The Case for Safe 6……

Do me a favor, please run a search for “10 most common workplace injuries.”  You’ll find a quick rundown of the 10 most common workplace injuries. 

Now open this page at Liberty Mutual: This gives a breakdown of the top 10 most expensive workplace injuries.  If we compare the two lists we will find them to be very similar.  Our first list is now validated.

	MOST COMMON	MOST EXPENSIVE	Activities & Conditions
1	Overexertion	Overexertion	Material Handling
2	Slips, trips and falls	Slips, trips and falls	Location
3	Fall from height	Struck by	Material Handling
4	Reaction	Falls from height	Location
5	Falling objects	Reaction	Location
6	Walking into	Vehicle	Material Handling
7	Vehicle	Slip or trip without fall	Location
8	Machinery	Caught-in/compressed	Tools & Machinery
9	Repetitive motion injury	Repetitive motion injury	Tools & Machinery
10	Violence	Struck against	Material Handling

Considering each mishap we can see that each is associated with a typical workplace activity or condition.   They involve safe work practices using tools and machinery, material handling and where employees work.  We really aren’t talking about unusual activities.  The specific circumstances may be unusual, but that is likely a result of the unsafe act or unsafe conditions that led to the mishap.

The important point here is that each of these mishaps is preventable.  Whether the root cause is inadequate maintenance or insufficient training, the injuries could have been avoided.   When insufficient training is identified as the cause employers need to take a closer look at their training programs.  Who’s conducting the training?  Does the training address appropriate practices and procedures?  Is there follow-up evaluation of the effectiveness of the training?

As discussed, the mishaps were related to common workplace safe work practices.  The Safely Working Project developed Safe 6 as a simple tool for training and supervision.  Recognition, Preparation, Inspection, Control, Engage and Guard can be applied to any safe work practice.  In fact, when Safe 6 is applied to a safe work practice it becomes a Safely Working Skill.  A skill requires focused instruction, more than just information.  Safe 6 provides simple objectives and a ready made outline for consistent effective training.

Make Safe 6 the one workplace rule to rule them all.  Use it in all your employee training. Your workplace will be safer as you support a Safely Working Environment.

(Originally published 5/6/15)