Workplace Safety

5. The Distraction of Personal Life

Personal matters can be a huge distraction for employees. One client of mine, an electric utility company, experienced a fatality during a storm-recovery effort. The fatally injured employee had been experiencing marital problems, and seemed preoccupied during the job briefing that took place immediately prior to the deadly incident. In fact, the employee had been specifically warned about the potentially dangerous situation. One can only speculate about the impact that his personal distraction had on his life and work. It can be difficult to recognize when an employee is distracted by personal issues. Take the time to get to know workers around you and pay attention to individual responses, reactions and attitudes.

Managers and supervisors can have a tremendous influence on employee safety. By adopting and demonstrating a personal commitment to workers’ safety, communicating the importance of safety relative to production and quality, and recognizing when employees are distracted on the job, you can have a very positive impact on your organization’s safety performance.

Deb Potter, Ph.D., works with organizations to develop a simply seamless safety culture where all persons are committed to a safe workplace. To learn more about Potter’s programs and methods of assessing and improving safety, visit www.debpotter.com.