Safety isn’t something you leave up to management. It’s your life on the line, so your safety is ultimately your responsibility. That is true, even when the unsafe condition in your work area is a coworker’s behavior. And if it’s just that coworker at risk, the behavior can lead to a breakdown of safety attitudes among others so it can’t be disregarded.
Generally, you can use the following responses as applicable:
- Consider it a simple mistake and be a safety coach. For example, John has a test lead in each hand; you stop him from taking the measurement and ask him what the safety problem is. Not confrontational.
- Consider it an attitude problem and apply peer pressure. For example, John just signed the confined entry permit without verifying its conditions have been met; you tell him that’s an unsafe attitude and ask him to explain the right way. A bit confrontational.
- Consider it a hostile workplace issue, stop work, report immediately to management. For example, you have a generator for lights and John is filling its fuel tank indoors spilling gas all over the floor; you stop, tell him to stop, and contact your supervisor. Very confrontational.