4 Reasons Why Workers Engage In Shortcuts.

Shortcuts are prevalent in workplaces. Workers engage in shortcuts due to one reason or the other. No matter what the reasons are; it can never be justified. Shortcuts are actions employees put up or do of which they assume will save time and most at times at the risk of being injured. Even when Workers know the existing unsafe conditions and controls, they consciously choose to perform their work in an unsafe manner. Let’s see the reasons why workers engage in a shortcut to the detriment of their lives.

1. Organisational Deadlines.

Companies and organisation do come with deadlines. Those deadlines may be to meet up with their clients /customers request for a particular service or product at a given time. The management to meet up with these charges the workers to work with targets beyond their normal capacity. By so doing, the workers exhibit shortcuts to impress the management.

2. Complacency can make a worker engage in shortcuts.

Experienced workers do engage in shortcuts because of complacency. With their experience, they believed they cannot make a mistake while performing their job. They overlook the safe work procedure. Thereby doing the job in their way which may be very unsafe.

3. Unaware of the safety hazards in a job.

Safety hazards can be slips, trips, and falls, falls from height, fire, and explosion, manual handling etc. Workers due to inadequate training and education on the job hazard analysis may be unaware of the hazards in a Job and how to do a job safely. Doing the job in their way exposes them to shortcuts and possible injuries associated with the work.

4.Workers engage in shortcuts because of Job insecurity.

Companies are laying off workers and workers that do not impress the management at work are most times the worst hit and no worker will like to lose his job when he knew that shortcuts would help him to keep it. Companies need results and outputs.

Production will tell you that time is of the essence, it is money as well, and we need to work with time. With shortcuts, you will reduce the working time and achieve maximum outputs but at the risk of being injured.

In conclusion,

We all take occasional shortcuts in life whether by driving a particular route to shorten our commute or crossing the street instead of using the crosswalk. Taking a shortcut is a poor sign of poor safety DNA.

All too often shortcuts results in negative outcomes and it is a bad habit worker engage themselves into while working.

Shortcuts can increase risk exposure and undermine job safety policies set forth by organisations. The organisation can take measures to change such behaviour and promote a positive safety culture.

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Onyekachi Emmanuel

Onyeka Emma is a QHSE Professional, a business person, and an entrepreneur. He is very passionate about health and safety, Business and Entrepreneurship.