Week 10 – Safety a Big Deal?

I like to think so...
Flash Back – Some years ago a supervisor/friend of mine got himself in trouble when he chose not to lock out a piece of equipment. It had been locked out by one of his subordinates but when assistance was needed he grabbed an hourly laborer and they rushed in (RUSHING) to help. One small problem! They failed to add their personal locks to the lock box. No big deal, it was already locked out and there was work to be done, right? Wrong! Because of the ‘damn safety man’ (who me), he was disciplined and didn’t talk to me for several months except of course to tell me that it was a bunch of… (Well let’s just say he wasn’t happy).

Back to the Future! – Maybe it’s just me, but it seems lately that some people think safety is not a big deal! What can I say to convince you that Safety is a very Big Deal!? Somebody tell me please, because it seems some folks just aren’t paying attention. Words of caution to those people who aren’t paying attention: Keep taking chances, cutting corners, etc. and you won’t have to worry about the future.

THANK YOU! – To those of you doing it right! To all of you that are Standing up and Speaking out for Safety I cannot fully express my appreciation in words – you ‘get it’ and That’s Great! Now we have to get the rest of the team off the bench…and I am seeking your input.

Flawed Thinking – My supervisor (or my co-worker) doesn’t care about safety why the heck should I? The company is only worried about citations or accident numbers, why do I need to worry about safety? Do people really think these things? If they here are a few reasons:
a.) You have to take care of you, no matter what the other guy does. Do you really need any more reasons? If you truly believe that nobody cares about safety why not find a better place to work…really!!? You’re worth it!

Flash Back again! – You know that buddy of mine was really mad about that lockout incident. And he was furious a couple months later when I made him sit through a mandatory First aid/CPR class. He managed to miss every one I scheduled so he ended up coming in on a day off for the final make-up class. Cursing that damn safety man all the way!!!

The rest of the story…one day weeks later, I was leaving as he was holding the weekly safety meeting with his crew. He was crying and motioned me in to the room. He had just shared with his crew how he found his daughter in the kitchen choking on a piece of turkey (I think it was during the holidays). Well he saved her life because of that First Aid Class/CPR class. He apologized and told everyone present (and the other crews later) that Safety is a BIG DEAL! I hope you never have to go through that!

We all have a job to do and most of us 'damn safety guys and gals' take our jobs seriously, but we need your help to get YOU HOME at the end of your shift!
Help us out won’t you? We’re counting on it!