Is There Mustard or Ketchup on Your Safety Program?

The following story was adapted from an article by Torrey M. Garrison of Mobile, AL in the September, 2006 Safety+Health magazine from the National Safety Council

Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant and ordered a hamburger with just ketchup? Just as you take the first bite, the strong flavor of mustard overcomes you. You stated your order as clearly as you could, but they still got it wrong. How in the world can you relate a hamburger with safety? Read on.

As a safety officer, you continually stress the importance of safety at your monthly meetings. You want every employee to know that Safety is the lab’s number one priority. You never want employees to get the order wrong so you speak as clearly as you can when conducting training.

That being said, you still remember the time when safety protocols were lax and you got a call from the CEO that the OSHA inspector was on his way down to the lab to conduct a safety audit based on an employee complaint. You start to scramble. It’s now time to play KETCHUP.

It is so much easier to start a solid laboratory safety program from the beginning than having to play catch up. It never will be the same, and the time you have wasted getting it rolling could be costly. Start it from the beginning and speak clearly. You never want your employees to get the order wrong.

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