SAFETY TALK
…….Safety is not something you have, it’s something you do
I Chose to Look the Other Way (2)
What would you do if you saw an unsafe act, or an unsafe condition or an unsafe piece of equipment? What would you do? Would you do something about it or would you
LOOK THE OTHER WAY?
Here is another real story of someone who “Looked the other way”
Jason remembers that he first encountered Alvin while working maintenance on the third shift. They were preparing to do a job on a platform and Jason stopped to get his fall harness.
“You don’t need that. Just get up on there and get your work done,” Alvin said to Jason.
“At that time, everybody on third shift just kind of did their own thing when it came to safety,” says Jason.“Sure, we had PPE and fall protection available, but no supervisors were ever around to make us use the stuff, so no one did.” Later, he was moved to first shift and at that time, the company began a big push to reduce injuries and safety became a big concern. “After that, it was hard hats and safety glasses everywhere and fall harnesses mandatory on all platforms,” Jason notes.
“I was glad really; I felt much safer knowing I wouldn’t fall.” One day, Alvin showed up on first shift. Jason hadn’t seen him in months. They were assigned to climb up to a platform and install an overhead pipe assembly. Jason recalls that Alvin had on a fall harness, but he didn’t connect his lanyard to anything. “I guess he was trying to look like he was following the safety rules so he wouldn’t get in trouble. Anyway, I caught his eye, as if to remind him to hook up, but I didn’t actually say anything.”
“I just couldn’t bring myself to speak up,” continues Jason. “I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that I was working without a harness too, plus I didn’t want to make Alvin mad. It happened shortly after that.” While the two were preparing to position the assembly from the platform, a co-worker on the ground was using a chain to hoist the pipes while another employee was using a tagline to hold them steady.
“We were hoisting a pipe assembly with the chain hoist, says Jason. “The pipe was almost in position when the guy holding the tagline tripped and pulled the pipe right towards Alvin and me.” “It happened so fast. We were both knocked off the platform. Of course, I was fine, but Alvin—he hit the ground and died on the way to the hospital.
I could have saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way,” concludes Jason.
What Would You Do?
REMEMBER. WE ALL NEED TO WORK SAFELY……YOUR FAMILY IS WAITING FOR YOU AT HOME
