“Merry Christmas” everyone. Christmas is here in a few short days and there are lots of activities going on which can act as distractions to our work. “Did that present we order arrive on time?” “Did we forget to invite anyone to Christmas dinner?” “What was I supposed to bring to that Christmas party?”

It is a challenge to stay focused at work during this time of year. So, this is when it is especially important to take four seconds for safety. When you find yourself working away and your thoughts running wild with all the plans and activities of Christmas, STOP, take those four short seconds to look around and come back to the present moment. Look for a hazard in the middle of your activity. Are you standing on a ladder? Are you in an awkward position or about to trip on something lying on the floor? Hazards do not go away. Only our awareness of the hazards goes away. And when we ignore hazards, we tend to get injured.

Christmas injuries tend put extra stress on everyone. Imagine yourself sitting around the Christmas table in a leg cast because you fell off a ladder or tripped over something. Unfortunately, these stories are more common than all of us might admit. Injuries at Christmas seem to magnify how many people are affected by an injury to one person. How many people count on you each day to come home safely? If you add them all up you might be surprised.

Taking four seconds for safety may seem unimportant to you yet it is the one activity, the one action you might take during a busy and distracted day which will have the most benefit in keeping you safe. Think of it as your Christmas present to yourself. In fact, you can think of each of those people who would be affected by an injury to you every time you take four seconds to refocus.

Think about this when you are about to drive away to some gathering this Christmas. The noise, the excitement, the distraction! Take a moment, take a big breath, count slowly to four, then drive away. Chances are that you will arrive safely once you focus for those four seconds.

Again, “Merry Christmas” to everyone. May the Blessings of this season warm the hearts of you and your families.