Apply nuclear safety practices to your everyday tasks

As a nation, we recognize June as National Safety Month to help us all focus on safe behaviors at work and at home. 

Because we are committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, the public and the environment, Southern Nuclear puts Safety First — every job, every day, the right way. Check out some of the ways we adhere to safe behaviors at our plants that you can also use at home:

• Task preview and pre-job brief: Before starting work, become familiar with the job. Walk down the area where the work will be performed and talk to others who performed similar work to become familiar with hazards, challenges, or other important information.


• Apply at home: Before you cut the grass for what may feel like the millionth time, walk down the yard and remove debris, toys or any hazards the lawn mower could turn into a projectile.


• Stop, Think, Act, Review (STAR): This self-verification tool helps you to focus on a task, understand the expected outcome and verify the results. Stop to focus your attention on the task and to eliminate distractions. Think about what will happen before performing any work. Act or perform the action or work. Review to confirm the anticipated result was obtained.


• Apply at home: Before you start cleaning the gutters that you have been putting off for months, stop to focus on the work area and the equipment to reach the gutters (ladder or scaffold); think about safely using the tools to perform the work; act on your plan and clean the first gutter; and review how things went and what you could do to improve.


• One-minute matters: To improve a person’s situational awareness when arriving at a job, take as much time as needed to develop an understanding of indicators, equipment condition, work environment, hazards and your team members. If any hazard is identified or conditions of the work environment are not as expected, call a timeout to make necessary corrections.


• Apply at home: Before you fire up the grill to cook another great rack of your famous ribs, take a minute to be sure the grill is positioned in a safe zone and is good working condition.


• Time-out: Stop the task to discuss specific conditions to create an understanding of the task, work environment, and conditions based on conditions and circumstances. Never proceed in the face of uncertainty.


• Apply at home: After years of training, your kids are finally ready to trim the hedges without your supervision, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stop them when you see them in an unsafe position. Use your years of experience to keep your family safe.


• Good housekeeping:  Keeping your work area clean, orderly and clear eliminates hazards. Throw away trash, keep walk paths clear, clean up spills and return tools to a safe location.


• Apply at home: Whether you are a master chef, cupcake warrior or just trying to get supper on the table, good housekeeping keeps everyone safe. Cleaning as you work in the kitchen eliminates hazards for you and hungry helpers.


• Personal protective equipment: Protect yourself from potential hazards by wearing appropriate clothing and equipment. Evaluate the work at hand to determine appropriate clothing and equipment to protect your eyes, face, head, ears, hands and feet. Evaluate the need of respiratory and fall protection prior to starting work.


• Apply at home: We are all busy. Sometimes we just want to finish a task to get to the next one, but hazards exist when you are working at home — from house to yard work and everything in between. Evaluate the job at hand and protect yourself before you start to work. You owe it to yourself, your family and friends to put Safety First — every job, every day, the right way.