The Big Idea is you don't value it till you lose it. That's why all the feverish activities once there has been a so-called accident just so you can salvage what can be salvaged while searching out ways and means to prevent a future recurrence. And hoping that everyone concerned shall remain 'sufficiently scared straight' for the immediate times ahead and that lessons arising will remain eternally fresh to make the difference between doing the right and the wrong. But does it always pan out as envisaged?
Well, not exactly. At least, not all the time. So you might then wonder why. You see, SAFETY is an intangible quantity (or shall I say, invisible quantity?) so most people hardly notice when routine operations are smooth sailing i.e. no unplanned stoppages, no product loss or damage, and no dicey close calls. That is how you can tell that everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing the right way. No errors, forced or unforced; no short cuts, no superior-knowledge-induced-oversights like I-have-done-this-same-thing-over-and-over-for-years-and-I-have-never-had-an-accident-yet. Just the good old fashioned way of getting things done the right way, no frills no fancy and on schedule.
That is when the business is on easy street. And for once, management, supervision and the employees appear to be in an unassailable congruence, what with everything going according to plan. What more can anyone ask for?
But strangely enough, this is when you're most likely to encounter the question: 'Safety? What's The Big Idea?' simply because when things are flowing smoothly like a river no one remembers that it is because every little bit of the work component is being done or performed the right way, within the set standards, and in accordance with the approved operating procedures; ultimately combining to yield what we commonly refer to as SAFE OPERATIONS or SAFE PRODUCTION.
That is the BIG IDEA of Safety in the work place.
Well, not exactly. At least, not all the time. So you might then wonder why. You see, SAFETY is an intangible quantity (or shall I say, invisible quantity?) so most people hardly notice when routine operations are smooth sailing i.e. no unplanned stoppages, no product loss or damage, and no dicey close calls. That is how you can tell that everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing the right way. No errors, forced or unforced; no short cuts, no superior-knowledge-induced-oversights like I-have-done-this-same-thing-over-and-over-for-years-and-I-have-never-had-an-accident-yet. Just the good old fashioned way of getting things done the right way, no frills no fancy and on schedule.
That is when the business is on easy street. And for once, management, supervision and the employees appear to be in an unassailable congruence, what with everything going according to plan. What more can anyone ask for?
But strangely enough, this is when you're most likely to encounter the question: 'Safety? What's The Big Idea?' simply because when things are flowing smoothly like a river no one remembers that it is because every little bit of the work component is being done or performed the right way, within the set standards, and in accordance with the approved operating procedures; ultimately combining to yield what we commonly refer to as SAFE OPERATIONS or SAFE PRODUCTION.
That is the BIG IDEA of Safety in the work place.
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