Taking Shortcuts Stats and Facts

FACTS

1. We develop bad habits by taking the occasional shortcut while working. If this is true for you, brea the habit now. Your safety and well-being are far more important to your manager, coworkers and customers – not to mention your family – than getting the job done quickly.
2. If a rushed job results in an accident, not only could it have an effect on your personal, financial and social life, it also may result in the job taking longer or even coming to a complete stop.
3. We must eliminate this intrinsic need to take shortcuts, but how? Well, we need to allow ourselves enough time to do the job at a safe pace, especially when starting a new job or working in an unfamiliar environment.
4. It is your responsibility to avoid any potentially dangerous or unsafe job practices. Take the time to lock out/tag out equipment, use fall protection, follow safe ladder procedures and use PPE and the proper tools for the job. This requires planning ahead.
5. If you ever feel unsafe working on a job, or feel you cannot do the job safely by yourself, please call your supervisor and/or safety office. It’s a phone call that only takes a second, but it can save your life.

STATS

• A study in 2015, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that over 36% of workplace injuries were due to improper lifting techniques. The statistic doesn’t only apply to heavy loads, but also lighter ones.
• 5,147 workers died on the job in 2017 (3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) — on average, more than 99 a week or more than 14 deaths every day caused by shortcuts.
• Out of 4,674 worker fatalities in private industry in the calendar year 2017, 971 or 20.7% were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths that year were in construction. The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway collisions) in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck by an object, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for more than half (59.9%) the construction worker deaths in 2017, BLS reports.
• Eliminating shortcuts would save 582 workers’ lives in America every year.
• Over 5,190 fatal accidents occurred in the United States as recently as 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some accidents are simply that, accidents, while others are avoidable. One of the main causes of these avoidable accidents is our desire to save time by taking shortcuts on the job.