By Kevin Lienau, Community Voices 

The concept of safety has been drilled into my psyche since my old company merged with my new company. As part of the transition from old to new, I was introduced to LPS – the Loss Prevention System. Initially, I resisted change, but soon I realized “change is good” and embraced LPS and all of the merits of the system. Funny thing is that I found myself applying LPS to my everyday life, not just work life. How’s that for a mid-life epiphany?

LPS is really a simple concept. It’s rooted in the idea that every “loss” (really bad mistake) is avoidable and by recognizing “near losses” (incidents that could have been bad, but were not), you learn valuable lessons. Hence the old adage, “Learn from your mistakes.” Just in this case, LPS tries to get folks to minimize the impact of the mistakes.

Kevin Lienau

The other big part of the LPS is the concept of the SPSA – Self Performance Self Assessment – or as I like to call it, the “gut” check. With every action, activity, and even vocalization; if you just consider the ramifications of the “action” it might allow you to make a better decision.

As a former politician I know this can be hard to fathom, but sometimes what you say can be viewed in a completely different light than what you intended!I know what you are saying, “How is this any way related to my everyday activities?” Well, think of it as just another way to look at things. Heck, as kids we are constantly coached by our parents to “Look before you leap,” “Don’t run with scissors,” “Look both ways before you cross the street,” or even “Think before you speak.” These simple lessons were our parents’ way of helping us down the road of not only being safe, but responsible and polite.

The problem is that we, as human beings, tend to forget these things. How many times have you been walking along at an arena, in the airport, or even on the sidewalk, and someone just stops in front of you? You practically pull something trying not to collide with them, and they are so oblivious to what is going on that they don’t even know what happened. Clearly, this person didn’t do an SPSA and ask “What’s the worst that could happen if I just stop right now?” No one got hurt (hopefully), but events of this nature don’t need to happen and highlight how a seemingly minor action can affect someone else. Plus, it’s just plain bad manners! Sure this is not a “deadly” example, but if we were to extend the same example to driving a car on the highway – look out.

Here’s where the LPS principles come in . . . it’s like a tetanus booster for awareness! Actually, it’s really just common sense. Unfortunately, common sense isn’t so common. I have to admit, I’ve now become hyper sensitive to what’s going on around me and notice so many folks who are not doing their best to be “safe.” In my own way, I make adjustments to head off issues, and unfortunately, the folks in question just continue to blunder along.Well, I hope maybe the next time you are about to do “something,” you take that split second to think about the ramifications, and if necessary, alter how you were going to do it.

It shouldn’t take a fancy safety “program” to make us realize that all we need is a little common sense, but it sure helps.So, in the immortal words of police Sgt. Phil Esterhaus from television’s “Hill Street Blues,” “Let’s be careful out there” (And paying attention to what’s happening around you won’t hurt either). 

(Kevin Lienau is one of about a dozen writers who contribute to Community Voices. This column is one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)