There are many career paths out there. They are all different to one another, even in small unique ways. Some are relatively comfortable, while some are not. Some come into contact with many different people on a daily basis, while some work in apparent solitude or remotely from day to day. Some jobs are relatively safe, and some are dangerous. It’s this last category that we are concerned with today.
Many people contribute to difficult and dangerous jobs to contribute their thing to society. From police officers to oil workers to those in the military, we owe them all a debt of gratitude for their ability to handle the difficulties of their role. It can also help us put our own careers in perspective, and potentially ease our tendency to complain that little bit more.
If you’re entering a new job that has an associated danger, it’s important to keep certain attitudes in check. Here are a few methods of doing just that:
Absorb Policy Like A Sponge
It’s important to absorb everything you can when battling a dangerous role. You simply cannot afford inadequacy, because that could mean the difference between you having a positive workday or an unfortunate incident. It could also mean being better able to protect the people around you, and the people who rely on you.
Read, reread and then reread your safety policy five more times. It’s important to have an almost back-of-your-hand memory in reciting various process and responsibilities you keep. This will also help you assess and report the dangerous conduct of someone on your team. These policies have been premeditated and designed for a reason, and usually take almost everything into account. Follow it by the letter. This means keeping this potential sustainable, by ensuring you maintain the implements of your success. For example, ensuring your hard hats are structurally stable often could prevent someone being injured in the case of falling debris. There are many things that could go wrong, but a great safety policy and the willingness to follow it will prevent unnecessary and unfortunate circumstance 98% of the time.
Know Your Rights
When you operate within these parameters, things can still go wrong. It might be less frequent, but you’d be naive to think you may not be affected by difficulty. If something happens and you truly believe yourself to be in the right, it’s important to know your rights in litigation. This could be the difference between identifying rightful compensation and not. While you might not be interested in suing heavily after something unfortunate goes wrong, if you can at least assess accurately what you have the capacity to do, you can make a wiser decision.
This also helps you prevent incriminating yourself or letting something slide that really shouldn’t. After all, in corporations or any department, money is a decisive factor, and if something goes wrong it’s much more tempting for a boss or manager to try and silence that than encouraging you seek compensation or defend yourself from a legal standpoint. Knowing your rights is also backed up by keeping signed copies of all contracts, policies, and communication between you and your employers. You may never need to use this, but it’s better to stockpile these things in the event that you truly need them rather than being at a loss during a difficult circumstance.
Stay Well Equipped
Some jobs may allow you to bring your own equipment as long as it’s to code, while other firms or services will be happier providing a default and tested set of tools for you to work with. It might also be that verified sellers of the correct specialist equipment makes the grade, such as Extreme Tactical Dynamics offering many implements for police and enforcement services, knowing what the role requires and providing solid solutions for that. Staying well equipped is something that could mean the difference between a good and a bad day. This might mean protecting yourself with safety equipment, staying well lit in a dark environment, or using the correct safety gear to prevent you from fall or debris damage.
It also means being on the same page as your colleagues, keeping the same tools to help one another through difficult scenarios. Reliance on well maintained, often cleaned and prepared tools allows you to keep doing your job well and avoiding the dangers that may come. Being prepared is close to being perfect, and remembering this adage will help you in all of your efforts.
Stay Aware
The biggest predictor of a workplace accident or difficulty, particularly in a dangerous situation, is a lack of staying aware. This might mean focusing your mind through meditation in your off hours to give you that present feeling of step by step progression, or simply getting enough sleep at night to give you the right amount of energy throughout the following day.
It could mean eating healthily and assuring you have a good level of physical fitness and strength to contend with the difficulty of your chosen role. It might mean maintaining the integrity and stress reduction of your mind. This will contribute to stable emotional and mental health, allowing you to think more clearly on the job. It means lessening your vices and absolutely never allowing yourself to be under the influence of anything during your role. At most, it means staying highly aware of your value and the value of your colleagues, so you never get complacent and make a mistake through pure incompetence alone. This brings us to our next point:
Stay Humble
No matter how seasoned you are, how experienced you are, how much of a silver tongue you have or how fast your reflexes are, it only takes a moment of bad judgement to make a mistake that can truly be defined as unfortunate. Staying humble and always considering yourself open to learn anything new and the adopt changing attitudes to how to work will help you in the wrong run. Where safety is concerned, something that works is often the most current and well-researched and tested example. Even if you have been operating for forty years without incident, if a new piece of information comes along that could verifiably lessen the possibility of you making a mistake, be sure that your pride won’t hold you back from listening. Where danger is concerned, you are always a novice.
With this in mind, working a dangerous job will be that little less dangerous and that little bit more enjoyable and secure. Stay safe.
