I have recently been appointed by default to the Safety Committee for my Divisions at work. We have two divisions and my predecessor left recently to pursue other career opportunities. She had served as both the Safety Committee Scribe and subsequent Chair prior to her departure, and left a vacancy which needed to be filled.
Having no other interested parties and being the most senior administrative liaison in the division, the duties fell to me. But...am I truly the RIGHT person for the job. It's debatable. Let's face it, I am not exactly the model for safety and good health.
When I was LITERALLY dying last October, I didn't ask for help or tell anyone, noooo........I didn't want to bother anyone with my issues, so I kept quiet, suffered in silence, and somehow, (God only knows how), drove myself for medical care. NOT exactly the model for safe practices. Then of course, there is the simple fact that I fall down, A LOT!. I trip over my own two feet as if they were obstacles thrown in my way intentionally. Walking is not my strong suit, safety model.....its questionable. My fix for a cut, is superglue. My motto when the boys were growing up was "No Blood, No Tears". If its a drill, work through it. I don't think the safety committee would find my opinions on the overwrought irrational planning for pending disasters that may never come very complimentary. I am not a big fan of hitting the panic button.
I come to work to work, not to babysit others. I assume that everyone here is a qualified intelligent adult hired for a specific purpose and vetted for their skill set and knowledge. I also assume that as adults we have all developed a sense of right and wrong and the ability to react appropriately in situations of health and safety. If you don't have the knowledge to handle something, then you step back and defer to someone who does. Its common sense.
I guess the concept of a safety committee makes sense and having a single point of contact to relay valuable information to each division is helpful, but the scope of the role seems to go beyond. Given my track record and my own personal knowledge of ME, I just wonder if I'm the best person for the job.
Safety and my my name are usually not synonymous. I'll do my best, because I always do, but I am more likely to be a candidate for modeling what NOT to do that for setting the example of what to do.
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