My mother passed away last year. In my sorrow, I couldn’t help but reflect on the many things she taught me. Many of those important life lessons were about safety. I wonder if my dear mother knew when she was teaching me these “safety lessons” how much of an impact her words would have on me and my career.

A Mother’s Wisdom

My mom had no interest in industrial safety. She was just trying to save me from myself. After all, I was a bit reckless in my youth. But as I look deeper into her messages, I see in them the universal truths about the way humans can achieve safety in all settings. I hope that many of you reading SafetyXChange had a loving mother of your own to teach you these important safety lessons.

So what did mom teach me? I’m approaching this in a somewhat playful way as a tribute to mom and her great sense of humor. But the message is serious. And we would all do well to teach safety at our next safety meetings the lessons our mothers taught to us when we were kids!

Don’t Run with Scissors

Those of you who have read my book know that I’m a fan of the Energy/Barriers Model of incident causation. Several of the lessons mom taught me are about avoiding harmful energy by managing my behavior. This one seems very simple as an injury prevention tool: Just don’t do dangerous things.

At our workplaces we need to use elimination as the most effective incident prevention tool. No advice we can give can make working at a height without fall protection, entering unsafe trenches or confined spaces without the proper equipment and other unsafe behaviors any safer. All we can say is this: “Don’t do these things!”

Don’t Stick Anything in the Socket that Doesn’t Look like a Plug

I learned this lesson the hard way when I stuck a safety pin—how ironic that it should be called a “safety” pin—into a live electrical socket. I survived the experience and took away from it the determination never to do the same thing again.

But the warning about sticking things into plugs isn’t simply about electrical hazards but using any kind of thing in way it’s not supposed to be used. Many industrial incidents happen by inappropriate use of tools and equipment. Cases in point, that long piece of pipe in the back or some of your trucks that fit so nicely over your wrench handle. In reality, you can do this (it is called a snipe); it does increase your leverage. It’s just simply a bad idea that one day will cause you to fail and possibly hurt you or your co-worker.

Don’t Put that in Your Mouth

Long before HazCom and WHMIS, we had mom’s warning: “If you don’t know what it is, for goodness sake, don’t eat it.” In an industrial setting, it should be obvious that using chemicals without proper information is a recipe for disaster. Know the dangers and don’t expose your body to things you’re not intended to breathe in, absorb or ingest.

Don’t Wrestle in the House

My mother’s living room always looked like the cover of Better Homes & Gardens. This was the last place you’d ever want to “wrestle” with a sibling. “Horseplay” has no place in our workplaces any more than it did in our mom’s living room.

Put Away Your Toys

Slipping and tripping hazards in our workplaces are often caused by failure to put away our “toys.” Housekeeping is important. “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Simple advice and, as I learned many years later when I was raising my own children, nothing hurts more than stepping on a single Lego piece barefoot.

Look Both Ways before Crossing the Street

Every year, approximately one third of all Canadian worker fatalities are caused by traffic accidents. Healthy respect for the rules of the road and yielding to the right of way prevent needless injuries and deaths. Our mothers had it right: Look out for what others are doing. Driving defensively is all about looking out for and anticipating mistakes.

Look Out for Each Other

OH&S management is based on the idea that we are all our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We’re all in this together and when we look out for each other we make our workplaces so much safer and healthier.

It’s Nice to Share

Discussing safety hazards at meetings and tailgate talks makes a difference. Warning each other and discussing our experiences have a positive outcome in our workplaces. Let’s share ideas to make our workplaces safer.

You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid

“No, you can’t have a BB gun…you’ll shoot your eye out.”

To this day, A Christmas Story is still my favorite seasonal movie. You see, that was my life growing up in the 50’s. The only difference is that unlike Ralph, I never got that BB gun. My mom knew me well and I probably have two eyes today because my mom didn’t let me have one!

Conclusion

I’ll miss my mom for the rest of my life, and I’ll never forget what she taught me. Thanks mom and thanks to all the mothers who teach us that being safe is the right choice. Your sons and daughters love you for it!

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top