Safety is something that can be taught and learned with proper training. Learning how to do something in a safe manner is a very important part of being a great employee. Teaching another how to do something in a safe manner creates a work environment that everyone can look forward to being a part of. No one likes to work where they feel the work they are doing is going to hazardous to their long term health. That is why it is important for everyone to take the time to make sure that they are following the safety protocols put in to place and make sure others are doing the same. Someone’s life may depend on you being alert to the hazards in the work place and reporting them to the proper channels so a safety policy can be put in to place to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be safe.
Western States Fire Protection’s slogan is “Protecting Lives and Property.” The responsibility to stop unsafe acts and behaviors, or stop work when circumstances change on our job sites to regroup and re-plan for safe operations is written into our purpose! This is something that should be done continually as suggested by “Protecting Lives” as in we always need be looking to protect each other.
Stop Work Responsibility means that all employees of Western States Fire Protection have the duty, ability and authority to act when unsafe actions or conditions exist without supervision or permission. When you think of it in those terms, it’s an awesome power that all of us have when we see hazards.
Responsibility Starts With Me
We are all responsible for our own safety and the safety of those working around us, including those working for other companies and trades. It’s easy to ignore other people who are working unsafe, showing unsafe behaviors or intentionally horsing around on a job site; but it’s also cowardly. Ask yourself how you would feel if you saw someone using a ladder unsafely today and didn’t say anything? What if you learned a week later that the same person was using a ladder unsafely, fell and died? Could you live with knowing you could have influenced a safe behavior that could have saved a life, but didnt?
The OSHA General Duty Claus states: All employees have the right to work in a “…place of employment that is free from recognizable hazards…” Hazards include both behavior and site conditions. Most of WSFP Field Leaders have OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 hour cards. The materials in this course and other safety courses make us all competent at “Recognizing Hazards.”
Russ Becker, API Group President and CEO says “It’s each of your responsibility to stop an unsafe act at one of our jobsites or one of our businesses, if you witness it. You have my full support in your efforts to do so.”
YOU HAVE THE SUPPORT OF YOUR LEADERSHIP TO STOP UNSAFE ACTIONS & BEHAVIORS AND TO STOP WORK WHEN UNSAFE CONDITIONS ARISE. BY USING YOUR STOP WORK RESPONSIBILITY, YOU ARE ACTING OUT WSFP PURPOSE OF “PROTECTING LIVES AND PROPERTY” AND ENGAGING IN OUR CULTURE OF SAFETY!
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