A lack of situational awareness affects your personal safety in two broad . Keep your head on a swivel looking for potential hazards. Be aware of your surroundings, and be alert to who is near you. Constantly staring at the road just in front of your vehicle is dangerous. 38 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from DynamiQ Safety&Health Ltd: Accidents don't come with a warning . The best way to be safe is to know your surroundings and pay attention to everything and everyone around you. 8. Dont be predictable. Recognizing hazards is an important part of keeping you and your co-workers safe . Regardless of the time of year, making a commitment to ones personal safety is always an excellent idea. At freeway exits, do not drive alongside other cars. The driver behind you wants to pass. This technique is done as followed: Inhale the breath. Meditate for 15 Minutes a Day. I asked the clerk for someone to escort me out. The second level of awareness, relaxed awareness, is like defensive driving. Follow a regular housekeeping schedule. Keep a space between your vehicle and parked cars. Situational awareness may protect us. Practice devising alternate methods of escape if your primary exit becomes compromised. There are a lot of blind spots, corners, turns, and on the equipment itself. Training workers to watch their surroundings reduces the risk of workplace accidents and injuries. Just because you are at home, in your world, does not mean you can let your guard down. %%EOF Walk close to the curb. The reaction of the person following you will help you determine if they are indeed a threat: If they stop or reroute to mirror your actions, then you can confirm that they are following you intentionally. In this toolbox talk, you can cover ways to develop better safety awareness and how to practice observation skills on the job. Make sure you communicate until everyone involved understands what is going on. {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}. The extra space allows you to see around the vehicle. This space cushion will give you room to brake or maneuver if you need the space. Be aware of locations and situations which would make you appear vulnerable to crime, such as alleys and dark parking lots. On the highway, 1015 seconds is about a quarter of a mile. The best course of action would be to err on the side of caution and avoid directly passing in front of the man. To ensure drivers are aware of their surroundings, they should be free from distractions, follow the speed limit, and keep their eyes on the road at all times. You can, and should, carry all the tools and weapons you need. Why is this important to a government attorney? In these situations, it is essential to maintain a high level of situational awareness to stop accidents and near misses. Always stay within a group when possible. Never leave your purse or wallet in plain view or in common accessible areas. As a safety measure, also look over your right and left shoulders again while backing. Like if a job is too risky for one person to do it, or if a machine seems faulty. Practice this in public places, such as seating in restaurants, waiting rooms, or shopping centers. Discuss what actions are needed with your customer or supervisor to make the situation safe. Careers Give yourself this time by keeping a space cushion on all sides of your vehicle. Stay in well-lighted areas as much as possible. You dont need specialized training like a CIA agent or to be a born natural to have good awareness. Jamey Noel. 15. Situational awareness is a critical foundation for successful decision making in most situations that you can be put in at work. Precautions generally fall into defensive precautions and offensive precautions. Stop and Pretend: If you feel like you are being followed, either on foot or in a vehicle, stop and turn around, pretending as if you went the wrong way. Neo-Symbiosis: The Next Stage in the Evolution of Human Information Interaction. International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence 1(1):39-52. Consider these tips: Keep your distance. The best way to avoid complacency is to consciously remind yourself to stay alert. Reading body language is a huge factor in training your perception of your surroundings. The primary element in establishing this mindset is first to recognize that a threat or hazard exists. Situational awareness: Understanding the current environment and being able to accurately anticipate future problems to enable effective actions.1 Why is this important? Everyone that drives a car knows that feeling of forgetting what youre doing after continuously driving a few hours. Consider the building occupants when scheduling your work: you may need to schedule work when there are fewer people in the building/area; Put up barriers and signage to alert building occupants to avoid hazards and stay clear of the immediate work area; Report hazards to Facilities and/or Environmental Health and Safety "As for parents of young children, it is impossible to be with your . My office recently participated in a safety training class. [emailprotected] (618) 973-9174, The number of workplace shootings is increasing at an alarming[], Missouri School District Heightens School Emergency Response & Communication Are[], In regard to stopping killers in these uncertain times, before[]. Lose the tailgater as soon as you can. Cooper CS4 Touring Review Is It Worth Buying? Allow room in front of your vehicle so the driver will have space to move in front of you. But, the points that I took away from the training session were that you can protect yourself. Your aggressor will be surprised at your response, take advantage of that. I recently had a personal experience here. Truckers should be constantly checking their mirrors to keep an eye on the traffic around them. Even practicing one of these skills on a regular basis can exponentially increase your situational awareness. 2023 Garco Construction - General Contractor for Commercial Construction. Maybe he isnt so innocent. All of these elements should be part of the risk management strategy on a job site. Safety beings with awareness. Having situational awareness can keep you and your coworkers safe. . Situational awareness is the ability to identify, process, and understand what is happening around you, while thinking ahead to prevent or mitigate potential safety incidents. Street Precautions Be alert to your surroundings and the people around youespecially if you are alone or it is dark. During off hours, ride as near to the bus operator as possible. It is a skill that can save lives, maybe even your own. We use our situational awareness to make decisions at home and at work. Relaxed awareness is not tiring, and it allows you to enjoy life while rewarding you with an effective level of personal safety. It can make you more aware of your surroundings, it can give you a different perspective on things, and can also make you see risks. Cars, motorcycles, bicyclists, and people that may be in the road by the time you reach them. Take a quick glance in your mirrors. These people walk into telephone poles. Where needed call in your Corporate Safety Manager. -Be aware of your surroundings -Keep your cell-phone charged and with you at all times -Use good judgment on social media before publicly sharing information or a location. 5 Tips to Stay Safe While Welding. (In other words, be just a little paranoid.) Do not be afraid to yell for help if they don't stop. First, stop talking so you can be aware of your surroundings rather than verbally reacting. Taking proper precautions covers a wide variety of areas. When you know your surroundings, you can take better notice of the things that are out of the ordinary. Keep your eyes moving. Be aware of your surroundings. You dont dare take your eyes off the road or let your attention wander. Understand and manage fleet and asset maintenance data and costs with iTRACK. new year! To provide you with the Top 5 Tips for Staying Safe, Guard911 consulted safety expert, Lt. Brian Murphy, a 23-year former Oak Creek, Wisconsin police officer who trains law enforcement officers on situational awareness techniques and strategies, as well as educating citizens on what it means to be aware of your surroundings.. Being able to stop a task and make adjustments as needed is necessary. This does not mean to be provocative and ask for a confrontation. So put the phone down. This space cushion will give you room to brake or maneuver if you need the space. 73 0 obj <>stream Whenever possible, travel with a friend. Many drivers follow too closely (tailgate) and are not able to see as far ahead as they should because the vehicle ahead blocks their view. This principle can also be applied to travel routes, and being conscious of obstacles, choke points, alternate routes, and so on. 4. Do you know if your school, university, workplace, or place of worship has a response plan and training program for active intruder incidents or other emergencies? TikTok video from tarryncarla (@tarryncarla): "Keep safe and be aware of your surroundings at all times. #safety #southafricatiktok #crimeprevention #bevigilantatalltimes #fyp #femalesafety". This means you must be proactive about being aware of your surroundings. If you are a new driver or a teen, then enrolling in a drivers education class can be beneficial. 1. During the drill, we knocked on doors and people answered them! Practice looking for exits, barriers, suspicious objects and people, and any other unique elements that could be of importance to your personal safety. Are there other factors that can impact the situation? Some examples practicing situational awareness are: You must have situational awareness when working in a fast-paced work environment such as the construction industry. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1364, Phone: (310) 825-1491 In this toolbox talk, learn about situational awareness and how being aware of your surroundings can be an important safety precaution to preventing accidents on the construction site. Prioritizing the critical nature of active shooter training and drills is part of that preparation. Do not be a tailgater! Ask yourself if you have the proper tools, training and PPE to perform the task safely. Adjust your work setup so that you face a window or are exposed to plenty of light. But how many people truly know what it means to be aware of your surroundings? Any person wishing to rely on the information present on this site should consult with competent legal counsel before doing so. Give yourself this time by keeping a "space cushion" on all sides of your vehicle. However, we do know this man is acting like a mugger. Take in the whole scene If you only look at the middle of the road, you will miss what is happening on the side of the road and behind you. It is important that each individual is looking out for his or her own safety as well as looking out for their workmates. Ensure all . Make safety a revenue generating part of your company through increased productivity and save thousands of dollars avoiding expensive injuries, lawsuits, and claims. So even if you are distracted while driving, your mind knows which roads to take and can get you there.