Most of us do not have a job like Indiana Jones, where it is a non-stop roller coaster ride filled with adventure, intrigue and danger waiting at every turn.
It makes one wonder, then, how the rate of workplace and on-job injury in America could be so alarmingly high.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, reports that more than 4 million nonfatal injuries, and nearly 5,000 deaths, were recorded by private employers in 2003.
Even as America’s major employers rush to institute safety programs that will not only protect their workers, but also limit their liability, workplace horror stories still exist.
The solution to this problem rests with each individual. Before workers decide to risk serious injury trying to go the “extra mile” for their low wage job, they should think about the consequences.
Workers should adhere to a different Golden Rule when they begin their workday: Put thyself before thy job.
On the outside, this may seem like a selfish proposition. Companies spend tons of money constantly badgering the ideals of “teamwork” and “efficiency” to their employees with various training programs, but in reality employees who take time off for sickness or injury are still secretly ostracized by co-workers or management.
However, in the long run, it serves the greater good to be mindful of one’s own safety. The result will benefit both the worker and the employer; the worker will enjoy better health and be able to earn more money because of it, and the employer will gain a healthier and more productive workforce.
This is not to say, however, that employers do not go to great lengths to create safety in their own workplaces.
Target Corporation, for example, is one of the largest retail employers in the United States and has thorough safety measures. Employees are trained extensively in safety procedures when they are hired.
The store chain uses a series of codes in emergency situations, with each color corresponding to a different emergency. Code Green, for example, indicates an employee accident. Also, first aid and spill clean-up boxes are stationed throughout the store.
America has definitely become more safety-conscious; cars are bigger, houses are being built with stronger frames, and employers are increasingly making the workplaces safer for their 140 million workers.
Ultimately, however, it is up to the employee alone to figure out the safest way to do things. If one must work with sharp objects or chemicals, gloves should be worn. If heavy lifting is involved, wear a back support belt. Your instincts should be the best guide; companies like Target do not pay you enough to risk your own life.
