safety is always on my mind

Can you imagine a new rendition of a favorite Willy Nelson song, "Safety is always on my mind". I don't want to claim that this haunts me on a daily basis, but it is something I think about several times every day.

The college is responsible for the safety of students, employees, visitors, passersby, and even those who access our websites. There are so many ways that we influence people to make decisions; whether it's to park their car in this space or that, to turn left instead of right, to enter through this door or that one, etc. Each choice has so many variables and consequences if the space is not safe and secure.

We've had folks slip and fall on wet floors because they were not aware of someone mopping; we've had lacerations, bruises, and contusions due to equipment malfunctions or misuse; we've had accidents in science labs, we've had people trip on cracks in the sidewalks, we've had people scared out of their wits because of "strangers", etc.

Safety is a concern for all of us. It takes a team effort to identify risks. What is normal to one person can be perceived as a risk of injury or personal security to another.

The college is making a concerted effort to heighten the awareness of personal safety in all aspects of operations. The Safety Committee meets monthly to discuss these issues. A regular agenda item addresses every incident report that is filed and recommends corrective action so that the incident won't be repeated. Dave Brusby is the chair. Blaine Yost, the Risk Management Officer, is a key member of the committee.

If you have concerns regarding any safety issue, please bring it forward to the committee. If you are troubled by bringing it forward yourself, ask your campus dean to do it for you. This is too important an issue to let it slide; yours, or another's, safety may be at risk!

Mike Kearns