Safety attitudes

It is not always easy to instill a culture of looking after yourself and your mates in many workplaces...especially in the construction based industries.Why is this so.One of the big factors perhaps is that it is male dominated???Men tend to have an attitude ...especially in this environment of making sure they are 'bullet proof' against all situations...and part of this superman complex is not appreciating the importance of working as a group to create a safe and risk reducing,healthy environ.This is because we conceive that a little risky behaviour indicates or re assures our manliness...Think about it.How often have you had a fellow worker say to you be a man and not such a wimp about many safety related issues...or do you remember some of the reminiscences of older workers talking about the old days when they didn't have to wear gloves,harnesses,dust masks, etc...This is despite of course acknowledging the heart ache and pain endured short and long term relating to such foolhardy,naive attitudes today by those who were exposed to such work conditions.In addition of course is the concept that we are all competitors with each other and hence dont want to appear week or vulnerable to criticism.f="http://www.lcnsw.labor.net.au/labor_review/128/update1286.html">http://www.lcnsw.labor.net.au/labor_review/128/update1286.html