We are sure every reader could give an example of how either themselves, or someone they know, has had a near miss. It might even be said, “that person had luck on their side.” But who wants to rely on luck or divine intervention when we’re talking about safety?
There is more to being safe on the job than just being lucky. In all reality, safety has nothing to do with luck. Safety happens though a series of educated decisions and wise choices.
Safety Happens When:
- People are properly educated about the job they are doing and what it takes to do it right – We are not just talking about a 5 minute run down that says “you do this” but really training someone to know how to perform a task competently and the risks associated with doing the task incorrectly. You wouldn’t let just anyone perform surgery on you, so why do you let someone with no training or experience rig a load that will be lifted and could potentially cause serious damage if a failure were to occur?
- Equipment is properly maintained and inspected as required – Rigging, hardware and machines wear out and break down, but without proper maintenance and inspection, it will probably occur sooner rather than later. Isn’t it better to know of a concern and have the chance to fix it prior to it breaking and causing an issue, incident or accident?
- Everyone is working together to create a safe environment – while researching this article we came across the perfect quote used by Gray Construction, “If you see it, you own it. If you walk by it, you condone it.”
Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Not just the person in charge of the crane or rigging, but if you see a potential issue it is in your job description to speak up. If something happens, there better not be any, “yeah, I thought that was an accident waiting to happen,” sentiments. - Safety gear is worn and fastened properly – From general PPE (glasses, hard hat, footwear, clothing) to harnesses or other required gear. Not only is it on, but is it being worn appropriately. How many images have you seen with the person in an elevated work platform wearing a harness only to have the lanyard attached back to their harness. Kudos for wearing the harness, but its not going to do much good should there be an accident.
Now, as you go about your day, try to identify where you are relying on safety and where you are hoping for luck. It is inevitable that accidents will happen, but their severity and impact will correspond with the choices made regarding safety before the accident even happened. We owe it to our co-workers and their friends and families to make sure they come home safe every day, not just on the days where luck was on their side.
While we only picked 4 Pointers that we are passionate about at Crane Tech, we could have easily written many more. After all Safety through Education is more than just our motto, it is our guiding principle. If you need assistance with helping keep your operations safe, such as operator, rigger or crane safety for managers training, give us a call 800-290-0007. If you have a safety pointer you’d like to share, feel free to comment below.
Have a safe day and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
