{"id":55705,"date":"2024-09-10T14:42:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T14:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=55705"},"modified":"2024-09-12T11:39:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T11:39:11","slug":"our-safety-depends-on-our-attitudes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/our-safety-depends-on-our-attitudes\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Safety Depends on our Attitudes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Attitudes are crucial to the safety of our skydiving community. A strong safety culture requires deliberate work on attitude changes and clear role models to minimize risk and promote safe behavior.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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A positive attitude to safety means more fun and better performance
Phtoo by Morgan Mackay<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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What are attitudes, and why are they so important?<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Attitudes are deep, lasting opinions and reaction patterns that we develop over time. They can be described as predictable reactions to various situations based on our perceptions of fundamental principles and values. Attitudes are more than just opinions; they influence both emotions and behavior in a relatively consistent manner. Our opinions<\/em> can change quickly, while our attitudes<\/em> tend to be more lasting and form the foundation for many of our automatic reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our attitudes play an essential role in all aspects of our lives, including how we perceive and manage risk and safety in skydiving. They guide our behavior, choices, and motivation. Therefore, it\u2019s critical that we understand our own attitudes, especially when engaging in activities involving high risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Attitudes and safety culture in skydiving<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Skydiving is an activity that requires significant attention to safety. The safety culture within the skydiving community is largely shaped by the attitudes that participants, instructors, and organizations hold towards safety. A safety culture consists of the values, attitudes, and norms that govern how people in an organization relate to safety rules and procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reduce the risk of accidents and incidents, it’s essential to maintain a strong safety culture. This involves having a shared understanding of the importance of safety, and clear norms and values that guide how we act in different situations. It\u2019s vital that these values and norms are visible in everyday practice and reinforced through role models and instructors who lead by example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instructors should lead by example
Photo shows Ally Milne demoing EPs on Safety Day<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Changing attitudes and culture<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Changing an existing culture and the attitudes supporting it can be challenging. We are creatures of habit, and many of our reactions are automated. In skydiving, it\u2019s vital that these automatic reactions are correct and based on a strong safety culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An effective way to change attitudes is to gradually introduce small changes that can eventually lead to a broader cultural shift. For instance, it can be helpful to regularly remind participants of the importance of safety procedures through training and use feedback constructively. This can raise awareness of safety and, over time, alter attitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructors play a particularly important role in this work. They must not only follow safety procedures themselves but actively encourage the right behavior in others. Being a good role model, giving clear feedback, and highlighting positive behavior are key elements in developing a strong safety culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giving clear feedback, and highlighting positives are key to develop a strong safety culture
Photo shows Flight-1 instructor Phil Webley videoing one of his student’s landings<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The relationship between safety, attitudes and performance<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that skydiving is conducted safely, clear safety attitudes must be present at all levels of the organization. This means that all of us need to be aware of the risks and have a positive attitude towards following safety procedures. When our attitudes towards safety are strong, the chances of accidents and injuries are reduced, and the entire community can perform better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of us need to be aware of the risks and have a positive attitude towards following safety procedures<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Summary<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In summary, attitudes are the foundation for how we behave within the skydiving community. The safety culture largely depends on having positive and well-established attitudes. Through conscious efforts in attitude change and culture-building, we can make the skydiving environment even safer and more efficient, benefiting the whole community and probably saving some lives in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Safe skydivers are happy skydivers
Photo by Stine Solberg<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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