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Here’s an occupational example of working deliberately. Jeremy S. is an arborist, that is, he works on trees. He just finished removing a dead ash tree in my back yard, a victim of the emerald ash borer. I watched all day as he and a ground crew of two methodically removed the tree, limb by limb, lifting each over my house and out onto the street. We stand next to his massive boom truck as we talk. Myself: Thank you for removing that tree.
Jeremy S.: No problem. That’s what I do for a living. Your bill will come in the mail.
Myself: I noticed how procedural you were in what you were doing.
JS: I have to be. A mistake could result in a fall. Every morning as I leave home, my wife says, "Don’t make me come to the emergency room to collect you!” Over the years, I’ve developed procedures to be safer. When I first started, my boss always said "Think about what you’re doing. Be mindful, not mindless. Your unconscious routine work habits can kill you. Develop conscious work habits.” What he was saying was to take action deliberately.
Jeremy began by studying the tree. He studied it from several different angles, deciding which limb to remove first, second, etc.
He donned his tool belt, or more accurately his rope belt, around his waist. He selected specific ropes, each with a specific task in mind. As he walked, his rope belt swayed with loops of safety ropes, tree limb ropes, guide ropes, and more. It also served as his body harness. He then strapped "spikes” onto his feet.
He shouldered a remote control about the size of a small loaf of bread under his left arm. He manipulated the joy stick atop the remote for the boom truck, and soon the hydraulic boom appeared over the top of my house and down to him. He hooked his body harness to the boom’s hook and rose effortlessly up 30 feet to about the middle of the tree. He maneuvered himself to a small crotch of limbs and looped his safety rope through. With his safety rope in place, he "boomed” himself out toward the end of his first branch. He attached one end of a limb rope. He "boomed” himself back to the inner trunk and attached the other end of the limb rope. He dropped another rope to the ground, where one of the ground crew attached a chain saw. He hoisted the chain saw, unhooked himself from the boom, attached the limb rope to the boom, and cut off the limb. The limb swung freely. Soon the limb was out on the street being chipped away by the ground crew. Other limbs followed. He could tie a double-half-hitch knot faster than I could say "Be careful!” He knew what he was doing. Other limbs followed. Soon the tree was gone. Every step had been pre-planned. Every action had been deliberate.
Working deliberately is the slow, unhurried, and steady progress allowing time for "go-no go” decisions on each individual action. It means being mindful, not mindless, on the job. To work deliberately means to think about each step in the work process before doing it. It means leaving your automatic work habits in your locker. It means analyzing every situation, even old and familiar ones, with new eyes. It means being overtly aware and cautious as to changing conditions. Working deliberately takes time, as each step is analyzed, but it is also safer as each step is assessed in advance. It means giving careful and thorough consideration to each work step. It means having an awareness of the consequences of mistakes and mis-steps. For example, to walk deliberately across the room means to consider each step carefully before taking it. Being aware of what might happen, good or bad. When entering a confined space, working deliberately is the sequential process of mindful preparation, entry, working, and egress from that space. Working deliberately is especially useful in very hazardous situations where a possible incident could be disastrous and in high-risk situations where the extent or magnitude of a loss is significant.
Other occupations which must work deliberately include astronauts, cell-tower technicians, and animal-control technicians.
The lesson plan for the Soft Technical Skill in the Occupational Safety & Health Cluster of Hazard Communication has been updated to include this information.
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