When the pandemic first began, most employees were ready to pitch in and do their part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. They adapted to remote working while attending to their children. Others understood they were deemed "essential workers" and adjusted to the new normal when coming to work, which included temperature checks, symptom sign-offs, masks, and social distancing. But after months of being team players, we are all ready for the game to end. Many of your employees are feeling "COVID fatigue" just as we see COVID-19 exposure numbers increasing once again.

Complacency is something safety professionals are used to dealing with in their workforces. For example, employees get tired of being told to put in their ear plugs every day when walking into a machine shop. The worker who performs a confined space entry each week may get tired of testing the atmosphere every time they take off a manhole cover as they have never encountered any atmospheric hazards in the past. However, that one time they forget could lead to a serious accident.

Safety professionals are continually looking for ways to keep workers engaged in safety compliance. For employers not used to keeping workers engaged in safety protocols, this is new territory. It’s especially dangerous when it comes at a time when employers themselves are feeling tired and anxious about when we may return to business as usual.