Stress and Electrical Safety.
Stress can indeed impact the safety of our electrical workers. Stress has a huge impact on our ability to focus, memory and many other key attributes about how we function. These types of side affects of stress can work against us when working on the job.
As an electrical professional we are no different than many others when it comes to stress; deadlines, commitments, financials associated with managing the business and/or simply from personal perspectives. Stress is our body’s normal reaction to events that pull us in different directions. The effect of stress in our daily lives is sometimes quite visible but then again often it is not. Stress can be healthy and, just like anything, too much can be unhealthy. Your mood, productivity, concentration and general overall health concerns are just a few negative results for someone under a lot of stress. For the electrical professional, stress has other possible safety impacts as things may become more complicated, especially for those who may find themselves working in and around energized equipment.
Because stress is unavoidable, we need to manage it. We can be successful through taking control, identifying stressful situations and acting appropriately. Easier said than done. The following five steps may be helpful to get you started on your journey to manage the stress in your life:
1. Build Your Support Network – This could range from personal to professional and is a network of individuals you can rely on for advice or simply to be an ear.
2. Control – This is more than just being in control, it’s a level of confidence. Confidence in yourself and your ability to recognize and deal with stressful situations.
3. Emotions – Some are better at this than others. Controlling your emotions is very important when managing stress levels. Bring your emotions into balance.
4. Attitude and Outlook – I could argue that if you did the previous four steps, attitude and outlook come along for the ride. A healthy sense of humor and optimistic outlook are important.
Managing and recognizing stress is important for you, your business and your team. I would argue that in our line of business it’s just as important for the guy working next to you as it is for you. As electrical professionals we work with electricity; an animal we can’t see. Forgetfulness, loss of focus and many more of the symptoms above are not baggage we want to bring on the job. We work from heights, in and around heavy equipment, on energized equipment and on equipment that may not be energized, but will be when we’re done. It will also be called upon to operate for years after we’re gone. We can’t afford a mistake. It could jeopardize our life and the lives of those around us. Our mistakes may not surface for years after we’re gone.
