This is the time of the year when most, if not all, of us feel like we have a clean slate to set things right again. It is a time to push the reset button, restart or recharge and get ready to take on new challenges and/or confront old ones with a refreshed attitude. With each start to the New Year, I like to reflect on what went well, what I could improve and what I will not repeat again.
For some reason, I always find myself with the same list. Initially, I thought about throwing away my methodology and just creating a list from the top of my head. Ultimately, I realised that the reason I had ended up with the same resolutions each year was because these items are of great value to me and I want to do well and master them. A work in progress, the items on my list have no concrete end date; they require annual refinement and refreshment.
Similarly, there are expected workplace behaviours that need recharging and mastering each year. Core to our values of 'Doing the right thing', these behaviours are essential to keeping us on the track of continuous improvement on our Beyond Zero journey.
These behaviours are our Safety Essentials and they are six safety resolutions you should implement to start 2016 safely:
- Always take care
- Follow the rules
- Do a risk assessment (know what you are faced with and be prepared)
- You must intervene
- Manage any change (it does happen)
- Wear the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - protect your bodily assets they can’t be replaced to its original form.
Regardless of whether we are at work or at home, these behaviours should be on everyone’s resolution list. I know it is a challenge to walk the talk and put these behaviours into action every minute of every day, but it is what we should all strive to achieve. Putting safety first means zero harm every minute of every day, whatever we do at work or at home, to ensure that everybody makes it home every day safely and securely.