Golden Rule for Safety

Nearly everyone has heard of the Golden Rule—"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Many different religions and philosophies have a similar way of expressing this rule, yet very few people apply it in their daily living.

You may not agree when we say that to practice the Golden Rule, even in small measure, makes us happy and helps us in our business and in our general daily life. But it is the most practical rule in the world. In serving others, we serve ourselves. People like to deal with those who believe in and practice the Golden Rule. Try it and see!

Now, no doubt, someone is already asking what this has to do with safety. The answer is that if each of us would accept and follow a Golden Rule pertaining to safety, each of us would be less likely to come to harm, whether on the job or off. Here at work, it would mean that our safety record would improve.

One version of the Golden Rule for safety might be stated as "work as safely with others as you would have them work with you." Another might say: "I will follow the safety rules as I would have them followed."

Whenever you approach safety from this angle, you are right back to our often-discussed subject of safety attitudes. A Golden Rule for safety is another way of developing a better mental attitude.

Here are a few of the safety attitudes we need to know and live by:

• An accident can happen to me at any time, when I take a chance.
• Accidents can always be prevented.
• To work safely is a mark of good sense and skill.
• We can always take the time to work safely.
•  If I practice safety, my co-workers will think well of me—and I will be at ease with myself.

Safety awareness and safe behavior don't come about by instinct; they must be deliberately learned and practiced—and it is everyone’s responsibility to do so. Think how much we would all benefit if everyone shouldered that responsibility and practiced the Golden Rule of safety—at work, at home, on all the roads between, and in all the other activities of our busy lives.