It’s been a while since my last blog. Over the past few months I have conducted many jobsite/facility audits and have taken hundreds of photos. There is a common trend that I continue to see. The poor condition of tools, equipment, cords, ladders and anything else you can think of that employees use daily. So, my questions are; why do these items continue to stay in service if they are in an unsafe state? Why does it take a safety professional to say, “ this device is in an unsafe condition, please take out of service” Do employees know? Have they had training? Do they care? Does management not take notice? The root cause and reasoning may all be different, but we must be proactive and change the mentality of continually using unsafe equipment.

I once read a quote that said, “The problem is not lack of equipment, but rather a lack of commitment.” I 100% agree with this. Proper storage, maintenance, inspection, and flat out caring will keep these things in safe condition. Personnel should be taught their resposbililbites when it comes to on the job safety. Employees must have and use safe tools and equipment and properly maintain this equipment. Inspections shall be conducted on all items before they are used. If items are found to be defective, they shall be taken out of service and marked/tagged unsafe to use.

There are many benefits to having a proactive approach for equipment safety. Lower risk of injuries, lower loss time, lower repair costs, increased productivity; are just a few of those benefits. Equipment can be replaced is this materialistic world we live in. life is not replaceable. Human behavior is one of the hardest things to change or influence. One of the easiest things to change is taking out of service a broken ladder, cut cord, or frayed sling.

502-639-0248
alexpaul@baileysafety.com