I AM RESPONSIBLE
INTRODUCTION
I am the possibility of people’s safety, health, and well-being. It is this conviction that allows me to face another day. What would drive me to be involved in something that many of us think as obscure? Well, the answer is I would like to make a difference in society and to help people have a better quality of life.
Some people say our reality is in our conversations, and that is why I am speaking to you today. Perhaps, I can alter your reality in safety. You see, I value and I am responsible for my own safety and the safety of those around me. Through my conversation I may alter your future, a future I may never know.
DISCUSSION
Being Responsible
My spouse and I were traveling north on Oracle Road just last Saturday, and I noticed a bumper sticker on an old Ford truck that said: “I AM RESPONSIBLE." I wondered why someone would put that statement on their bumper for everyone to see? A possible explanation could be that we live in a society of blame. Just look at the media strewn with billboards advertising “The Injury Lawyers,” and television/radio ads asking “Have you been injured?” “We will determine who’s really at fault." Heaven forbid, it’s not me! This leads me to believe that many of us think we are not responsible for our own actions; somebody else is. It doesn’t help when our own health and safety laws basically state the employer is responsible for the health and safety of its employees. Not the employee!
As an employee, I have the responsibility to know the systems of control that will ensure my health and safety. I know I regard safety as a part of my work, not an added or extra thing to do that gets in the way of my productivity. I’m not saying this because I’m a safety guy; this is how you should say it!
Safety
Safety in its basic definition is freedom from loss. Consider that you could replace the word “safety” with the word “survival.” Is it not our instinct to survive? Yet, when we talk of safety, we talk like it’s someone else’s job -- like the responsibility of safety professionals, the government, or just someone else because it will never happen to me.
Consider that safety could be a way of life, something that we value like a belief in everything we do. What if we had a society or a business where we were responsible for our own actions? Or another way to put it is that if we value our own safety, we shouldn’t have to be reminded of the consequences of our own actions.
Accidents Don’t Just Happen
How many times have you heard something like “accidents just happen?” There is a story I would like to share. Last summer, a friend of mine was having a party, and there were lots of young kids attempting to play baseball in the backyard. One boy was getting a little wild with the baseball bat and, while he was randomly swinging, another boy came into contact with the bat. Both boys began to cry. I would assert that the boy with the bat knew who was responsible by his reaction to the situation. The response of the parents was really interesting, too. Of course, we determined the boy that was hit was okay. The response to the boy with the bat was “It’s okay, he’s okay, don’t worry, accidents happen.” Hmm, we may be teaching our children that accidents just happen, not like it’s bad, wrong, or intentional. When we respond with “accidents just happen,” it seems more like a natural response that mothers have passed down for generations, without questioning the validity of the expression. (okay, fathers, too)
Accidents don’t “just happen;” they are a series of events all lined up just right that cause a mishap. Consider that we’re all responsible for our safety and the safety of others. Let’s look at the story from a different perspective. What if the boy with the bat was handling the bat in a responsible way (which I assert he knew how to do or why did he cry)? “I will only swing the bat when I am at the base or in an area where no others will cross the path of the bat.” The boy who received the blow, knowing that he must be aware of his environment (the things that go on around him), could have avoided the risk of the bat hitting him. What if the adults instructed their children the proper ways of the game and the consequences of foul play? What if the adults instructed their children that accidents don’t just happen, and we are responsible for our actions? Perhaps this particular accident could have been avoided.
Risk and Behavior
Can we live in a world free from accidents? Well, I will leave it as a possibility. I will admit there is a degree of risk in everything we do. I know one thing -- when you are posed with a risk (like a Mac truck heading straight for you), your behavior (what you will do, like swerving into the median or even off the road completely), produces a consequence (what happens to you, like perhaps avoiding the collision). Your actions can minimize the outcome or even eliminate the accident altogether. My point is that being responsible for your safety and that of others can minimize the loss.
CONCLUSION
You may say: “Yes, right, so what can I do, and what difference could I make?” You could start by helping me:
In every situation, ask yourself “what could go wrong here?”
Find out about the laws. Are there procedures, policies, or rules?
Ensure the equipment you use is properly maintained.
Get help when doing things you are unsure of.
Share your concerns with people, like asking them to wear a seat belt.
Set the example for others.
Keep safety as a value by talking about it, and consider that accidents just don’t happen.
You could help me make a difference in society by being responsible for your own safety and the safety of others. Say to yourself: “ I AM RESPONSIBLE "
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