Be Safe!

Even after being out of the industry in retirement for four years, I reflexively think about safety heading into a long holiday weekend.

This is the day for years I would be sending a memo around about being safe on the upcoming long weekend, as it always seemed like the young guys (and they were almost always the young guys) would routinely test their invulnerability at these times with quite often poor results.

I’d seen some bad injuries and a few truly tragic outcomes from these holiday weekends, and there were usually more than a few seriously sore and groggy people showing up for work on Tuesday. So, I would remind people to be safety smart on their holiday weekends, and I still think about that now.

I guess when you’ve lived in a real safety culture at work like I was fortunate enough to do; it never gets out of your blood. Recently there was a new apartment building going up right behind our house. We’re up high and were looking down on it all the time, and some of the safety practices just scared me silly and made me angry that companies could allow their workers to go unprotected in dangerous situations.

It started with the removal of some very large trees, a task that is extremely hazardous and I’m told results in lots of injuries and worse. On a quite windy day, of all things. The workers on the ground weren’t wearing hardhats, and the big limbs being brought down with a crane were swaying and swinging. One guy was wearing sneakers. When it got hot, they took off their shirts and gloves, even though they were operating a chipper, with no hearing protection. There was dust flying everywhere. Nobody had on safety glasses. It was just crazy. Yeah, we reported it to the developer, and it got better for a day or two.

The final roofing was terrifying. Ladders at an unsafe pitch, no head protection, not tied off, no wooden treads up the roof, the heavy asphalt roofing in huge piles carried up ladders on the worker’s shoulders, using nail guns with no eye protection. It was bad, and it also got me wondering about the quality of the overall work. One thing I learned from a close protégé of mine was that if you take care of safety in a diligent way, that discipline carries over into all aspects of the work. It’s the same thing when you don’t.

So though I sometimes drive my wife crazy nit-picking home projects (she calls me her Personal Safety Director), safety became part of who I am because of a work culture of safety and it becomes part of anyone who experiences the satisfaction of a work environment that truly puts safety first. So that’s why I’m thinking about it today and why I want to convey the message here that I sent for so many years to people I worked with before they enjoyed the holiday weekend ahead.

This weekend is pretty special, too. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to celebrate with family and friends the way we generally seem to be planning for this weekend. Many of us have been cooped up, and none of us have been able to freely enjoy the company of others without fear of COVID-19 for over a year.

So, it’s understandable that people may want to cut loose a little this weekend. And that’s exactly the time you really need to seriously pay attention to the inherent hazards that are very real in many recreational activities.

The bottom line is: have fun, but not too much fun. Remember your safety fundamentals. Be very thoughtful about ignition sources, combustible materials, electricity and hot surfaces. Boating and water sports need your respect in a big way. Fireworks are dangerous and when mishandled cause horrifying injuries.

Organized and backyard sports can result in injuries, so be ready for them. Something as seemingly innocuous as grilling out needs to be accomplished with safety in mind. Being in the woods is great, but not if you’re unprepared. Just being smart about things like sunscreen and staying hydrated is important.

I’ve had too much experience witnessing the negative outcomes: the burns, the contusions, the sprains, the lacerations, the eye injuries, the puncture wounds, the broken bones and even a fatality from a boating accident on the Ohio River when the people were drinking.

You want to return to work on Tuesday in one piece able to do your best work and without medical issues that cause you and your family pain and suffering. Yes, you may be young and feel invincible, but you’re not and neither are your family members.

Pay attention in 360 degrees and look for hazards just the way you do at work. And in my 40 years of work experience the common denominator in the great majority of accidents and injuries I have seen on weekends like this is drinking alcohol.

So don’t overdo it with the alcoholic beverages, and DO NOT operate a car, boat, motorcycle, three-wheeler or any motorized equipment if you are drinking or are under the influence of any type of intoxicant or medication. It’s just not worth it, and I’m sure you can find someone these days that is not imbibing to do the honors for you.

Years ago I was at a company sponsored event sitting at a table with someone that was clearly overdoing it. I knew they had driven alone to the party, so I suggested we find someone to drive them home. “Oh, Art, what a downer you are!” they said. “You can be a real buzz-kill, you know?”

My response was something like this. “You may think you are entitled to your buzz, and I’m not here to judge that. But you’re not entitled to put yourself or others at risk of injury or death by getting behind the wheel of a car when you are compromised like you are right now.” We found them a ride.

But that’s my message for you today. Be smart. Be safe. Have a great weekend. And come back to work, even if you are working from home, healthy and happy on Tuesday.

Original art by J.E. Hargate