Reflections on Safety——Even in calm waters, there is a risk of sinking

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A philosophical poem says: On the rocky paths of the stream, people walk with caution; throughout the year, no one hears of anyone falling. Yet in places where the water flows smoothly without rocks, accidents and drownings are heard about from time to time. When people are faced with danger, or when that danger becomes apparent and is fully recognized by them, thanks to heightened attention, thorough organizational planning, adequate preparations, and proper preventive measures, accidents are often averted. And in places that seem safe, complacency, lack of preparation, and insufficient precautions often lead to accidents. At present, safety is given considerable attention at all levels, and the legal framework is quite stringent; yet accidents related to work safety still appear frequently in the news. An important reason for this is the lack of emphasis on regular preventive measures – some companies are blindly optimistic when everything is fine and lack a sense of urgency ； When problems are detected, they are dealt with perfunctorily; in some cases, the profitability of the company is given priority over safe production. People assume that \"fires only happen in other people’s homes,\" and when an accident does occur, they become panicked and lose their composure. Instead of drawing lessons from patterns, it relies on ad-hoc rectifications, treating symptoms as they arise. This typical passive approach of ignoring things when nothing goes wrong, only taking action when an incident occurs, and then forgetting about it once the matter is resolved, results in a safety and accident-prevention level that remains at a low level. 　　Nie Jimo, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor from the Qing dynasty, often advised the son of the local magistrate at that time to always \"find matters in times of peace,\" so as to \"turn matters into nothingness in the end.\" As the efforts to combat floods yield successive successes, water resources experts also repeatedly warn that the more the water levels drop, the greater the need for caution to prevent dam failures once the water recedes. These profound philosophical and dialectical principles teach us that it is essential to focus on safety prevention efforts. Whether it is regulatory bodies or manufacturing enterprises, it is necessary to properly understand the dialectical relationship between situations of trouble and those without trouble, to be able to identify potential problems even when nothing seems amiss, and to enhance the predictability, relevance, and proactiveness of our actions ； It is essential to strengthen the commitment and sense of responsibility regarding safety work, to identify all the moments and stages where problems are likely to occur, to be particularly cautious in situations that seem calm and free from risks, and to carry out proactive preventive measures to avoid issues before they arise ； It is essential to improve the preventive measures for ensuring safety, and with a sense of urgency as if walking on thin ice or standing at the edge of an abyss, to thoroughly implement all the safety-related regulations in order to prevent situations where weaknesses in safety lead to catastrophic failures.