Ocean Companies Safety Tip of the Week – Distractions
Distractions
Whether at work or at home, it is sometimes hard to avoid distractions. Distractions bombard you from every direction. It may be you are cooking dinner and you get distracted by the kids arguing, that TV show you wanted to see or the phone call. Next thing you know, you have a kitchen fire. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, you just have burnt offerings to serve the family, but you get my drift.
At work you may sit at a desk most of the day and your distractions consist of people dropping by to chat, the dreaded phone (again), the internet, or an exceptionally cluttered desk, just to name a few. These distractions will more than likely keep you from getting your work done, but the chances of you being injured are considerably lower than those who work on a production floor, or worse yet, those that drive for a living!
Distractions may have a negative effect on efficiency, productivity and/or safety and may cause you to make errors. I will give you two examples of how being distracted, or inattentive, caused injuries. The first example consists of a car, five teenage girls, and music on the after first day of school. The 16 year old driver was paying more attention to changing the music they were listening to than the car in front of them causing a rear end collision and injuring 4 of the five girls in the car. The car in front of them was driven by one of their teachers. Two of the passengers in the car I claim as daughters. The second example happened in a work environment when one of the workers was walking backward, talking to a co-worker, when he tripped and fell into a boat onto his back. There were injuries in both of these examples, fortunately they were not life threatening, but could have been avoided if people were paying attention to their surroundings.
Mental distractions and inattention, poor housekeeping, noise, and loose hair, clothing, or jewelry are all distractions that may put your life on the line.
Mental Distractions: Mental distractions have a way of creating inattention. Not paying attention can get someone hurt. You might be driving a forklift and fuming over the scratch you found on your car door. You’re distraction may cause you to miss the person standing in your work area. Or you are mixing bleach and water so you can sanitize the machinery and you see someone you want to talk to. You need to pay attention to what you’re doing so your mixture is right or you may cause a chemical burn to anyone that uses the cleaning solution. It can be difficult to tune out the distractions, but it is a necessary thing to do. Take mental note of what is distracting you so you can deal with it at a later time.
Poor Housekeeping: In the office, a cluttered desk can mean lost important papers, taking longer to find things like keys, and the slowing down of projects. On the work floor, we need to make sure things are put away so there is no slipping or tripping hazard. We need to make sure there are no blocked exits or fire extinguishers so in case of an emergency, we can get to the things we need.
Noise: Whether you are driving a company vehicle; including forklifts, flat beds and tractors; you’re walking through the plant, or your working on the process line, listening to music through head phones can be life threatening. You can’t hear the yelled warning or device such as a car horn, or the forklift coming up behind you. This does not include ear plugs or muffs designed for your hearing protection. Other noises that might create a distraction may be construction noises outside the building or maintenance is banging on the pipes.
Loose Hair, Clothing, and Jewelry: You would be surprised by how many injuries happen because somebody was fixing their hair while operating equipment, carrying a load or driving a vehicle. If your hair is long enough to get into your eyes or to bother you in any way, fix it before you start work. Not only can it be a safety problem to fix it while you are performing a task, but just letting it hang loose can be a dangerous habit. Long loose hair or loose clothing can become caught in machinery or conveyors and pull you into the equipment causing serious injury. Wear comfortable, but well-fitting clothes. Keep your buttons buttoned, zippers zipped, and ties tied or tucked in. Never wear jewelry at work like bracelets, necklaces or earrings that can get caught in the machinery, or if you’re working in food production, don’t wear them at all.
Sources: The Safety Blog , Workplace Distractions, Tips on Eliminating Workplace Distractions , Workplace Safety Tip – Avoid Distractions
– Cherie
