Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/449123
26 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WORLD FENCE NEWS 26 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Visit the World Fence News Crew at FENCETECH 2015 – Booth # 925 Five ways to improve your ability to spot hazards continued from page 18 so I assume they knew their behavior was unsafe. When I asked who was in charge, one of the workers ran through a door and quickly produced the su- pervisor who was very cooperative. "The supervisor explained that it was his idea to use the innovated contraption until the rental company delivered the snorkel lift (expected to arrive on site in the next two hours). After a few minutes of discussion with the supervisor and the workers, they realized that the consequences of their behavior could have been serious. "We all shook hands and agreed that they would wait until the rental company showed up with the proper equipment and I promised to not write them a citation. (They still thought I was with OSHA.) "It was just another day in the life of a safety professional." Without the ability to see hazards, people will put themselves in positions that can lead to personal or co-worker injury or damage equipment. Train yourself to see We humans often think that we are above reproach and know that we have been well-trained. Sometimes that can turn into pride and that will get us into trouble. So many times we face unknown or unseen hazards in the workplace. One of the first things you can do is to consider your overall perception of safety. Do you consider that you can have little influence over what hap- pens – that external forces are the pri- mary cause of injuries? Or do you have an internal focus that lets you know that you have a great deal of control over the environ- ment or situation? The degree to which you perceive that you have control over the con- sequences of a situation is known as the "locus of control" or LOC. People generally have a strong internal or ex- ternal safety LOC. One of the first things you can do to train yourself to see hazards is to consider your LOC. If you have a strong external LOC, you are likely to think you have little control and therefore may not look for or consider the hazards. This calls for some deep introspection. Think about the times that you've been able to avoid injury by wearing your personal protective equipment or by following a procedure. You can even look back on inci- dents that occurred because you, or someone else, didn't follow safe work practices. Challenge yourself to look for the things that you can control. If you have a strong internal LOC, you may go too far in thinking that you person- ally can control hazards and may not use all of the tools and technology at your disposal. It's simply a good idea – you'll be surprised how much better you 'see' hazards with this personal insight. Five steps to see the unseen hazards It's important to recognize that we all have trouble seeing hazards some- times, yet there are several things you can do to improve your "hazard vi- sion": • Recognize your own perception of your ability to control hazards. continued on page 70 FOR PARK AND BALL FIELD FENCE SAFETY NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE! Safety Top Cap™ NEW Safety Top Cap - Lite™ Pexco is still offering our premium Safety Top Cap™ and now a NEW more affordable version called Safety Top Cap - Lite™. Both products provide safety and greater visibility to the top of chain link fence systems on athletic fields, in parks and recreational facilities. 3'6LVDUHJLVWHUHGWUDGHPDUNRI3H[FR Pexco Tacoma Tacoma, WA 1.800.822.SLAT (7528) Pexco Athol Athol, MA 1.800.755.SLAT (7528) www.pexco.com/fence