Risk Management Magazine

Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) include a wide variety of substances that can be harmful to human health, the environment and property if appropriate considerations are not taken when handling. These materials can range from nuclear to chemical or biological and be found as common household items or in industry.

The true danger of normalizing deviance lies in its subtlety. Initially, deviations might seem minor and inconsequential. Examples include skipping a procedural step due to a time crunch, deferring a minor maintenance procedure because "it's never caused a problem before" or bending the rules on driver training due to competing priorities.

In college, I worked as an intern for a mechanical contractor, installing HVAC and plumbing for large industrial projects. During the last of my four semester rotations at this company, I was assigned to work at a vehicle manufacturing plant that was being built in the area. There, I would learn a painful lesson on the importance of always wearing your personal protective equipment.