LETTERS Safety must be instilled and cherished as a personal value, and practised not just within the boundaries of the work premises but also in all aspects of our lives, whether on the road, in the home, in our schools, in sports and recreation, and the community.
It should not be too difficult a challenge for safety professionals to convince employers that the company will stand to lose just as much whether a worker is injured and incapacitated within the workplace or outside of the workplace.
A company that truly believes in the safety of its employees will impress upon them to take precautions and avoid danger in all aspects of their lives.
For safety to effectively encompass all aspects of life and be reinforced as a shared value, lifestyle, and attitude, it is vital that there be involvement and participation by the entire community.
This can be achieved through community outreach educational programmes jointly organised by various government agencies, professional bodies and non-government organisations.
The educational programmes should be targeted not just to the working population but to the elderly, housewives, hawkers, shopkeepers, and especially young children.
A community that is well-informed and educated about safety will naturally be one where the members of the community value and practice safety as a way of life.
In communities in which there is a strong safety culture, the members of the community will have high expectations of safety standards and low or zero tolerance for anything that poses a hazard to the community or to the individuals.
Members of the community will be alert and responsive to any threat they perceive to the safety and well-being of the community and quickly inform the authorities to remove the threat before an accident happens.
Safety professionals have a key role to play in the forging of safe communities. The natural outcome of safe communities will be a measurable reduction in all types of personal injury and property damage accidents for the population.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE
Alliance for a Safe Community chairman
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times