They Happen When You Least Expect It – 05/24/2021

Safety E-QuickTips

U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.

Monday May 24, 2021

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They Happen When You Least Expect It

He was a great guy; he’d do anything for anybody. When it came to those tough jobs that no one else wanted to do, he was the one that would volunteer for the job.

I don’t know how many times I saw him dodge a bullet. One day I saw him sliding down a 12 pitch roof and catch himself just before he went over the edge, where he would have fallen 24’ to a concrete slab below.

How about that day we forgot to bring the extension ladder to fix a piece of trim 16’ up on the side of that building? He used the top of a 10’ step ladder to fix it so we didn’t have to come back. Then the next thing I see is the ladder kicking out from underneath him leaving him hanging on a ledge. We got that ladder back in place just in time.

When I think about it, over the last 10 years I’ve worked with him I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get hurt on the job, not even a scratch.

Hey, does anyone know if he had life insurance or how his wife and 2 kids are going to get by?

They happen when you least expect it.

You aren’t notified via email, Facebook or any other social media, and no one calls you on your cell to give you a heads-up.

What are they?

Workplace Accidents.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were warned ahead of time before an accident was about to happen?

Well, I’m here to tell you that we are warned and they’re called near misses.

You know what I’m talking about. All those times when you said, “Got lucky that time” or “That was close.”

Those are your warnings, but most of the time we just don’t listen.Because we make it through without a scratch, we begin to believe that it will always end that way. But for some, it will end differently.

Workplace accidents are preventable if we just take a moment to review what went wrong when we experience a near miss situation. Then we need to share that information with others we work with so they too can protect themselves from a similar situation.

Workplace accidents will always happen when you least expect it, but we can all do our part to prevent them.

Employee QuickTip

The next time you say, “Got lucky that time” or “That was close,” remember to listen to what you are saying and heed the warning. It could just save your life or at least prevent a broken bone or two.

Employer/Management QuickTip

When a near miss situation happens in your workplace, take the time with your employees to review what went wrong and what they can do to help ensure it never happens again.

You don’t want everyone sitting around someday telling stories about the guy who’s luck ran out. 

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Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy and Work Safe.