ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- My dad always takes my son, Eli, fishing when he visits, as a way of bonding and establishing memories.
Several years ago, my dad took Eli fishing for catfish and bass. Eli was young and so excited to fish that they went out around midday, instead of waiting until late afternoon.
Eli was somewhat discouraged, having only caught a very small bass, but positive, saying he would catch a big one the next time.
I explained to Eli that to catch a big one he'd need to go earlier or later in the day, since fish don't bite as readily during the middle of the day.
He asked why and I said because the fish don't like to bite when it's hot.
He thought for a moment and said, "You're right mom, they swim deeper to stay cool, so I'll have to also adjust my floater, so the bait goes deeper."
I was astounded that my son seemed to understand the concept of fishing so well and I am proud to say he remembered his lesson of proper timing and the need to fish a little deeper.
Eli, even now, years later, has remembered the lesson and routinely catches nicely sized catfish and bass.
There's a lesson to be learned from Eli's fishing. Often in life, things of worth or the "big fish," require us to practice diligence and not rush things.
We have to slow down, think through our tasks and ensure all the right things are in place.
We have to look in advance for those hazards just underneath the water's surface that might snag our lines.
If we don't hurry through tasks, but take our time to get things lined up properly, we will be more successful.
After all, have you ever known a successful fisherman who frantically went about his tasks or impatiently hurried to catch a fish?
Another lesson is, we have to remember that things of worth often require us to "fish a little deeper" or put more effort into obtaining the goal.
When you get to the details of ensuring each day is safe and accident free, it takes a great deal more effort.
The initial low-hanging compliance things, like ensuring you wear required personal protective equipment, are somewhat easy. If we want to obtain the "big fish" and have a completely accident-free workplace, we must dig deep and really examine how we go about those daily minuscule tasks.
We must stop and think, review the job and really look at the associated hazards.
We must ask ourselves do we have the appropriate tools and needed PPE, have we been properly trained and is there a change in the work process that would make it safer?
It's easy to get into a routine and think and continue as we've always done it. But, are we doing it that way because it's the best and safest way or just doing it out of tradition?
The technology and tools available are always improving as well as our understanding of things which pose a danger.
Don't rely on "tradition" and established habit of doing something.
Don't allow the tradition to create a false sense of confidence that you won't get hurt.
Know you've looked at and evaluated the work to be done and considered how to do it safely.
Many of you are great at catching fish, but are you as successful at catching work habits that ensure you will be accident free?
Reaching the goal of an accident-free workplace is an obtainable one if we are intent upon reaching it, planning our actions for the day and really focusing on each "cast" we make.
Social Sharing