MAN AND HIS HABITS

[Music] every workman in our nation's mining and allied industries is important more important than he thinks each performs a task which is essential to the operation where he is employed any absence affects production absences due to on-the-job injuries usually result in lowered worker morale and changes in normal work procedure [Music] habit is an acquired mode of behavior that is almost involuntary it is a way of behaving that has become fixed through repetition it implies acting unconsciously or without premeditation often compulsively when man is a creature of habit he performs routinely he is oblivious to surrounding hazards and fails to use his good sense this failure is apparent by the many injuries he sustains driving an automobile is a good example of action through habit when we drive over a familiar road traffic signs signals and regulations are obeyed more by habit than by observation john had been driving to work daily over this same road for a long time the trip had become routine and habitual however one day something new was added a traffic light at an intersection he had driven through countless times before although the light was conspicuously located john was so deeply entrenched in habit that its presence did not register mentally he entered the intersection without stopping for the red light and this is what happened [Applause] [Music] do you believe this can't happen to you and do you say you always think about the things you do let's see what happens when everyday practices are changed carl was a good driver he was proud of his safety record [Music] his duties each morning were to deliver supplies needed by the various work [Music] crews the small truck used by carl in the performance of this work broke down and he was unable to get it started again so he called the garage for a replacement truck the replacement however happened to be a model without an automatic transmission carl wasn't used to a standard shift or as he prepared to stop at a road junction through force of habit he forgot to depress the clutch stalled the truck in the middle of the intersection nearly causing an accident safe work habits are good habits when the safe way of doing a job becomes a firm habit any unsafe act then becomes clumsy and unnatural if this worker had to stop and think before he made each separate move of this operation he wouldn't accomplish much work however by continuously practicing the safe way of doing his job safety to him has now become a strong habit we must keep in mind that most of us develop habits that control much of our lives most of us sleep on the same side of the bed each night we sit at the same place at the table for our meals start reading the daily newspaper in the same manner each time sit in our favorite seat for relaxation and we enter our automobile drive and leave it in the same manner habits are also developed at work they can be good or bad [Music] let's look at a bad work habit [Music] we have seen many posters depicting proper lifting procedures we have also seen posters showing the results of improper lifting practices [Music] yet many ignore these warnings and teachings and develop bad lifting habits as a result any deviation from an unsafe lifting habit becomes awkward [Music] unsafe habits should never have been formed instead safe lifting habits should have been developed most of us like to believe that we are able to perform our jobs better than anyone else and most of us are proud of our abilities and work knowledge in fact we may even believe that we are experts at the work we do if we believe we know more about our jobs and others we should also be aware of all the hazards connected with doing our job a good miner knows how to test the back where and when to erect temporary supports and how to properly install the rock bolts as required by the rock bolt plan the procedures required for the performance of this or any other operation should become established safe work habits here is bud o'leary a veteran employee who had worked in open pits for several years as part of his job he moved the trailing cable for the shovel whenever necessary he was a steady worker who was proud of his ability and experience but he had not developed safe work habits instead he followed the path of least resistance and performed his duties in the most convenient manner [Music] a safety rule required all persons to use lineman's gloves and protective leather gloves together with an insulated hook when handling high voltage trailing cables o'leary complied with these rules only when it was convenient for him to do so since he wasn't sold on safety habits he didn't bother with these precautions if the supervisor wasn't around when the accident occurred he was handling the cable with his bare hands [Music] each of us may have some bad or unsafe work habits for instance if we've seen our fellow workmen going about their work in an unsafe manner did we point out the possible hazards to them if not then we are partially guilty of an unsafe habit ourselves that of not helping to correct a dangerous practice in striving to attain good work habits we must realize that we cannot change some unsafe habits all at once or overnight it requires patience and effort for example to convert unsafe practices to safe work habits one might first determine the safe way to do a job then closely follow this plan each time the job is being done this may not always be easy but we must be persistent and keep practicing safe working habits until they become firmly established [Music] safe work habits are the responsibility of each individual a worker must be sincere in wanting to develop safe work habits men who have practiced unsafe work habits for a long time are especially hard to break of those habits we should make it a rule to discuss safe work habits with our fellow workmen when we observe them working in an unsafe manner plants and other operations that have worked for long periods without a lost time injury or proof that once an individual develops safe work habits he becomes his own best safety engineer and can even influence his fellow employees to work safely experience shows that on-the-job safety training is very important in developing safe work habits however training alone is not enough good supervision is also necessary [Music] safe working habits should also become a part of home life the welfare and happiness of a man's family are of great concern to him by teaching them safe habits he can create a safer work and play environment at home dan was a man who benefited from his training or shortly after completing a safety course he saw his wife using a hedge cutter with an extension cord that did not have a ground wire realizing that she did not understand the importance of a ground wire he explained the hazard and corrected the condition [Music] on another occasion as he was leaving the house he noticed some sports equipment lying on one of the steps he stopped as he approached and upon seeing his boys playing nearby he called them over he showed them the danger explaining how he happened to see it in time and how easily he could have tripped and fallen [Music] this example and the training given to his children paid off he is content as he watches his children he now realizes that the happiness of those dearest to him does depend to a great extent on his own safe habits [Music] you