Any type of workplace can have their own inherent risks and dangers. From the basics like having a fire to more dangerous and specialized risks like if you were working at a nuclear power plant. Whatever the place, the general rule is that there will always be some sort of risks involved.
So, just because we say that there are some potential risks that can happen, it is important to note that this does not mean that we have to always put ourselves in positions of being at risk. This is because, if we say that risks are inevitable and just try to accept that fate, we are going to end up in a lot of trouble and someone can and will most likely get hurt or worse. This is why it is so important that we make sure that our workplaces have the proper steps and protocols in place.
Reactive Safety Measures
When it comes to safety, there are two types of ways that we can address it. The first and most commonly known way are the reactive measures. This is where we have all sorts of equipment that lets us know when something has gone wrong and the tools and measures, we can use to control or stop the disaster in its steps.
This means that if we are working in a place with lots of chemicals and toxic gases, we should have gas leak detector and gas masks so that we can identify and reduce the impact of the problem. These measures also cover the steps we put in place on what to do in case of an emergency and the trainings and drills we do to help people easily know what to do in case of an emergency. All of these will help to save damages from happening or at least limit the damage when something happens.
Preventive Safety Measures
The second and often lesser realized steps measures are those that we take in order to prevent an accident from happening in the first place. These are steps that we do to remove elements or factors that can come into play to make our workplaces unsafe. If we continue with the previous example, of working with toxic chemicals or gases, we can take measures to ensure that we operate with these materials in closed off and contained spaces.
This way we can easily resolve any issue without any danger at all. Another example of this that we see in our daily lives is when gas stations ask us to turn off our cars and not to speak on the phone or have a lit flame or cigarette while we are pumping gas. If people follow this rule, this will make it very hard to ever have a fire at a gas station because we are removing an element that is needed to cause a disaster.
These are the two approaches that we can utilize in order to be safe and make sure that we are always working in a proper and safety conscious work environment.
