In many cases, it is the information provided by victims and witnesses that leads to the arrest of a criminal. Attend a demo, get a free Raken Carhartt beanie. Be aware of pedestrians in your surroundings. Relaxed awareness is not tiring, and it allows you to enjoy life while rewarding you with an effective level of personal safety. When another driver makes a mistake, you need time to react. The comatose level is where you go into shock, your brain ceases to process information and you simply cannot react to the reality of the situation. Avoid hauling weight that exceeds the counterweight of the forklift. If youre using headphones, consider using only one, or keeping the volume as low as possible in order to still be able to hear what is going on around you. Cooper CS4 Touring Review Is It Worth Buying? Situational awareness is not some magic pill that will automatically prevent an attack. To maintain a space cushion on each side of your vehicle: It is very important to check behind you before you: Check traffic behind you often to know if you are being tailgated (another driver is following too closely). What would you do? Make sure if your employer provides training on situational awareness that you attend because you can always improve yourself. If your team sees you doing it then they are likely to follow. The extra weight makes it harder to stop. You should always be looking around and aware of your surroundings. We can give you your valuable time back with 365 prepared toolbox talks just like this one about watching your surroundings, all delivered from our iOS and Android apps to your workers' phones, so your workers are focused, productive, and accident-free. Whether youre a citizen or law enforcement officer, adopting these five safety tips daily which really boil down to situational awareness and proactive diligence empowers you and forms habits that may help save your life or someone elses in the case of an emergency. OFFICE 4114 E BROADWAY AVE | SPOKANE, WA 99202, 1145 BROADWAY PLAZA, STE 1340 | TACOMA, WA 98402. You can, and should, carry all the tools and weapons you need. Our knowledge, experience and education enables us to understand what is going on around us and helps us to determine if it is safe. Someone may step out from between them, a vehicle door may open, or a vehicle may pull out suddenly. Is this an attacker or just a bored man waiting outside his apartment? The police need the eyes and ears of all citizens. The response plan feature, one of the most overlooked of the Guard911, SchoolGuard, and CampusGaurd911 mobile apps, is a dedicated space to upload customized response plans. While many choose to reaffirm their commitment to a healthy lifestyle, many overlook the flip side of the same coin: personal safety. Be Aware of Your Surroundings - Safety Talk October 2012 There have been a string of injuries, over the past two months, in Facilities Services associated with employees working in unfamiliar locations. Dont fear, there is still hope. It requires you to stay alert and draw upon your unique set of experiences and skills to evaluate your environment. Ensure all . In this safety talk, we will go over what situational awareness is and ways you can improve on it in your daily lives including at work. When walking, stay in well-lit areas and walk in numbers, if possible. In other words, not falling into a routine. It has to be a conscious effort for everyone to have a 360-degree view of situations and show others the importance of doing so. Being alert and aware of potential hazards and safety issues is the first way to avoid workplace injuries. Allow other coworkers to give you ideas of what could and could not work in situations. Not looking down at your phone the entire time youre in public fits with point number one, but it warrants its own recognition. Be alert for pickpocketers on crowded elevators. If people inside the temple would have had access to Guard911 technology, which includes the Hero911 officer network, they couldve alerted each other faster and we would have had more officers on the scene sooner., Immediate notification time is a must mere seconds make a world of difference when it comes to saving lives. Know which lanes are clear so you can use them if necessary. What about your friends? An even better offensive precaution is to keep a perpetual mental image of every potential weapon and attack vector as you about your daily life. They were just trained on Friday, and I was there running the drill with them on Monday.. Reclaim your calendar, quit searching for your next safety meeting. After working with you to understand your specific needs, we evaluate potential solutions to determine which best meets your operational and financial requirements. It's essential to understand situation awareness in the context of everyday life not just hostile environment awareness training (HEAT), travel safety and first aid training.Thinking proactively and understanding what to look out for can be . At 55 mph, it takes about 400 feet to react and bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Careers Votes: 2 Mike Crapo Neo-Symbiosis: The Next Stage in the Evolution of Human Information Interaction. International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence 1(1):39-52. Just because it is safe one day does not mean it will be safe every day. Assess the emergency and where you are. Inform the driver of the situation. Choose a product which is designed specifically for use on toilets, sinks, bathtubs and showers in both . If you live anywhere in the world, then its probably just about everyone you see. During off hours, ride as near to the bus operator as possible. Taking your safety seriously doesnt just help you, but can benefit others as well. Many of these situations can involve your health, your safety, and your job performance. This space cushion will give you room to brake or maneuver if you need the space. Do you have time and distance to respond? The load should be carefully checked to ensure it's suitable, undamaged and stable for the forklift - avoid lifting anything that isn't safe . 3. The owner of this website, ZCS Ventures, LLC, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking defensiveplanet.com reviews to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. Pay close attention during job training sessions. A few quick tips that might signal potential danger include shiftiness, hands in pockets, and avoiding eye contact. For example, your mind has created a script for driving to the grocery store. Look up occasionally to re-scan your surroundings and make note of any changes. Toolbox Talk Topic: Situational Awareness Situational awareness is being aware of your surroundings: where you are, where you are supposed to be and nearby threat to your health and safety. Smelling smoke, chemicals, or gas might tell you that there is a dangerous situation. First, they should try to find a person in uniform, like a police officer, security guard, or store employee. Constantly staring at the road just in front of your vehicle is dangerous. This doesnt mean you should be paranoid or stop enjoying your time out in public or at work, its simply about practicing and mastering situational awareness a skill that could save your life or someone elses. Be aware of your blind spots. Be alert to pickpocketers on crowded buses; check your purse or wallet if someone is jostling, crowding or pushing you. International Journal of Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence, The newsletter of the ISBAs Standing Committee on Government Lawyers. Of course the most important factor in reading body language is just noticing the persons body. 4. Be aware of escape routes for emergencies and post the police and fire department numbers near telephones. Vigilance is not paranoia, its just understanding and being able to process whats going on around you its a skill and a habit that takes practice something that shouldnt be ignored. Lt. Murphy. Situational awareness is the opposite of being distracted. Always remember that inmates listen to every conversation that corrections officers and staff have. 6. It is still a defensive, not offensive, tool in your arsenal. Truckers should be constantly checking their mirrors to keep an eye on the traffic around them. Although a purse-snatcher's intent is to steal the purse, your personal safety may depend on not clinging to it. No more shuffling through papers or tracking down a handbook thats often locked away in a filing cabinet. When people are in an area where there is potential danger (which, in reality, is almost anywhere), they should go through most of the day in a state of relaxed awareness. Exits:Always be aware of your exits, and have an exit strategy. Ensure warning signage is posted where . Forklift Pedestrian Safety Tips. Remind your teens about the dangers of texting and how concentrating on driving not only keeps them safer but other people on the road as well. We use cookies to manage and improve your website experience. Basic Safety Tips for Women: Speak Up. Finally, if a crime does occurREPORT IT! Be aware of locations and situations which would make you appear vulnerable to crime, such as alleys and dark parking lots. For active shooters and those with intent on harm, its like shooting fish in a barrel. Speak Up: Report all the following situations immediately to your supervisor (while at work) or to the person in charge (when out in public): accidents, injuries, close calls, near misses, safety hazards or concerns, and any suspicious persons, activity, or behavior. It can make you more aware of your surroundings, it can give you a different perspective on things, and can also make you see risks. Emergency situations can and often do escalate quickly due to panic. Make sure they are away from your vehicle and in full view before moving your vehicle. Think of how many people you see walking around with their head buried in their iPhone? Would you go through it anyway? Keep It All Clean. It is this panic induced paralysis that concerns us most in relation to situational awareness. 73 0 obj <>stream Stay flexible in your schedule, and don't say NO to unexpected adventures. Observation has always been an important part of human survival. 1. First, notice your surroundings. As you scan ahead, be alert for vehicles around you. Following large vehicles that block your view ahead. In the same vein as minimizing distractions, you want to identify threats before they become threats. Another driver might crowd your lane or change lanes without looking and crash into you. You cannot be aware of your surroundings on the warehouse floor if you're focused on your phone. Training workers to watch their surroundings reduces the risk of workplace accidents and injuries. Avoid all shortcuts and isolated areas. In other terms, this could mean simply instructing workers on the safest way to do things or telling your supervisor about health and safety hazards you see on a job site. On the highway, 1015 seconds is about a quarter of a mile. Often there is so much 'going on' in your work environment, or you become so absorbed in your own thoughts, that you fail to spot those things that could pose a serious threat to your health and safety. When you go shopping, to work, to school, or simply take a walk in nature, you cannot be too careful when it comes to your personal safety. Becoming carefree on the job can be disastrous due in no small part to becoming complacent, as stated earlier. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1364, Phone: (310) 825-1491 Your friends can wait. Trust your gut. If you want to stop searching for safety meetings, improve incident rates to lower insurance premiums, or even help crews and managers understand the importance of safety and reduce the number of safety violations, then you need SafetyTek Toolbox Talks. Only use devices in areas or situations where it's safe to do so and remember to look up regularly to scan surroundings. He started yelling at me louder. The temporary loss or lack of situational awareness is a casual factor in many accidents. Stop and Pretend: If you feel like you are being followed, either on foot or in a vehicle, stop and turn around, pretending as if you went the wrong way. Be Aware of Your Surroundings. This does not mean to be provocative and ask for a confrontation. People typically operate on five distinct levels of awareness: The basic level of situational awareness that should be practiced most of the time is relaxed awareness, a state of mind that can be maintained indefinitely without all the stress and fatigue associated with focused awareness or high alert. The more space you allow between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead, the more time you will have to see a hazard, and stop or avoid that hazard. These are all useful questions to start the conversation around training drills. Simply put, in order to have situational awareness you have to be open to a variety of perspectives and insights. Don't open your purse or wallet while boarding the bushave your pass or money already in your hand. Do not use or wear anything that will impede your vision or hearing (i.e. Next, breathe deep through your nose. Being able to communicate with others your perception of the risks is a vital part of the awareness strategy. Defensive precautions includes avoiding walking alone at night, not letting people follow you, and avoiding any form of intoxication from drugs or alcohol while in public. I know this sounds extremely difficult, but I can assure you that it is not as hard as you think. Yes, that is difficult at first. Again, I know it can be boring walking around without music, but keeping your ears wide open can help your situational awareness. In this video, I go over a simple driving lesson on paying attention to your surroundings. The best way to avoid complacency is to consciously remind yourself to stay alert. Moak says this is a great practice and encourages everyone to be aware of their surroundings when leaving a mall or grocery store. Have an exit plan. The most common thing that reduces aware is distraction. Follow a regular housekeeping schedule. Many criminals develop favorite areas for committing crime, as well as predictable methods of operation. Login. Tell your customer, supervisor, and workmates. If someone bothers you or makes you feel uncomfortable, change seats. About If you work at a school, on any type of campus, or if your workplace needs an active shooter plan, Guard911 apps are a one-of-a-kind active shooter mobile safety alert technology that facilitates adoption of these safety tips. Keep your belongings in front of you and hold close to your body with both hands. Prioritizing the critical nature of active shooter training and drills is part of that preparation. Body language plays an extremely important role in how you are perceived by others. Before complacency has set in-it can be a silent killer! Dont use put earbuds or headphones in your ears while youre outside is also a way to quickly increase your awareness from your senses. First, notice your surroundings. 2007. Toyo NanoEnergy A29 Review Is This the Tire for You? In this guide, well cover some tips and tricks for being aware of your surroundings while driving. If possible and when safe, make room for vehicles entering freeways even though you have the right-of-way. The reason? In an emergency you do not have a lot of time to take in your surroundings. Your email address will not be published. Drive strategically. Situational awareness is often discussed, but it's acknowledged how so few people know what it truly represents and why it's tremendously important. Are you still searching for toolbox talks on google and then taking that information and re-packaging it for your safety meeting? Personal safety begins with an individuals awareness to their environment no one can defend against danger they couldnt see coming. If you are driving a car, then your main focus should be on the road, but the fact of the matter is. So even if you are distracted while driving, your mind knows which roads to take and can get you there. Scanning your surroundings (keeping your eyes moving) includes keeping a safe distance around your vehicle. After youve done this you can more easily avoid those threats and avoid a potentially violent situation. Situational awareness is only as good as your perception. It is easy to get wrapped up in the task at hand and lose track of your surroundings. Continental ExtremeContact DWS Review Does It Meet Expectations? When you think the work environment has changed since your last time there. If you get the sense that something is wrong or doesnt add up, do not ignore it. As mentioned earlier, situational awareness is a critical skill. This technique is done as followed: Inhale the breath. Does it matter that the light is red? You can hit your brakes and keep your car under control. However, we do know this man is acting like a mugger. 2. Check your rear view mirrors every two five seconds so you know the position of vehicles near you. Always be aware of your surroundings. Emergencies and mass shootings happen all the time. Educate yourself concerning prevention tactics. Apathy, denial and complacency can be deadly. If your car breaks down, open the hood and attach a white cloth to the car antennae. The following topics are some simple ways to increase your situational awareness. STOP - Engage your mind befor eyour hands. Be aware of who you are in the electronic world. Our knowledge, experience and education enables us to understand what is going on around us and helps us to determine if it is safe. (In other words, be just a little paranoid.) Protect your Back: Utilize walls and other barriers to protect your back and sides and maximize your field of vision, taking care not to back yourself into a corner. Assessment of your working environment should occur continually, but especially in the following situations: Why is situational awareness important to us? Any time you come to a place where people may cross or enter your path or one line of traffic meets another, you should look to the left and right sides of your vehicle to make sure no one is coming. Dont make yourself vulnerable. Recognizing hazards is an important part of keeping you and your co-workers safe . Be alert of your surroundings. iPods). In the case of Sikh Temple, Lt. Murphy did arrive at the scene in under two minutes, but if he had been only 15 seconds later, there would have been another 15 people killed based on how the shooter had people cornered, according to Lt. Murphy. For our purposes we'll focus on situational awareness for self-defense purposes as it is a very important self-defense skill. hbbd``b`Z$C`]$ ba`bd8 RH9q' `= If you think you are being followed, drive to a public place or a police or sheriff station. Situational awareness is a critical foundation for successful decision making in most situations that you can be put in at work. The extra space allows you to see around the vehicle. Information contained on this siteshould not be taken as legal advice. 5 Tips to Stay Safe While Welding. Sitting with your back to the wall is a good quick tip. One of the most effective ways to do this, short of enrolling in formal classes or self-defense training, is by practicing everyday situational awareness. A lot of information is out there about you. You probably already do this, it is called defensive driving. Many hazards are obvious to those who open their eyes and minds to see them. Peripheral Vision: Attempt to focus on something while also observing whats happening at the edges of your vision. endstream endobj 50 0 obj <> endobj 51 0 obj <> endobj 52 0 obj <>stream Report all unsafe conditions and near-miss incidents to your supervisor. Be aware of your surroundings on the job and use them to your advantage. It can happen with any repetitive task. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by activity such as talking on your cell phone, listening to music or reading Try to travel with others, walk in well-trav- If you work alone or after business hours, keep the office door locked. "As for parents of young children, it is impossible to be with your . Check your mirrors frequently and scan conditions 20 to 30 seconds ahead of you. Your email address will not be published. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Even practicing one of these skills on a regular basis can exponentially increase your situational awareness. Stay in well-lighted areas as much as possible. Situational awareness may protect us. Also be aware: "Familiarity breeds contempt" 1. Avoid the temptation to check your phone by turning it off or leaving it in your locker. Brake slowly before stopping. This space cushion will give you room to brake or maneuver if you need the space. When you know your surroundings, you can take better notice of the things that are out of the ordinary. However, combining great awareness with a weapon might increase your odds of fending of an attack. Be prepared. Quotes about Awareness of Surroundings 19 Picture Quotes 5 Written Quotes We are gifted with freedom, but with that freedom comes the reality of the unknown and the responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and on guard against those who would do us harm. As an example, imagine walking down the street and you observe a shifty man with his hands in his pockets hiding in a dark alleyway as he watches you walk toward him. hWmo9+YHF]th%@ PV{0`pp8b(/HZQ`4p%&h^ `N'dHT^9-|Qug>>I)%A86pF~ yJME!7Rin>AxY1 This is the level that induces an adrenaline rush, a prayer and a gasp for air all at the same time. Be aware of your surroundings. Always be alert and aware of the people around you. Visualize: Play out scenarios in your head beforehand. The last level of awareness, comatose, is what happens when you literally freeze at the wheel and cannot respond to stimuli, either because you have fallen asleep or, at the other end of the spectrum, because you are petrified. There are a lot of blind spots, corners, turns, and on the equipment itself. What to Look For when Buying a Stun Gun [2020 Buying Guide], How Martial Arts can improve discipline in Children and Adults. Dont presume changes in your surroundings are innocent or fine. Carry your wallet inside your coat, or in a front pocket. Stay Aware-Whenever you are walking in a parking lot (or anywhere else that cars typically drive), you should remain hyper-aware of your surroundings. You probably already take precautions in your daily life. Avoiding complacency can help increase your perception of your surrounding. Keep your eyes moving. Go to a different store. Don't allow loud distractions to stop you from keeping your eyes on your surroundings, rather than one direction. ]dXa78Gr5Ye}J(tvW8(:wT7. Tragedy can strike anywhere at any time, but being observant and thoughtfully watching your surroundings can make all the difference in a potentially dangerous situation. Be aware of your surroundings. Drive down a long or steep hill. 6. Be sure to always wear a breathing mask if your space has debris or dust, or if you have to deal with toxic or dangerous chemicals or fumes. Here are some ways you can increase your awareness and have a higher level of security while shopping or dining out. Studies have shown that a company's safety performance directly impacts productivity and financial results. Tap your brakes lightly a few times to warn the tailgater you are slowing down. Slow down gradually or merge into another lane to prevent being hit from behind by the tailgater! Reading body language is a huge factor in training your perception of your surroundings. For example, when you reach across a table to grab a pencil, you use proprioception to know how much. Regularly exercising your senses can make them keener, which can help you avoid unsafe situations, determine threats faster, and pick up on critical information more quickly during emergencies. If you are doing this to make tasks safer for you and others and to get the task done more efficiently you are showing situational awareness. Watch for things about to happen, like a ball rolling into the street or a vehicle door opening. Every single day for the past 30 years, at least three workers don't make it home and thousands more experience a serious injury. Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Inc. - Program for Sovereign Indian Nations. 2023 Garco Construction - General Contractor for Commercial Construction. So tell the police as much as you can; no fact is too trivial. Remind them to be aware everywhere they are. If you carry a purse, carry it securely between your arm and your body. Keep work areas clean and orderly.