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Safety Expressions We Used to Say
February 19, 2016 7:52:45 PM


When measuring a project or goal, what metrics you choose to focus on are critical in ultimately showing true success. For example, consider living a healthy lifestyle. The measurement most people immediately look to is that number on the scale. And yet, studies have shown that millions of people at a “normal weight” could be at risk for heart disease and other complications if their diet has been far less than perfect. 
Similarly, when measuring safety at your organization, perhaps the number of days gone without an accident isn’t the best measurement. There may be indicators showing things are rather “unhealthy” when it comes to safety. MAU Safety Manager, Rob Loose compares some outdated safety measurements with those old expressions that don’t quite make sense anymore. He shares his “two cents” in his latest article.

Recently I had a conversation with an elderly man at a church gathering where he affectionately referred to his wife as a “dame.”  Dame: That’s not a word you often hear these days except in old Popeye cartoon re-runs.  Here’s another old saying: My wife’s grandmother described a pain she recently suffered as hurting like the dickens!  I’ve heard that expression many times before but on that occasion I wondered what in the world is dickens anyway?  Charles Dickens perhaps…  What did that legendary author have to do with pain?  Remember Wally in Leave it to Beaver?  He used to use the word swell to describe things as being good.  Doesn’t swell mean the same thing as swollen?  Anyway, I digress.

{{cta(‘16410ae8-9e1b-4ddb-b4bf-ea643c84af71′,’justifyright’)}}Though baffling and bizarre as these old sayings may be to us newbies, we can’t ignore the fact that these sayings once held real meaning and were commonly used forms of expressions.  I feel the same way about these old expressions when I speak with my friends in industry that proudly tell me their business has gone so many number of days without an accident.  Why in the Sam Hill (who or where is Sam Hill?) is it swell to count the days that nobody gets hurt?  Here’s my two cents about that…