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Date: October 4, 2020

Complacency on the Job – a Must Read!

“I’ve been doing it this way for years!” Sound familiar? If you or one of your co-workers stand firm in this approach to your work, you might just be asking for trouble. First of all, it’s quite normal to feel comfortable completing your work – especially if you have been doing the same tasks for years. However, this sense of comfort can put you at risk of becoming complacent. What does “complacent” mean? Well, essentially it means that you become so confident in your ability to perform your work (with no issues) that you sometimes stop focusing on safety. At times, you may be tempted to take dangerous shortcuts just to get the task completed, simply because you feel like you can get away with it. It may even be a shortcut you’ve taken many times in the past – without incident – which makes it even more tempting. Please remember that shortcuts can be dangerous – if they aren’t part of the safe work plan or procedures, then you should never take them. You may also find yourself going into “autopilot” mode, which means your mind zones out on the task, and you just perform your work ‘as usual’ without taking note of any type of change that could bring about hazardous conditions. Sometimes we don’t even realize how complacent we are until we have a near miss or close call. Please stay focused on your task and follow all safe work practices and procedures to avoid a possible injury.