Imagine you’re an experienced electrician. You’ve been working on energized power lines for years — so long, in fact, that you could practically do it in your sleep. And never once have you encountered an electric arc flash. So, over time, you start to get more lax about your arc-rated (AR), flame-resistant (FR) clothing. Maybe you decide to go against protocol and push up your sleeves, leaving your skin exposed. Or worse, maybe you don’t even bother with AR workwear at all.
Normalization of deviance — in other words, the tendency for behaviors that were once considered unacceptable to become commonplace and seemingly permissible — is common across a variety of industries and work situations. In the best-case scenario, normalization of deviance goes against recommended work practices, but when it comes to safety, this common human tendency can have devastating consequences.