The Alligator Sleeps Tonight

Once upon a swamp, there was – an alligator – who had a difficult time living up to his reputation as “King of the Wetlands.” He would try ever so hard to catch smaller animals in his enormous jaws, but even the weakest and smallest would get away from him. Even once, he failed at the notorious death roll and lost his hard-earned prize. Night after night, it was the same story. He was the joke of the marsh. Out of hope and completely depressed, he sought the Great Wise Owl for the solution to his problems.

“The way I see things,” said the Owl, “you’re just careless. You’ll never catch anything if you don’t get your act together. You lumber through the forest like an armored tank division. You clamber through the water with the stealth of a drunken elephant. And when you do get within a snout’s length of even the stupidest animal, you reveal these enormous chainsaw-looking teeth – you look about as innocent as a fox in a hen coop!”

“So what are you saying?” “I’m saying you need to clean up your act, ol’ buddy! A careless alligator never gets a catch.”

So, with this new outlook on life, the alligator set off to change his ways. At first, he stomped along, unconcerned with the sound of his movements, but then he remembered the Great Wise Owl’s advice and began to tread lightly. Then, when he got to the water’s edge, he slipped in ever so quietly, barely disturbing the surface. He found a place to wait, and there he waited. Patiently and quietly. Not moving a muscle. He waited and waited for some careless animal to come along so he could swallow it up and enjoy a tasty dinner.

“Hey Jim,” said a voice nearby, “What’s that thing in your swimming pool?” “Not sure, Abe. Looks like a damn gator. Better get my shotgun.”

The careless alligator, who hadn’t paid attention to where he was going, would never understand. Just like that unlucky alligator, a careless person is sure to fall victim to some self-inflicted danger – it’s just a matter of when and where. Work to discourage carelessness in your workplace by implementing the following suggestions.

1. Set the example. If you’re serious about safety in the workplace, it’ll have to start with you.
2. Teach daily, learn daily. If your only investment in safety is a biannual refresher course, don’t waste your money: you’ll need it to juice up your liability insurance. But if you are serious about eliminating lost-time accidents, you can prove it by never letting anybody forget it.
3. PPPPP. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. It also helps to prevent injuries. Use the right tool for the job, the right procedures for the tool. In other words, think ahead. Which brings us to…
4. Assess the Situation. Walk through your company’s work areas, pretending you are a stranger. What are the immediate dangers threatening your safety? Fix those first, then perform another walkthrough. Or even better, ask someone who doesn’t work for your company to perform the walkthrough. They can often see things you can not.

On-the-job safety depends on your watchfulness, diligence, and perseverance. On-the-job safety depends on you.

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