Are You Trained to Do That?
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You’re mid-flight and the co-pilot comes over the P.A. and asks if anyone on board has flying experience. You alert the flight attendant that you do, and you’re led to the cockpit. The co-pilot says the captain isn’t feeling well, and someone needs to take over. Your flying experience is limited to kites, but you reckon you can figure it out as you go.
Silly, right? You wouldn’t dream of taking over a job you knew nothing about. Yet, people can sometimes find themselves in that position, and depending on the task, the lack of training and experience can be downright dangerous. In the world of air conditioning contractors, job skills are absolutely essential for everyone’s safety, yours included.
Contractor, Know Thy Job
Knowing your job means not only knowing how to do it, but also how not to do it. Someone may have a basic knowledge of power tools, but if that someone doesn’t know a tool’s limitations, that lack of knowledge could lead to a dangerous situation. The same could be said for welding, electrical service, setting up scaffolding, or any number of other situations in the workplace that could wind up being hazardous if done wrong.
Entering into a situation you’re not familiar with or haven’t been exposed to before is when you stop and ask questions before starting the job. Even if you’ve performed a task a hundred times, if it’s been a while since the last time, the equipment, regulations, or hazards may have changed, and you will need to be updated on the latest how-tos.
By concentrating on the right way to do each job, you won’t be tempted to cut corners, which, as contrary as it sounds, could wind up being a huge waste of time. Following recommended safety procedures may feel cumbersome and restrictive at times, but imagine the burden of knowing someone got hurt because a step got skipped or proper procedure wasn’t followed.
There is no such thing as being over-trained. If you don’t know how to do something, ask—new employees especially are encouraged to ask questions and request help when needed. If you think you know how to do something, verify. It never hurts to get trained or retrained, but it might hurt if you don’t.
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Posted In: Safety
