1. The obvious thing – sunblock. You don’t have to be a global warming fanatic to know about the potential damage of your skin due to sun exposure. Use sunblock liberally and frequently. Grease stains are easier to get out than cancers.
2. Eye protection is underrated. Sunglasses can ease significant stress on the eyes, and prevent wear and tear on all the little eye-parts that many of us take for granted.
3. Consume liquids. I saw this being followed, but maybe water to beer in a two-to-one ratio would be a little better. Too much alcohol is a compounding problem – you may get dehydrated and you may also forget item #1 above.

I saw a number of people today neglecting 1, 2, or all 3 of these rules.  You don’t want to be one of them later today. Ouch!

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

Anna at abdpbt is responsible for the effort to Fight Listless Mondays. Find other list links on her blog. Her lists and the others linked there always give you something to think about, and may even make you smile!

Before I moved to the Atlanta area, I connected in ATL dozens of times. You don’t even have to travel to or from the south to still find your way to the Atlanta airport as part of your trip. I met a passenger the other day who started her morning in Jackson, MS and was trying to get to Omaha. While it might seem logical that she was in Atlanta at that point, she got there by way of Memphis, and from Atlanta was headed to Milwaukee. Obviously, this is not the path from her original ticket, but once her first leg of the trip got disrupted it went downhill.

Yesterday I was heading to Milwaukee via commuter plane to catch a flight home. We were a little late pulling away from the gate when the attendant informed us that we still had to go through de-icing, and so some of our connections were in jeopardy. Almost everyone on this flight was connecting to somewhere else, and there was this collective groan that emerged with the announcement. It was a groan of discontent. I heard the person behind me ask his row mate, “Do you think that’s really necessary?”.

It was sort of painful to walk up to the gate in Milwaukee and see the jetway pulled away from my Atlanta-bound flight, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

When I buy a ticket, or when my company buys me a ticket, the money spent isn’t just for transportation from point A to point B. I am paying for the gate agents, the airport gate fees, the maintenance of the plane, the luggage handlers, and most importantly, the experienced experts who make the calls regarding the safety of a flight. In a weather situation like yesterday’s, I pay them to make the decision to de-ice, even though it will create scheduling ripples throughout their system. They don’t want to delay flights, but they don’t want disaster either. I sincerely believe that if the people on the plane yesterday could vote on the de-icing process, I would have been on the short end of the vote.

On the other hand, why the airline books tickets with a 25 minute connection, in Wisconsin, in February, is beyond me. The boarding process is underway before you even get there.

Do you have a peeve about safety practices that you believe don’t protect you? Would you want to put plane de-icing up to a vote?  Not me, thanks.

The words rang true for me today: Let’s be careful out there!

This morning we took a walk along the beach in the picture here, and a lone surfer was enjoying mild wave action. Later in the day, around lunchtime, this beach was very crowded. As we enjoyed a lunch in a little cafe overlooking the beach, we witnessed a mild commotion as a gentleman was pulled from the water with obvious head injuries. He did not have a surf or boogie board, he was simply pounded by the waves into a rough interaction with the sand.

There were warning flags along the beach that the surf was dangerous and you should not body surf, but people were diving into waves that were easily 6-8 feet. It looked like fun. Not huge waves, but big enough to bring on the hurt.

While we were at the same cafe, we noticed the family sitting nearby that included a child, about 4 years old, with curly red hair and fair skin. And sun poisoning. He had cream on his face, his eyes were nearly swollen shut, and they had a tube of SPF50 sitting on the table. I’m not throwing stones here, I did the same thing with one of my kids, and that’s why I would have prepared differently.

So while it is a long way from time to worry about surf and intense sun for many of my North American friends, its worth noting that safety is always a consideration. Being careful out there is a 24/7 concern.

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

When there are special events in your home, work patterns change. In particular, there is more time spent in the kitchen preparing, serving, eating and cleaning. The kitchen is full of opportunities for injury, mostly from heat. And those hazards are not just near the stove and the oven. We carry hot pans across a room, or hot soups or teas are carried. The potential for burns is much higher.

Then there are the knives that find their way into a soapy sink. If someone isn’t careful reaching in, they could easily get cut.

This advice seems a little bit late, right?

This is also the time of year when many of us make promises to do things differently. Eat better, exercise more, save more diligently, and to get things into better order. These kinds of resolutions present changes in our day-to-day workflow. The process of how we go about moving through our daily lives. And while change is good, it is also good to look for any potential hazards related to your new plans.

For example, if you are going to rise early to exercise every morning, make sure you are starting with a glass of water and a light snack. Even a small amount of yogurt or a slice of peanut butter toast can effectively help you get through a workout better. Sounds simple, but it is important.

Also related to exercise – if you haven’t been good about it recently, then ease back in. Take time to warm up, stretch, and cool down to minimize the liklihood of injury.

Plan your food intake. If you plan on eating better, don’t just go to the grocery store and buy only fresh produce and things you think are healthy. If you are not already including them in your diet, then it may take you time to get used to bringing them back, and some could easily spoil before you have a chance to consume them all.

Will you be driving at a different time because you will be heading to the gym before or after work? There may be different traffic patterns at that time of day that will require a change in how you drive. It may require more patience, or you may be driving in darker conditions than you are used to.

And don’t forget – lots of other people make decisions to exercise more, and so there will be more runners on the road. They may not be wearing adequate reflective clothing, so watch out for them!

Whatever changes you are planning, I wish you luck in achieving your new goals.

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

SaferByChoice is all about that idea. That if we equip people to make the best decisions, we will all be safer. As a result, everyone is better off. Employees are not compromised, and the business runs with less interruption.

I am traveling this week, and awoke this morning to see the scene you see with this post. Not the worst snowstorm of all time, and not a bad one by many standards. But the roads were not clear, my rental was a small, rear-wheel drive car, and the news reporters said local police were asking that non-essential travel be delayed.

Less than 10 years ago I would have convinced myself to get out there, clear the snow off the car, and get to the office. Today I thought about it for a bit, then I realized that I had all I needed on my PC, I had a good wireless connection, and I had a phone. That pretty much meant that my travel was non-essential. I had the face-to-face meetings that I came here for scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday, so there was no reason to rush to the local office today.

If there were someone expecting me in the office today, I believe I would have made the same decision. I am obligated to make good decisions for my company. Good business decisions, good quality decisions, good HR decisions, good safety decisions. I probably could handle the risks associated in driving in blowing snow, on roads that are not completely clean, but I don’t have to. Truth is, if I had an accident, I would be saying that I never should have gone out.

So instead, I was more productive than usual today. No travel time, no one stopping by the office to chat. and for an INTP like me, that makes for a great day!

Are you obligated to be safe? Do you compromise that obligation? What are you going to do about it?

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

Do you consider the number 13 to be unlucky? Or maybe you have an actual fear of the number, which is called triskaidekaphobia. If you do, you wouldn’t be alone. Thirteen is frequently left out when numbering floors in a building or even aisles in an airplane.

Yet there are some who consider this a lucky number. Traditions for luck, both good and bad, go across cultural and religious boundaries, but very few have any scientific or fact basis.

The old saying goes “The harder I work, the luckier I get”. This is absolutely true with safety. Except instead of “hard work” we would probably say “smart work”. If I take on any action in an informed way, I can make better decisions about how to perform that action safely.

So don’t worry that today is Friday the 13th. Your safety and well being is in your hands, not in the determination of a calendar date. Make a decision to not let fate determine your safety. Make informed choices as you go about doing your work, and encourage others to do the same.

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there!

When flying, it looks to me like very few of us listen to the flight attendant’s speech. I mean really, who does not know how to fasten a seatbelt? But I think the relative safety of flying has kept us from paying attention. On any given flight, do you know for certain if your life preserver is under your seat or if you are supposed to use your seat cushion as a flotation device?

Next time you fly, pay attention to that announcement. It could make a difference you know. Well, maybe not in terms of how your seat belt is fastened, but at least you’ll know what to do in a water landing.

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

1. Check your tires for wear and proper inflation. Whether you have snow near you or not, this should be done a couple times a year anyway. If you are starting to notice the tread wear bars, you should be thinking about taking the car to the tire shop.
2. If you park outside and there is ice or frost on the windshield or rear window, scrape it off! Don’t just clear a little view area that you think will be enough until the defroster kicks in. Put a good scraper in your car so it is there when you need it.
3. Keep plenty of gas in your tank. If you ever get stranded (and I have been!) you do not want to be hiking for gas or risk running out while you are waiting for a storm to blow by.
4. If you are anything like me (bald) or even close, you need a hat. A large percentage of body heat is lost from your head. The longer you might be outside, the more important this becomes. And on the subject of protective clothing, get some gloves and use them. Not just when it is below freezing, when there is the greatest danger to you physically, but anytime the temperature is cold enough to keep your hands in your pockets.
5. If you have a gas furnace, have it inspected annually by a professional. I had a problem with no heat a few years ago and when the technician came to check it out, he had to lock out the gas line until I replaced the burner. It was so badly corroded it was a potential explosion problem.
6. Check that all your windows are closed tight, and door seals are intact. Heat loss in these areas is greatest, and when the cold winds blow, problems in this area suck money (heat) right out of your house.
7. If you have gas logs, make sure they are properly vented or are approved for non-ventilated spaces. Heat is good, asphyxiation is bad.
8. If you live where there is danger of hard frost, turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets. Remove all hoses that might be attached. If there is water in the line when the deep freeze comes, pipes will crack or break.

There are so many more things to consider, but this list will probably trigger other ideas for you. Got any more? Share them below if you please.

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.

Anna at abdpbt is responsible for the effort to Fight Listless Mondays. Find other list links on her blog. Her lists and the others linked there always give you something to think about, and may even make you smile!

In the midwest, when there were tornado warnings, we all moved to the basement. In the south, when the hurricane is approaching, you just move north. And in the snow country, you wear extra clothes, get good with a shovel, and keep an eye on the roads for ice.

Each type of weather, even a beautiful sunny day, requires some extra precaution. Sometimes that precaution is in the form of something you wear, like gloves or sunglasses. Other times it involves specific actions, like boarding up the house or putting  chains on your wheels to get through a snowy area.

Taking precautions takes time. But not too much. Just a simple inventory of a situation can make all the difference in your ability to successfully manage any risk. Drive slower in heavy rain. Wear sunscreen if you are going to be outside on a sunny day. Use your legs to lift that heavy snow shovel, not your back.

Sometimes the only thing between you and an injury is your willingness to think it through. Ask yourself what risks are at hand, and what you can do to minimize the impact of each one.

Do you consider the weather just to see if tomorrow will be good or bad, or does it impact the way you act each day?

As always, lets be careful out there.

Culture is, in a way, a misleading word. It is a collective noun. It represents a collection of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, rituals, totems, and whatever else one tries to look at to define a culture. In business, this includes results.

The most important part is you. By your leadership, your actions, your statements, and your attitudes you communicate your personal part of culture. I could work for a company with a strong culture of safety controls, but that doesn’t define who I am. Maybe I have even stronger (or weaker) views of controls.

When you have an idea, an innovation that can bring a higher level of performance, people want to hear it. They want to understand the value of the idea, and they want to know what it takes to implement it. If it involves substantial change in what is expected of people, we may use “our culture” as the excuse to not proceed. But what about “our culture” can we tap into to make the idea work?

One of my blogging HR friends, Trisha McFarlane wrote an interesting post earlier this week regarding the legacy we leave with our workplace. For me, it’s not so much about what got done, but how I did it and what that means for the future of the company.

It’s not as important to me to measure how many people got hurt while I was a supervisor. It’s more important to me to know we eliminated several causes of recurring injury. It’s more important for me to know that when I left a role, the team’s view and ownership of safety was better than it was before. I don’t care if they credit me with that change, I just care that it happened.

What’s your safety legacy? Are you generating expertise that will be better than you?

Thanks, and let’s be careful out there.