What if we apply the seven habits of effective people (by Stephen Covey) to Safety?

1. Being Proactive: We plan our jobs, we inspect our tool and equipment, we identify hazards in our work environment, and we work to prevent accidents.

2. Begin with the end in mind: We think of the results of the job, we work in an efficient and safe manner.

3. Putting first things first: We organize our work in a logical, structured and systematic manner and at the same time remain goal-oriented, i.e. completing the job safely and efficiently.

4. Think win/win: We never compromise our own safety and the organizational values, we never focus on completing a task without little regard for the other person who may get hurt due to a hazard we left behind.

5. Seek first to understand then be understood: We listen to instructions carefully, we seek clarification on work procedures and risk assessment, we learn our roles, and we express our views in a professional and diplomatic manner to avoid conflict.

6. Synergize: As the word implies we work together to enhance work efficiency, to enhance performance and to keep each other’s back “safe”

7. Sharpen the Saw: We are always prepared to do it all again, always looking for ways to improve and maintain a high standard.

REMEMBER

The quality of your work is a measure of the quality of yourself. We all derive pride and self-esteem from accomplishing tasks in an excellent fashion.

Successful completion of a worthy task means that it was not only attempted, but it was completed to certain standards of performance or better.

Worthy means it was something that needed doing whether it was typing of a document, picking up the garbage, or fixing a problem on sophisticated piece of equipment.

It was a task that somebody had to do and do correctly and safely.