http://www.toolboxtopics.com/Contributed/Complacency 2.

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TOOLBOXTOPICS.COM
COMPLACENCY

My dictionary defines complacency this way, self-satisfaction accompanied by unaw

areness of actual danger or deficiencies .
I am not sure of the statistics, however, there is no doubt in my mind that nume
rous accidents have occurred due to allowing ourselves to become complacent in o
ur everyday activity. (On and off the job)
I have often said that working safely is not easy, nor is it automatic. We have
to work at it with the highest degree of awareness.
If we just stop for a moments and think we all can come up with instances that w
e did become complacent. It happens to us because we perform many functions on a
n almost continuous basis. Many of our jobs are repetitive in nature, and the mo
re we repeat what we are doing, the better the chance that we are becoming compl
acent without even realizing it. Therein lies the potential danger, the danger o
f complacency.
We must remember, that life is what happens, when we are making other plans. We
become complacent about our personal safety by repeated exposure to situations w
ithout consequence.
We take shortcuts and with the absence of consequents, cause us to become more l
ax about our personal safety, in other words we are becoming complacent.
Personal safety is not like a light switch that you can turn on or off. The per
sonal safety switch must continuously be in the on position.
Just because we feel safe, does not mean we are safe. On the contrary, feeling sa
fe all the time , could be the biggest threat to our well being, because we are dr
ifting into that complacent mode.
One key to avoid the complacency trap is to form safety habits . Habits that you do
over and over until they override your former unsafe behaviour and become autom
ated.
Habits such as, wearing gloves, glasses, proper foot wear, safety harness on and
ready to tie off, face shield when grinding, removing tripping hazards, attendi
ng safety meetings and paying attention, using seat belts, tying off a ladder et
c etc.
Is it not better to form these types of automatic habits, and let them become th
e norm?
There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. To paraphrase, I would
say that, familiarity breeds complacency. Lets work in a manner that we ensure w
e do not fall into the complacency trap.

III. Complacency
World events have forever changed the way we live and act in our daily lives. Ma
ny of the things we took for granted have been inexorably modified, and we are f
orced to adapt our once-comfortable routines to accommodate the changes. Travele
rs notice an increased presence of security personnel in airports, train station
s, parking lots, and other public venues. Our streets are patrolled more often a
nd by greater numbers of police and security personnel. There is an increase in
neighborhood watch groups, and our lives are suddenly less private.
We are on edge and very concerned. We worry at every turn that some evil might l
urk in a hidden corner where we least expect it. We plan our activities with gre
ater detail and vary our daily regimen a bit to be a little less predictable. We
want to be prepared. But who is the enemy? Whom should we watch out for? There
are many fanatical factions in the world that could justifiably be labeled an en
emy. However, of all the multifaceted dangers that do present themselves, compla
cency may well be our biggest adversary.
Complacency is a self-satisfied state of mind oblivious to any danger present. W
e regularly experience complacency in our personal lives and at our jobs. The ke
y is being cognizant of its existence and the measures we can take to offset any
negative consequences. The places we feel the most familiar with can be the mos
t perilous because the menace is not so obvious to us. When we feel confident th
e environment is stable, we often forget things are subject to change and become
precarious in an instant. We must learn to react and interact with our surround
ings to ensure we are alert to the possibilities of catastrophe.
Complacency is an attitude that determines how we respond to given situations. H
ow many times have we heard the statement, "We have always done it that way." Of
course, it must be right if it has stood the test of time and repetitiveness. N
ot necessarily true! The very fact it is repeated often can draw us into the com
placency trap--we learn to expect proven results until one day, the outcome chan
ges for the worse.

Deliberately breaking rules, laws, and regulations is a transgression, and knowi

ngly assisting in the commission of such a wrongful act is complicity.

Complacency is a known problem and must be clearly recognized as a causal factor

in accidents. There is no cure for complacency, but we must be ever diligent in
our prevention efforts. J.C. Ryle so aptly wrote, "Do not suppose that it needs
some great scarlet sin to bring you to the pit of destruction. You have only to
sit still and do nothing, and you will find yourself there at last."
John McAuley
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http://www.toolboxtopics.com/Gen%20Industry/Controlling Stress.htm
GENERAL SAFETY- CONTROLLING STRESS
Stress. Many of us are faced with it everyday, but we might not know how to deal
with it. It is important to learn how to handle stress because it can affect ou
r performance and relationships in our work and home. At work, stress can lead t
o distraction and cause an unfortunate accident. At home, stress can put a strai
n on family relationships.
Stress usually occurs when there are changes in our lives and we feel that we do
n't have enough resources to deal with those changes and demands. Which of the f
ollowing do you think causes stress: getting married, winning the lottery, or ha
ving an argument? It is all of them. Stress can occur not only from negative lif
e experiences, but also from positive ones. People react and deal with stress di
fferently, but common stress symptoms include upset stomach, fatigue, tight neck
muscles, irritability and headaches. Some people react to stress by eating or d
rinking too much, losing sleep or smoking cigarettes. Stress may also make you m
ore susceptible to illnesses, including the common cold, ulcers, and some cancer
s.
The first step to managing stress is to identify your "stressors"; those things
that are making you react. Stressors may not only be events that cause you to fe
el sad, frightened, anxious or happy. You can cause stress through your thoughts
, feelings and expectations. Look at the list below. Which cause you stress? Can
you think of other stressors?
* Not enough time
* Unexpected change
* Family problems
* Extra responsibility
* Personality clashes
* Money difficulties
Everyone has to deal with life's problems. A key to dealing with the big and lit
tle everyday stressors is coping with stress in a positive way.
1. Acceptance- Many of us worry about things we have no control over. For exampl
e, a family illness, great deal of change at work, or finding out that your bask
etball team lost. One way to manage stress is to accept when things are beyond y
our control. It may be helpful to think positive thoughts such as, "Someday I'll
laugh about this," or "It's a learning experience."
2. Attitude- Try to focus on the positive side of situations. Ask yourself, "Wha
t good can come out of this?" "What can I learn from this situation?" and "How c
an I handle this better when it comes up again?" Solutions come easier when you
focus on the positive and your stress level will be reduced.
3. Perspective- We often worry about things that never happen. Keep things in pe
rspective by asking yourself, "How important is this situation? Can I do anythin
g about it?, In five years, will I even remember it happened?"
Think about the situations in your life that cause you stress. Are they importan
t or unimportant? Are they controllable or uncontrollable? If they are controlla
ble events, you can take action to change the situation; if they are uncontrolla
ble, you can use your skills in acceptance, attitude and perspective to reduce t
he stress.
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