General Safety Poster – Rat Trap

Description

With apologies to PETA, this photo was given to me by a friend who runs an extermination business. As part of his initial routine he set out rat traps in order to get a feel for how bad the problem was. Within very little time, they were all full. In this case, one trap caught three rodents. And how did that happen? We can only assume that either all three acted individually or two of them followed the one. Either way, the result was the same. They died–as in, they are not coming back. Now, true, they are just rats. But the same thing happens every day in construction sites across the world–except with people, just like you and me, and because of bad habits. As the poster says, following the leader doesn’t work if the leader isn’t following the rules. Teamwork, in that sense, is an invitation for accident.

Have you seen something similar at your work place? Have you seen individuals operating as if they are a law in and of themselves; who think their experience operating machinery supercedes standards, company rules, or common sense? Or maybe you’ve seen the supervisor or mentor on the construction site who introduces new hires or younger workers to bad habits. Maybe you are that person. Well, let me make a promise: if you continue to lead others to bad habits, or if you continue to follow those who work by bad habits, it is just a matter of time before someone gets caught and seriously hurt.