Getting There Safety

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Life can be fraught with danger. How to deal with dangerous situations and without warning, is challenging.
What’s critical is how to deal, manage and minimize the effects of dangerous
occurrences like traffic crashes, violent encounters, slips and falls and among other occurrences.

WHAT’S THE DANGER?

Shiftwork, fatigue and violence are but a few situations when things go wrong in the workplace.

SHIFTWORK

Health care workers at hospital come and go at all hours to maintain the 24-hour shifts required to care for patients. Many arrive or depart in the dark, when streets are nearly deserted, transit service is infrequent and the day’s snow removal hasn’t begun.

FATIGUE

Those round-the-clock and on-call shifts take their toll on workers, who can find
themselves driving home when they are too tired to do so safely.

VIOLENCE

Late-night arrivals and departures, lonely parking garages and hospital locations in hostile neighborhoods add up to serious security concerns for the healthcare worker.

Example
What go wrong is shown by this example with Angela.

It was the end of the day and Angela was tired. She had worked a long shift and was ready to ease into her pajamas and watch her favorite television show before heading to bed. As she walked from the building to her car, she realized with a start, that she was alone in the dark parking garage. She swallowed hard and rushed to her car.

While Angela wasn’t attacked in the empty parking garage, late night arrivals and departures, empty garages, and remote worksite locations are cause for concern. Safety and security can be compromised by violence in these locations.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Everyone wants to be safe from violence, traffic accidents, and falls. Protect yourself, and your commute, by implementing the following suggestions:

• Start early – Give yourself enough time to get to work so you don’t speed or take unsafe shortcuts.
• Don’t drive drowsy – Driving while awake is hard enough but driving while drowsy can be deadly. If you are too tired to drive, call a cab or a friend to come get to
• Keep it repaired – Keep your vehicle in good repair by making sure the gas tank is full, lights and signals are working properly and your windows are clean.
• Park to be seen – Park your vehicle on well-lit streets buildings within sight of a guard or parking attendant.
• Watch out for slips and trips – Keep your eye out for slip and trip hazards like wet streets, rough pavement, unmarked curbs, and poor lightning. Avoid them when possible and be careful around them when you can’t.

FINAL WORD

Angela made it to her car without being attacked. Safe but rattled, she swore that she would be more careful in the future. Whether it’s an empty parking garage, uneven pavement, or slick roads, there is always some element of danger to your commute.
The good news is that with some precautions, you can arrive and depart safely from work.