The “Safety Conscience.”

The development of a “safety conscience” in the individual is calculated to achieve more in the cause of accident prevention than perhaps is possible through any other medium. We are not sufficiently conscious of the ever present possibility of accident, we take appalling risks, and what is worse, we have an altogether inadequate appreciation of the human suffering and the economic loss inseparable from almost every accident. So important has the question of accident prevention become to-day that great industrial establishments have devised “safety codes of ethics” for the guidance of their staffs from superintendents down to the humblest employee. The imperative need is impressed upon all to make this cause their own. From one such “code of ethics” we extract the following, which is applicable to managers and foremen:-

You must explain to each man any hazardous conditions or dangers which are present on the job he is to do.

You must visit the new employee frequently to find out if he is thoroughly familiar with safety rules, and the special hazards of his job, and has the proper attitude towards safety.

You must understand every danger point in your Department.

You must see that every dangerous condition receive immediate attention as soon as it develops, and that each man uses proper care in doing the work.

The following extracts are taken from the code as applicable to the workmen of this Company:-

The desire to work safely can not be given to you. You must have or develop that desire yourselves and use it to see that you obey the instruction given by your foreman and keep from getting hurt.

All employees must be safe workmen and believe in safety.

Such a “safety code of ethics” serves a useful purpose in the development of the “safety conscience” in the individual, which after all is his surest guarantee against accident.

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