Safety; Accidents; & You – By Noor Rahim
As intellectual human beings, please pause awhile, and think back to the last time you gave thought to the simple but most important facet of life – SAFETY. Yet, we have the habit of taking things for granted – Don’t we?
The word” Safety” has many meanings in the dictionary. But in the context of human beings it would simply mean “SELF SURVIVAL”. In other words it would mean the “will” of an individual to lead a “normal” and “accident free” life. Self -survival is based on pure “common sense”; and dominates our lives from the day we are born to the day we depart this materialistic world.
The non-conformity or adherence to safety requirements will invariable lead to an accident be it minor or serious in nature. It is a known factor that accidents do not just occur – it is caused. Hence it would be pertinent to understand the causes of accidents and its’ preventive measures.
The causes of accidents:
- Human failure or error.
- Mechanical or Equipment failure.
- Acts of God.
- Acts of sabotage or terrorism.
Human failure or error is attributable to disregard to safety aspects or insufficient knowledge of safety aspects in the conduct or execution of an activity undertaken by a person or group of persons. It can also be the result of “complacency” which is also popularly known as “Complacency is a Killer”; so is “over-confidence” aka “Over Confidence is a killer”.
The next aspect in the causes of accidents is due to mechanical or equipment failure. We do place our faith in the machinery/equipment for our daily needs. Yet, how much “dependency” do we assign to the proper use of the machinery/ equipment we use. A classic example is when you set out in your motor vehicle in your daily commute. How many of us even go around our vehicles to check (at least) the tires on the car? We just “take things for granted”; sit in, start the car and off we go. Thank God it is not an aircraft. For in the words of an East European Pilot who said – “If you meet with an accident on the ground – there you are! But, if you meet with an accident in the air- where you are?” We also have a habit of misusing machinery/equipment for purposes other than what they are meant for. The list will go on and on; but you Dear Reader think back of the instances that you may have “busted” you equipment by wrong usage. That would be an accident and hopefully you have learned from it. If so; please share your experience so that others may be aware of the circumstances and avoid a possible accident.
Many unexplained and unsolved accidents are usually captioned under “Act of God” But in fact it is due to carelessness and lack of knowledge that leads to such accidents. If one stood at the edge of a steep cliff and a very high wind should blow and “knock” the person off the cliff; or you stand in the middle of an open field and get struck by lightning during a raging storm – would these be classified as “an Act of God”?
The acts of sabotage or terrorism are perpetrated by an enemy without a face. The only prevention is to be “observant/vigilant” and “on guard” at all times; and the “avoidance” of highly sensitive and volatile areas. It would be your bounden duty to report of any suspected subversive activities to the proper law enforcement bodies of the land.
It is said that “Fire is a good servant; but a very bad master”. In other words fire or one must say in these modern times “heat” is a necessity in our homes for cooking and warming the house in winter. Hence it is a good servant for these purposes. However, if you let it “out of control” it becomes a very bad master. If you are cooking and the frying pan oil catches fire – you are not going to abandon the kitchen and let the fire escalate; nor would you abandon the ironing board when you accidentally set you delicate “silk” shirt catch fire as you had the setting on “High”. Common sense will prevail and you will quickly put out the fire. Always remember that “Prevention is better than cure”. But if you leave the cooking and the ironing unattended and the fire spreads there is only one recourse – “Give the alarm; alert everyone in the Building; do a fast exit and quickly inform the Fire Services”. Once outside take a roll call of the residents in the building to ensure that everyone has exited. We have wonderful and extremely efficient Fire Services at our beck and call – let the professionals attend to the fire-fighting.
Conclusion:
In perspective and to further exemplify the above aspects one must only travel (drive) on the roads, highways to be more specific, to get a better and meaningful understanding of “safety”.
Have you seen the many high-end SUV’s and sports cars that surround you on the highways; and have you given thought to the advertisements that frequent the media and especially the Television programs. I’m sure you have marvelled at the advantages that’s depicted very graphically and what appears to be a common or garden manoeuvre with the particular vehicle. This no doubt gives the purchasers of the vehicles a great sense of over-confidence. You see them weaving in and out of traffic; tailgating the vehicle in front and undertaking perilous manoeuvres with scant respect for other users of the road. One believes the over confidence emanates from the “Power in the pedal”, “Fingertip controls” and other “safety” related “gizmos” that their vehicles are equipped with. It only takes a split-seconds indecision/misjudgment to cause/create an accident. This we have seen plentiful on the roads in recent times. I guess the possessors of these mostly luxury vehicles run on “high octane” gasoline – which is very highly volatile and inflammable. So in a nasty accident there is always the chance of fire. You wonder why the haste? Hasn’t anyone told them that “It is better to be late; than the late?” or that “Chance takers are accident makers?” Yet you come across them a few kilometers later still stuck in traffic. So it proves a point that “Over-confidence can be a killer”.
We also have a category of road users who are complacent in their demeanour. They believe that the vehicle is now fitted with many safety features – airbags all around; close proximity warning systems; rear view television cameras and other safety related aids. Little do they remember that “you need two hands to clap”; and the other hand may not necessarily be “law abiding” but maybe aggressive – hence giving rise to the creation of a potential accident. The need then would be “to have your mind on the job (drive)” and think of “prevention is better than cure” for sure. Let not these safety devices lull you into complacency; for one day it is going to turn out as “Complacency too is a killer”.
So Dear Readers you have the explanation of “safety” from the known to the unknown”; and perhaps you will heed to these examples and benefit from living a safe and injury free life. Remember that “Safety is everybody’s business”. Share your experiences and let others benefit too from it. For there is no better lesson than to learn from your own or others mistakes. They say “Once bitten; twice shy”.
Noor Rahim
September 25, 2016.
