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It’s time once again to look at our lives and lifestyles and prepare our annual plans for improvement. If you’re like many other people, your New Year’s resolutions might include losing weight, quitting smoking, volunteering to help others or spending more time with loved ones. These are great goals. And they fit the criteria that most experts suggest: they’re specific, they’re measurable and they’re realistic.
But this year, why not resolve to create a new habit that might help you achieve all these goals and more? Why not resolve to put health and safety first? That’s right. Resolve to make health and safety a value, a priority against which you align all of your actions.
Most of us get overwhelmed by the sheer effort involved in achieving our New Year’s resolutions. In fact, New Year’s resolutions can actually add to your stress if you set unreasonable goals or are unable to accept the small slips along the way. Many experts recommend instead focusing on building upon the positives in your life. Resolving to put health and safety first does just that.
5 Ways to Put Health and Safety First
Of course resolving to put health and safety first might seem abstract.
But what exactly does it mean? It means:
- Considering health and safety when making choices or planning. For example:
- If I stay up late tonight, will I get enough sleep to work safely tomorrow?
- Have I packed an emergency kit for our camping trip?
- How will this second cupcake affect my health?
- Assessing hazards of all activities, at work, play or home. For example:
- Have I read the manual for this power tool?
- Is it safe to leave the skateboard on the stairs?
- What are the hazards involved in this hobby and how can I reduce the risks?
- Educating yourself so that you can continue to add to your growing knowledge of health and safety practices.
For example:
- Join the Health and Safety Committee.
- Take a first aid course.
- Attend all the safety training programs offered at work.
- Communicating about health and safety with your co-workers, family and community. For example:
- Report near misses at work and encourage your children to report near misses at home.
- Involve the family in the creation of a family emergency plan.
- Ask officials at your child’s school about the facility’s health and safety programs and policies.
- Leading by example to demonstrate your personal commitment to the value of health and safety practices.
For example:
- Wear all necessary personal protective equipment—at home, work and play.
- Follow safety procedures (e.g., wear your seatbelt, don’t remove machine guards).
- Don’t take shortcuts.
Experts warn against perfectionist goals, suggesting that it’s best to focus on improvement. In other words, keep your aspirations positive, realistic and achievable. They also suggest that resolutions be shared.
Sit down with your family and decide that this resolution is one that you all share—that the health and safety culture in your own household will be your collective goal, value and priority.
What You’ll Gain
The objective of this resolution is to be self-motivated and to behave safely, even when no one else is looking.
The resolution has effects beyond just yourself, too. Resolving to put health and safety first creates a safe zone around yourself, your children, your co-workers, friends, neighbors and strangers. It’s a resolution that benefits whatever corner of the world you’re in at the moment.
To keep and achieve New Year’s resolutions requires strong internal motivation. And what could possibly be better motivation than improving the health and safety of yourself and your loved ones, and having a positive influence on the health and safety of everyone else around you?
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