Sports cars competing on race tracks are marked with racing stripes. People who race in their jobs are marked with cuts, bruises and bandages. Speed belongs on the race track, not in the workplace.
Almost everyone has been guilty of speeding through a job. We forget until it’s too late that “hurry up can hurt.” In just about every instance, hurrying on the job does not do much to increase productivity. Usually, it is an easy way to get the job done, get a tough job out of the way, get off the job as soon as possible or jump ahead of the weather
When we hurry with a job, we accomplish little more than increasing our chances of an accident happening. Let’s look at some hurry up acts. Which ones have you caught yourself doing?
- Didn’t wear safety glasses because the job would only take a few minutes
- Used the wrong step of a ladder because the proper one was too far away
- Removed a guard to repair or grease a machine, but forgot to put it back on
- Used a dull saw blade for just one more cut
- Climbed up the side of a bin instead of using a ladder
- Didn’t slow down at a blind corner because you never ran into anyone there before
The list is endless… Do they sound familiar? Sometimes when you hurry, nothing bad happens. Other times, there may be “near misses,” but eventually a serious injury may occur. Is it really worth your eyesight, your limbs or even your life to save those few minutes? When hurrying on the job, you don’t speed up the work, you speed up your chances for an accident.
