The Early Warning Signs Of Danger

January 9, 2014 No Comments

“If only we’d seen this coming…”

“Why did we miss these hazards?”

“I don’t know how we could have prevented this one.”

–

You may have heard statements like these after a particularly bad injury incident at your work site.  Looking back at some remarkably serious events, three elements appear to be present most of the time:

1. High energy release potential: Either in-motion; – or – as potential energy stored in chemicals, hydraulics, elevation, spring tension, rope tension, electrical circuits, or heat.

2. Unfamiliarity with the task: As a new employee, or as a new procedure or task that occurs rarely, or is occurring for the first time.

3. A sense of urgency or complacency: Creates tunnel vision and headlong action without due regard for safety planning.

High energy situations can involve high pressure water, air or steam; hot liquids; very active chemicals – like anhydrous ammonia or concentrated acids; electrical potential; unprotected fall hazards – either of employees, excavation walls, or hoisted loads; mobile heavy equipment; ropes, chains or cables under high tension; or unguarded moving equipment – like mixers, couplers, conveyor belts or abrasive discs.

Unfamiliarity is a factor with many new employees who don’t want to appear that they lack experience, skill, or motivation.  New employees will jump into a situation that more experienced workers would approach with much more caution.  Even experienced workers when faced with novel job situations may not take time to recognize potential dangers – especially if the boss or the situation appears to demand quick action.

Rushing into a situation is one element of danger that can obviously lead to disaster; however, a less commonly recognized danger is complacency – the “we’ve always done it this way” attitude.  For example: While shoveling spilled product from a conveyor belt, more than one worker has been caught and pulled into the unguarded in-running pinch point between the rollers and the belt.  The same is true of unguarded couplings on rotating drive shaft systems.  When working alone, people rarely escape alive if they become entangled in these couplings.  Allowing or working near unguarded dangerous equipment is typically a matter of complacency, or “we’ve always done it this way”.  A management-supported, attentive, safety-oriented attitude will help prevent rushing or complacency.

In most tragic situations an Activity Hazards Analysis has not been performed, because people are in a rush, or they don’t recognize that a particular work procedure can be unusually hazardous, or safety reviews are just not part of their corporate culture.  Even a focused tailgate meeting before a planned activity – with good input from the people doing the tasks – is a step in the right direction.

It takes someone with safety vision and commitment to recognize the early warning signs of danger and to challenge “old school” attitudes.  Management support is also a key factor in establishing a corporate culture of safety reviews for each potentially hazardous task.

It’s difficult to understand why so many workers and managers still seem to ignore the signs of impending danger, when obviously no one wants to repeat the tragic events of the past.  Remember these three signs of danger, and when you see them coming together, think of the three-headed dragon.  They represent danger:

• High energy
• Unfamiliarity
• A sense of urgency or complacency

This article was submitted by Greg Cowley, CSP – Safety Manager at Parsons Services Company in Boulder City, Nevada

Safety Articles