Today’s blog post was actually written a few years ago from a close friend of mine named Michael. Michael has a wealth of industry experience coming up through the ranks as a laborer but ultimately switching over into a safety role. His life experiences are fascinating. His unique blend of experience and safety expertise are always fun to explore and chat about.
“Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your company” Richard Branson.
But more importantly. Take care of your employees and they’ll take care of themselves and those around them. The companies growth is a great byproduct of the employees overall wellbeing. Physically and mentally.
Health and safety talks on restrictions and requirements and statistics is a well beaten horse in the construction industry. Often falling upon deaf ears as nagging and received with rolled eyes and yawns.
What the dialogue is often missing is the conversation of the importance of the employees mental well-being.
Leaders who understand this and encourage gratitude, mindfulness and positive reflection can reap the benefits of a safe workforce with a higher level of productivity.
An alert worker, is a safe worker. Distractions in the field can lead to some potentially dangerous situations, ranging from the minor to the fatal. However, not all distractions can be plainly seen. Stress, anxiety and depression are all distractions that can easily be overlooked. And can have some potentially serious consequences. Workers with these symptoms tend to have more injuries and are less likely to report them.
73% of workers will report a physical injury. While only 35% will report a psychological one.
That’s a number we can work on easily by reinventing our culture simply with open dialogue with no discrimination. Recognize that we all have our personal problems or issues that we carry with us. We need to rethink our work term “leave your problems at home” because it’s basically saying “leave your mind at home”. And to be absent minded is the greatest distraction of them all. We should instead encourage “bring your problems to light” and watch the work team transform from crew to family. But this will only happen in absence of discrimination.
It has to happen on all levels. From the top down and the bottom up.
And there you have it folks! If you wish to be involved and want to submit your experiences and wish to help out our industry, don’t be afraid to submit your thoughts and writing!
See you in the pit!
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