Safety Speaker Insight – Statistics and Complacency

Listening to a presentation at this year’s National Safety Council’s Annual Congress I heard a safety speaker use the following statistic, “One in six injuries can be life-changing.” Why would you ever choose to make such a statement? People love statistics but do they send the right message? As an expert in communication, I realized it would be easy to misunderstand this number.

100 Year Flood?

To illustrate the point, let me share a story from Yuba City, California just north of my home. Several years ago, there was a major flood of the Yuba River, which was classified as a 100-year flood. That term generally means that a flood of its magnitude only happens once in 100 years. Those are the odds but not reality. Sure enough, within a couple of years an equally devastating flood happened in the same area. A local news channel was interviewing a homeowner in view of their flooded house. The homeowner was complaining the Army Corps of Engineers said it would be another 98 years before that size flood was supposed to happen. Obviously, the homeowner made a decision to rebuild because the statistic caused them to feel safe when there was no real reason to feel that way. They made that decision because they allowed the statistic to make them complacent.

One In Six?

Back to our original statistic used by the safety speaker, one in six injuries can be life-changing. That may be the odds but the danger is it can cause complacency. The truth is every injury “can be” life-changing. Every time someone sees a hazard and fails to report it may change someone’s life. Every time someone sees an unsafe behavior and fails to watch out for that person it may change their life. Every time someone chooses to take a shortcut it may change their life. Every unsafe action or condition can result in a life-changing injury. When employees truly understand this they are more likely to watch out for everyone every time.

Solutions For Your Safety Challenges
When you need solutions for your safety challenges give Diane Weiss a call at 209-745-9419 and bring John to your site to discover injury-preventing solutions. You can email her at diane@drebinger.com
Until next week,
I’ll be, “Watching Out For Everyone’s Safety™”
Safety Speaker John Drebinger
© 2017 John Drebinger Presentations
Permission to use granted when credited and contact information included. www.drebinger.com +1 209.745.9419

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