It’s these little things, they can pull you under…
By Steve MacArthur, Hospital Safety Consultant
I guess this week’s entry (as it appears that Spring is actually going to spring) falls into the “a little bit of this, a little bit of that” category; nothing monumentally earth-shattering, but (hopefully) useful.
First up, a recent post from the American Society of Health Care Engineering’s (ASHE) YouTube channel (somehow, it escaped me that such a thing existed—shame on me!) popped up on some feed somewhere (it may have been LinkedIn, but I can’t say for sure) and I found it a very interesting topic of conversation: “The Cost of No.” Given the givens, I suspect there are not too many in the audience who haven’t been at the receiving end of a “no” response (as opposed to no response, which is equally frustrating), and this video may give you some food for thought in how best to manage that impregnable wall. It’s not often that we get what we want, when we want, but I think the video offers some insight into how to plead a better case—to the point that it might increase the chances for a positive response “next time.” The video is pretty short (you can spare 158 seconds, can’t you?) and there are a number of other short videos that are worth checking out, so don’t forget to subscribe. You can start with “No” right here, but please check out the other stuff as well.
Moving on, in a designation that doesn’t seem to have been influenced by Hallmark, March is National Ladder Safety Month (I would have sent a card, but couldn’t even find a birthday card with a ladder that could have been repurposed) and I think we can all agree that ladders are an important part of the compliance picture. I’ll let you find your own “ladder unsafety” images—there are more than I can count, but I think we can also agree that the safe use of ladders could be more thoroughly hardwired into a lot of folks’ practice, including inspecting the ladders before use.
At any rate, I encourage you to set up a ladder safety session for your folks, particularly if you haven’t done so in a while – and what better month to do so. Here are some resources to help ensure folks embrace the heights of safety:
Until next week, hope you are well and staying safe. We’ve made it this far and I am confident we can make it through this together!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.