The erosion of accountability

We are – I believe - witnessing a profound shift in how individuals perceive and approach the concept of personal responsibility. The notion of taking ownership of one's actions, decisions, and their consequences, which once stood as a cornerstone of character and integrity, seems to be eroding in today's society.

At the heart of this issue lies a growing culture of blame-shifting and victimhood. More and more, we see people quick to point fingers, assigning fault to external circumstances, other individuals, or societal structures, rather than looking inward. Whether it's blaming the economy for poor financial decisions, social media for relationship problems, or systemic issues for personal shortcomings, the tendency to deflect responsibility has become alarmingly common.

While external factors do play a role in our lives, they do not absolve us of the responsibility for our choices and actions.

A key factor contributing to the decline of personal responsibility is the increasing reliance on external authorities and systems to manage our lives.

From government programs designed to address individual hardships to corporate policies that seek to mitigate employee failures, there is a growing expectation that someone else will step in to solve our problems. While these systems can provide much-needed support, they can also foster a sense of dependency that undermines personal responsibility.

Think about it from a demolition and construction perspective. Workers are bombarded with reminders, particularly in the sphere of health and safety. There are Toolbox Talks, pre-start briefings and safety meetings. Workers are reminded to stay hydrated, given sun cream and are constantly reminded of the potential hazards and pitfalls that might await the.

Personally, I believe that this constant bombardment has caused some workers to absolve themselves from any form of accountability and personal responsibility.

They see a hazard but they don’t report it because they believe that someone else will pick it up. They won’t make a suggestion about how a task might be performed more safely or more quickly because it’s not in their job description. Over the course of years and decades, we have evolved away from an all-hands to the pump mentality to a “it’s not my job” mentality.

Is this a rod we have made for our own backs?

Having defined just about every task on a demolition or construction site by a coloured competence card, have we brainwashed individuals into believing they must only do what it says on their card? Have we instilled a feeling of responsibility fatigue with our constant barrage of do’s and don’ts? Or do we now live in an age in which all problems, issues and challenges belong to someone else? Whatever the cause, it has worrying consequences for the demolition and construction industry.

For decades, the sector has worked on the basis that everyone is pulling together; that everyone will do the task assigned to them to the best of their ability; that everyone will take responsibility for their actions.

In day-to-day life, a refusal to take personal responsibility is just another traditional value that may be lost.

In demolition and construction, that failure to take personal responsibility could cost someone their life.