It’s very easy to think of safety as something that other people have to deal with. After all, it’s easy to regard safety as something that either works or it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t, well; you may get worthwhile compensation out of it.
Of course, there’s no problem with that latter avenue, if you deserve compensation, you deserve it. No matter if you slip on a wet that hasn’t forewarned you with proper signage, or you need something career-specific like an oilfield injury lawyer, often it’s cases like this that see renewed safety measures become the norm.
That said, it’s always best to not find yourself in a situation where you could be injured or harmed. It may just put a dampener on your day. Even if you work in a cushy office environment or work remotely, safety still applies to you. Let’s see how to avoid taking this for granted.
Pay Attention To The Safety Codes & Any Violations
It’s good to pay attention to the safety codes and any violations you may see, because if everyone is vigilant about this, then accidents will reduce even if negligence is present. Some may ignore this because they don’t wish to seem like a stick-in-the-mud, but the truth is that it’s best to be a little ‘square’ about the rules, as it were, and to avoid encountering an injury or watching someone else become harmed in the process.
This can be as simple as making sure you never leave open-top drinks at the desk close to all of your computing equipment, or it may be as important as refusing to do a task because the safety gear has not been maintained and properly inventoried. If everyone stood up for following safety protocol, you can bet a great deal of suffering would be averted.
Always Pay Attention & Don’t Let Yourself Become Distracted
You don’t have to become a super-focused Jason Bourne character to notice threats in your environment and to act upon them, but it does take an ambient level of attention to ensure issues are noticed and dealt with.
From a mass of wires next to an employee’s desk while the office IT network is being worked on, to seeing that the last time the staff microwave was serviced or inspected was five years ago – it’s often good to keep an eye on these things and mention them to the relevant professional within the building. If you work in a warehouse environment, operate machinery, or even in the construction or agricultural field, it’s good to work with your team to assess issues and to avoid distractions, like listening to music, or subverting safety standards like wearing the wrong footwear.
Fill Out Reports Correctly
In businesses where bureaucracy is king, it’s important to make sure that you file the correct reports should you need to. In some cases, this might mean reporting on the erroneous actions of others that put people at risk, as little as you wish to report someone. If one of your warehouse workers seems to smoke consistently and not too far from flammable materials, then that could signal a real accident.
If a staff member in the kitchen you work at wears shoes that don’t meet the non-slip standard, then the chance of them falling over due to a wet floor and injuring themselves and others is heightened. From time to time, a careful report laying out how you’ve expressed your concerns and what may need to be done about it can lead to action, and at the very least resolves you of culpability should something go wrong due to your efforts in reporting an issue.
If Failed, Litigate
Unfortunately, it’s not exactly unheard of for a lack of business safety standards, or not following the correct protocol, to lead to injuries and harm where it shouldn’t have happened. History is dotted with countless examples of this. That doesn’t mean you have to accept it should an issue occur, especially if the business that was supposed to be taking every precaution failed you, and was negligent in its actions.
There may be legal professionals based in your profession that are highly familiar with the right safety codes that should have been followed, and how to help you move through it. With an oilfield injury lawyer, for instance, you can seek your compensation based on injuries or problems sustained.
With this advice, we hope you can continue to avoid taking safety for granted at work, and not only discuss, but ensure the standards you deserve are met.
