Some of the most talented people throughout history were left handed, but according to several published reports being left handed can be a detriment to your safety. It makes a lot of sense why life as a lefty would be slightly more challenging, having to purchase left handed scissors, more difficulty writing because the binding is on the left, even driving a standard is meant for the right handed.
So how exactly could being left handed be a problem for you in terms of safety? Several studies have found that lefties die younger than righties and also have more accidents. The truth of the matter is that we live in a right handed world and this plays as a significant obstacle for left handed men and women. When it comes to safety, it is common sense that if something doesn’t fit correctly or is not use as intended an accident or injury is more likely to occur. This can easily happen with power tools, scissors, cooking tools, etc. Taking this into account in the workplace is very important to avoid injury. Employers need to take the time to find out which employees are left handed and provide them with the proper materials to perform their job, such as tools made for lefties.
And now for fun, here are some famous lefties from the past and present. Enjoy!
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard about the tragic death of SeaWorld San Diego orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau. She was drowned by a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum when he grabbed her by her ponytail with his teeth and dragged her under water.
The most heartbreaking part of the story is how this type of situation could have been prevented. According to SeaWorld policy, all animal trainers are required to have their hair pulled back as a safety precaution and even train the animals to not pull hair. Unfortunately, this particular whale was not trained on this and was even classified as an animal whose pool trainers were not allowed to enter. It has been reported that SeaWorld is currently working to make changes to its safety protocol, specifically in relation to employees handling killer whales. Hopefully this horrific incident will result in more safety precautions that will help keep these employees safe.