This covers workplace safety mindset in detail. Safety is a subject that everyone can agree is important, but too many people think of safety only when thinking about where they work. Workplace safety is extremely important. Each year there are approximately five-thousand workplace fatalities and over two-million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers, according to OSHA’s commonly used statistics. Because of these workplace injuries and illnesses, OSHA monitors employer safety programs and enforces disciplinary action when an employer does not adequately protect their employees. But what about away from work? Building a genuine workplace safety mindset means those same habits shouldn’t stop the moment you clock out.
Why a Workplace Safety Mindset Should Follow You Home
Recent statistics show that you are ten times more likely to be killed or injured at home than you are on the job. On the job, your employer would not let you use a spliced electrical extension cord for power supply, but at home there is no one there to stop you.
The same principles behind reducing electrical fire risk at work apply just as much at home. In the workplace, your employer would not allow you to transport a flammable liquid in a container that was not designed for that purpose, but recently I was sent a video of a person filling plastic bags with gasoline and putting them into the trunk of a car (if you are interested in seeing this video, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/XRjNdgAetQE).
Safety is not just something you practice at work to earn a pizza party or a prize. Understanding why accidents happen, both on the job and off, is the first step toward preventing them. A true workplace safety mindset treats safety as something that should be practiced in every aspect of everyone’s life, not just during working hours.
Bringing a Workplace Safety Mindset Into Everyday Life
Before embarking on a new project or task at home, use some of the knowledge you have learned at work to keep yourself and your family safe. A few simple habits go a long way:
- Inspect cords, tools, and equipment at home the same way you would on the job before using them.
- Store flammable materials in approved containers, away from heat sources and out of reach of children.
- Keep walkways, stairs, and garages clear of clutter that could cause a trip or fall—the same logic behind replacing worn-out ladders before they fail.
- Talk to family members about emergency exits, fire extinguisher locations, and what to do if something goes wrong, the way your workplace runs fire drills.
- Pay attention to your own wellbeing, too—a strong safety mindset includes mental health at work and at home, since fatigue and stress are often at the root of preventable accidents.
None of these habits require special equipment or training—just the same attentiveness you already bring to your job. To close this article, refer to the pie chart above, which illustrates just how much of the time safety should be top of mind, both at work and everywhere else.
Setting the Example for a Workplace Safety Mindset
If you’re in a leadership role, your own workplace safety mindset sets the tone for everyone around you. Employees notice when a supervisor skips a step to save time or ignores a hazard because it’s inconvenient, and they take their cues accordingly. Modeling the behavior you want to see—wearing the right protective gear, reporting hazards instead of working around them, and taking near misses seriously—does more to build a lasting culture of safety than any poster or policy ever could. That same modeling matters at home, too—kids and family members learn safety habits, or the lack of them, by watching what the adults around them actually do, not just what they say.
Stay tuned to the Formetco blog for more on workplace safety mindset. Formetco continues to share updates related to workplace safety mindset as they develop.