Hi, it’s the Spanish OSHA Guy here!  The desire to “save time” has killed a lot of people at work, at home and one the road. Recently I wrote about our attitude and how it can cause us to take risks that have absolutely killed many people, yet we still do it. A good example is searching your email on your cell phone while driving to find some piece of info you “need”. The motivation for taking these risks is often to gain, save, earn or make up Time! In my OSHA 10 Training, OSHA 30 Training and other safety certification courses, I talk about the other “big gun” or reason for taking such risks: COMFORT!

Just think about what you do at home when you take care of the yard. Why do you go up to the very top of the 6-foot step ladder when you know you could die from a 6-foot fall and many people have? Why do you use a bench grinder, weed-wacker (weed-eater), skill saw or other power tool with no safety glasses when you know people have lost their eyes by doing such things? Why do wear shorts and flip-flops when cutting the lawn or use other power tools in the middle of the summer? Why don’t you wear your seat-belt all the time when you drive?

The reason: Time and Comfort! The reasons why we do such things can be a result of many factors, but for sure time and comfort are two of the biggest players. So -like I wrote in a previous blog post- now that I know, what am I going to do about it? Are you going to change or are you going to keep up the same habits that other people have proven will eventually injure, maim or kill?  And then, when a serious injury or fatality occurs, you say “Why!!! Why??!  Why did I do that?”  You can’t go back. I can’t go back. Don’t let it happen to you.

When the safety glasses save your eyes from a flying rock, all of a sudden they are not so uncomfortable. When the seatbelt saves your life in a crash, all of a sudden it’s not so uncomfortable. Safety has a lot to do with common sense. Let’s use it. The control we have in our lives at work, at home and on the road; let’s take it and -please- don’t let these “accidents” happen to you! Until next time.  -Steven St. Laurent