WCTC   Safety

Why is Safety Important?

The following article is an article published in the American Society of Safety Engineers quarterly publication. James Beach of Keldossa, GA wrote it. There are many reasons why safety is important, but in the day to day routines of our work, sometimes we need reminders such as this to truly remember why safety is not only important, it needs to be a value in our lives.

ARE YOU AWAKE YET?

Several months ago an article appeared in our nation's newspapers, "Man Dies on 25th Birthday." The majority of us might have briefly scanned through the article and gone on to the next page. If we had bothered to read this article, we would have learned something about the life of this young man and perhaps some very valuable lessons for ourselves as well.

The man died as a result of an industrial related accident that had occurred six years earlier.

One morning more than six years ago, this young man of barely more than 18 years reached over and shut off his alarm clock, got out of bed and kissed his wife and newborn daughter good-bye, and left to begin another day at work. He was a carpenter apprentice and he worked very hard at his job. He felt fortunate that in a sluggish economy he had a good paying job where he was permitted to learn a useful trade. He was erecting a scaffold that morning on a turbine generator deck approximately 60 feet high. He had been told on several occasions that it was not enough to just wear your safety belt, but that he needed to tie off with his lanyard as well. Yet … one careless moment was all it took to change his life, and the life of his family, forever. On this day he learned the true meaning of hell, because from this day on, his life would be exactly that. You see, shortly after 9:00 that morning, the man fell. His safety lanyard was still tied in a knot around itself and hanging from the D-ring of his safety belt. He would never again get the chance to make that error.

Are you awake yet?

Here are some cold hard facts about the lessons this man learned the hard way. Six years passed since he had been able to hold his wife and newborn child in his arms; six years since he had taken a walk in the sunshine or even seen the sunshine for that matter! Two thousand, two hundred twenty-five days in the hospital, 2,225 days and nights of bedpans, needles shoved into his arms, tubes and hoses pushed down his throat, 2,225 days since he had enjoyed a decent meal.

Paralyzed and bedridden, unable to speak or communicate in any way. Each day hoping that, perhaps, someone might come to visit him. (How long had it been since anyone came to see him?) At first, they had been there every day, but slowly they started coming less and less often, and now almost never. Didn't they understand that just because he wasn't able to communicate that it didn't necessarily mean that he was some kind of vegetable? That he still had feelings and had endured enough pain without this too? Fifty-three thousand, four hundred hours of waiting, for something … but never knowing what. Fifty-three thousand, four hundreds hours to look at the same dull, drab ceiling and wallpaper. Three million, two hundred, four thousand minutes to think about the mistakes he made in his life. Minute after minute to relive that fateful moment in time that ended his life, took away his family and his future.

One hundred ninety-two million, two hundred forty thousand seconds to wish he had never been born; 192,240,000 seconds to spend dying a slow, cruel death, little by little, second by second.

Today was his birthday; he would be 25 years old and never even had the chance to live his life. It ended almost before it began, yet the actual end was so long in coming. A special birthday wish, a wish that he had held every minute of every day for the past six years. Today his special birthday wish would come true. Today he would find peace, today - he would die.

Are you awake yet?

Are you tired of all these safety meetings and talks about safety? How many times have you done something careless or reckless and thought that you would be OK and that nothing would happen to you? This man's suffering may have been private for him but his accident touched many others. His wife and newborn daughter for instance. At first they were grateful that he had survived the fall, but now so much time had passed and he had never shown any sign of recovery. The little girl who knew nothing more about her father than that "he lived in the hospital," but she never went to see him because Mommy "couldn't handle seeing him that way." Sometimes it's hard to understand things when you are only six years old. Is this how you want to leave your family and friends? Please, wake up! Pay attention to the rules of safety and enjoy all that life has to offer.

If safety isn't important to you, it is important to your family.

Why is safety important?

According to a study published during the summer of 1997 by the American Medical Association the total occupational injury and illness costs in the United States in 1992 were an estimated $171 billion? This same study revealed that there were between 46,900 and 73,700 people who died from occupational diseases and 6,500 who died from on the job injuries. This same 1992 study revealed that occupational causes produced 5 - 10 percent of the nation's 517,000 cancer deaths and one tenth of the 91,541 deaths due to respiratory diseases. OSHA estimates that work-related musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendentious, herniated disc and low back pain, account for more than 1/3rd of all occupational injuries and illnesses that result in days away from work, or 600,000 cases. These injuries cost employers $15 billion plus annually in workers compensation costs. Injuries, illnesses and deaths in the work place take an enormous toll on our economy and our society.

The construction industry comprises 5% of the nation's workforce, yet that 5% consistently experiences a disproportionate 20% of all traumatic occupational fatalities. In 1998 there were 5100 workers killed in on the job injuries. The construction industry was responsible for 1171, or 22% of those fatalities.

Safety has made tremendous gains in our nation. In 1912, the first year data was collected; there were 21 deaths per 100,000 workers. Today, there are 2 deaths to every 100,000 workers. While this is a great improvement, there are still 17 workers per day killed in on the job injuries, 6 of those 17 are construction workers.

As a safety person, I often (and I mean often) get chided about being too picky or questioned about why it is important to exceed OSHA regulations. Each and every one of us needs to strive for 100% safety at all times. Even 99.9% safe isn't good enough. If 99.9% safe was good enough there would be two unsafe landings at O'Hare International Airport each day, 50 newborn babies dropped at birth by doctors each day, 268,500 defective/unsafe tires produced each year, 200,000 incorrect drug prescriptions each year and one hour of unsafe drinking water per month. Are you willing to say 99.9% safe is safe enough?

When our lives are in another's hands, we expect that our safety will be their #1 priority. We don't want them taking short cuts or overlooking safety procedures. Why then do we? When our lives are in our own hands, safety also should be our #1 priority.

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