Are We Obsessed with Mechanical Support?
Announcement posted by DesignBuild Source 09 May 2012
Wokrplace Safety
A number of years ago, after being asked to speak at the Queensland Safety Conference, John Toomey was struck by what he saw.
Walking around the trade show, the chief executive of Global Wellness, a firm that runs programs to improve the health and well-being of workers, found the entire focus revolved around lifting devices and other mechanical aids.
Coming from a football background, where there are no mechanical aids to stop players from sustaining injury, Toomey reflected on the factors that lead to workers getting hurt.
Certainly, he says, mishaps while lifting – perhaps through poor technique or musculoskeletal weakness – are key causes of injury, and he does not dispute the role of mechanical aids and equipment in improving safety.
However, Toomey feels excessive focus upon mechanical aids can lead to a neglect of an equally important consideration: awareness on the part of workers about their immediate surroundings. At any given time, he says, any lack of worker awareness as to what is going on around them can lead to collisions, falls, errors in judgement, mistakes, physical contact with dangerous devices and objects, slips and missed opportunities to alert others about potential danger....
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Walking around the trade show, the chief executive of Global Wellness, a firm that runs programs to improve the health and well-being of workers, found the entire focus revolved around lifting devices and other mechanical aids.
Coming from a football background, where there are no mechanical aids to stop players from sustaining injury, Toomey reflected on the factors that lead to workers getting hurt.
Certainly, he says, mishaps while lifting – perhaps through poor technique or musculoskeletal weakness – are key causes of injury, and he does not dispute the role of mechanical aids and equipment in improving safety.
However, Toomey feels excessive focus upon mechanical aids can lead to a neglect of an equally important consideration: awareness on the part of workers about their immediate surroundings. At any given time, he says, any lack of worker awareness as to what is going on around them can lead to collisions, falls, errors in judgement, mistakes, physical contact with dangerous devices and objects, slips and missed opportunities to alert others about potential danger....
Continue Reading