the Oxford definition of practice: “The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it.” Oxford has another definition for practice though: “Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.” This would be like the baseball and soccer practice we take our kids to. They exercise the performance repeatedly so as to be competitive for the event. As a company, we strongly believe that practicing this way is a key enabler of improved performance in our industry. 

A majority of the safety training we receive is either informational or inspirational. This is necessary and also good. For safety week though, I want to challenge us as a community to think about more opportunities to practice safety like we practice softball. Here are two examples.

UA Local 469 in Arizona serves many high tech clients. This involves work in unique confined spaces and around toxic gases and chemicals. When UA members start this work on the job site though they are already familiar with the spaces, equipment, and hazards in the environment. 469 has built a clean room complete with a raised metal floor (confined space) and retired semiconductor process tool. They also have a toxic gas delivery system. The systems are in a safe state so members can practice working on them before they are exposed to the actual hazards. This not only improves safety, but it also helps them deliver the highest quality workmanship.

Once upon a time, I got a “certification” to operate a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP). This involved training (information) on how to operate the equipment and a “driving test.” The training talked about the risks involved and what could go wrong. The test, however, was on level ground and just covered the basics of how to operate the lift. There was no practicing on what to do if something bad happened. Serious Labs builds simulators that allow people being trained on heavy equipment such as MEWP’s to practice on equipment in a safe environment and experience what happens in less than normal situations. Very similar to practicing emergency landings in a flight simulator. 

What are other examples you use to practice safety?

#safetyweek #safetyweek2019