Are we there yet? Accident prevention journey vs destination

“Accident prevention is a journey, not a destination”. This saying is often heard from Vigilant’s own Safety Manager, Manish Gooneratne. He’s full of profound truisms, and this one has always been memorable. It’s also relevant in light of the good news I received last week. You might recall that in last month’s post on workers’ comp best practices, I shared that I was told to get control of some negative health trends I was facing. Because of the potential risks, I was given only 8 weeks to affect positive change through diet and exercise (and over the Holiday season, UGH!!!). The only objective measures for success would be the scale and test results. When my doctor's office called to say that I was squarely back on track, naturally I was elated. The hard work had paid off. However, since then I’ve been left with a question that I can’t ignore: Have I arrived at my destination, or am I on a journey?

Very much like any company might feel after seeing a trend of less injuries and workers’ comp claims. Did we finally figure it out? Did we make the right changes? Did the last safety training work? Have we arrived at our destination, or are we on a journey?

We’re all probably familiar with the saying, “It’s easier to keep up than to catch up”. I think that’s true in most cases, and certainly in the case of workers’ comp and workplace safety. Designing, implementing and following systems (i.e. ‘catching up’) to affect change is difficult. However, once you see the benefits of those systems and are used to the disciplines necessary, the work of maintaining (i.e. ‘keeping up’) becomes easier. In light of some of the accident prevention suggestions we made last month, I’m curious to know, what workplace safety or work comp best practices have you committed to? Have you seen any results, big or small, as a result? If so, what will you continue doing to ensure those outcomes are multiplied? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear.

We’ve all got choices to make. We can choose to go back to old habits, knowing we’ve got some “breathing room”. As easy as that would be, I think we all know where that road leads. The only right choice in the face of the ‘destination vs. journey’ question is to continue in the good loss prevention habits that we know have led to the good results, knowing that even greater health and vitality is still ahead. 

If you haven’t committed to work comp best practices by way of workplace safety and accident prevention, see last month’s post on why it’s not too late to begin.