What Happened – 04/18/2022

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U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.
Monday Apr 18, 2022

What Happened

Here’s a blast from the past (2014) I thought made sense with the baseball season getting underway.

Have you ever gone to a minor league baseball game? The great thing about minor league baseball is that you are always close to the action since most stadiums only hold about 8,000-10,000 fans.

We have a minor league stadium in Akron that is only about 15 minutes away from where I live. Every year they have a game that supports local charity, so a member of our church purchases tickets. Since the gentleman is a big fan and seems to know everyone at the stadium, he always manages to get tickets right in line with 3rd base. We are close to much of the action (foul balls) and we’re not looking into the sun.

As I sat watching the game this past Friday evening, it was interesting to see how many fans were talking to one another, moving in and out of their seats, and not really paying attention to the game, especially when someone came up to bat. Being close to home plate and in an area that sees a lot of foul balls, you would think people might pay closer attention to what was going on in the game.

And then it happened. A hard line drive, foul ball goes flying about 8 feet over our seats. When we turned around, there was a lady holding the side of her face up around her eye. It wasn’t long before you could see the blood roll down her face and it was clear her injury was serious.

As the game continued, some of the ushers attended to her and soon she was wheeled away. There was no question she was headed for one of the local emergency rooms.

Just that quickly, this woman’s night out with her family enjoying a minor league baseball game turned into a night I’m sure she will never forget. And not in a good way.

So, what does this have to do with workplace safety? If you think about it, being hit by a foul ball at a game is much like an accident in the workplace. The odds of being hit by a foul ball or being involved in a workplace accident and being seriously injured are small, but it does happen.

So, this week while you are working, make sure you pay attention to what is going on around you and increase your odds of going home injury free. And if you happen to attend any baseball games, you may want to pay closer attention to what is going on, especially if you’re sitting where a lot of foul balls are hit.

Employee QuickTip

Workplace accidents happen when you least expect them, don’t let them Catch You off guard.

Employer/Management QuickTip

This blast from the past was from 2014, and not long after that, major league baseball extended the netting protection to protect spectators. 78% of the spectators agreed with the changes and some even said they should have done it sooner.If you see workplace hazards, take the time to correct them before an accident happens. 

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