Why are people more apt to take risks?
When doing a simple or repetitive task, anyone may be tempted to risk their safety. Some possible reasons, are being in a hurry, feeling external pressures to get a job done, or not wanting to inconvenience someone else.
Another big reason is complacency. The act of changing a light bulb in a ceiling fixture becomes hazardous when an unsteady chair is used to stand on or the electrical contacts are touching in an old fluorescent design. How many times have we used (or seen someone else use) a vacuum cleaner with a damaged cord instead of taking the time to at least wrap the nicked wire with electrical tape? I’m guilty of climbing ladders in my bare feet, not wanting to take the extra time to find my athletic shoes and put them on.
Have you ever daisy-chained several extension cords to use that same vacuum cleaner or hang holiday lights? Electricians – have you always verified an outlet is dead before working on it? How about plugging in too many things into the same outlet and potentially overloading the circuit?
All these scenarios can be easily rectified.
Unfortunately, this attitude of convenience first and safety second can quickly seep into the workplace. A work culture that does not respect safety in general can also breed a subculture of ignoring electrical hazards. Being at a job site where risks are taken and no accidents occur as a result exacerbates the attitude of complacency.
Using BLS and OSHA statistics, ESFi (Electrical Safety Foundation International) reports the following:
- 33% of electrical fatalities occurred in workers aged 25 – 34
- 21% of electrical fatalities occurred in workers aged 34 – 44
By the time an electrical worker has worked in the industry for several years, he or she may no longer be afraid (respectful) of the power of electricity. Electricians usually have a drive to get the job done. With these two factors combined, caution can be easily thrown aside. Add into the mix a distraction or two, and the odds of an accident happening go even higher.
For a deeper dive into the ESFi report, see our blog ESFi Chart of Workplace Electrical Fatalities.
There are still too many recorded electrical injuries and fatalities in the workplace. Other situations will never come to light because there were no bad consequences as a result. Few workers are willing to admit they took a risk to complete a job, and if there are no penalties to pay, the wrong behavior is often validated.
We are reminded of the consequences of complacency when we read stories about a worker getting hurt on the job. These tragic stories can serve as reminders to change any of our own bad behavior, but the bottom line still rests on our shoulders: am I willing to change?
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