Story by Chris Dixon,
Forestry Products Division Operations Manager, Ring Power
I have worked with professionals in many industries and have learned one valuable lesson that applies to all: Whether you are a business owner or employee, it is your responsibility to live and breathe safety at work, at home and in public.
Especially in our business, we need to do more. It is time to join the Safety Culture. Be a leader and keep others out of harm’s way. Tell your team you care about their safety and the impact on their families if they are hurt. Discuss with them and subcontractors what you expect as it relates to safety. Make the time to consider the safety aspects of a task. Make it a daily routine to check that everyone made it home safely.
Empower others to recognize and resolve unsafe situations without hesitation, embarrassment or fear of retribution.
I see these unsafe situations every time I am in the woods: Loads not strapped down correctly, debris hanging off the trailer, personnel standing just feet from the loader as it works, dull chainsaws, no personal protection gear, leaking flammable fluids, and so on.
It’s our duty to stop an unsafe situation, even if the person is not our employee. I was at a concrete recycling facility where the crusher operator, the ground man, and the supervisor were looking at a problem with a conveyor. The ground man had his hand inches from the moving belt. I immediately moved him away from the machinery and asked the operator to shut down the equipment. I took the man aside, put my hand on his shoulder and explained to him that his job was not worth his life or a disability. I also explained that he was violating his responsibility to be safe on the job. He looked me in the eye, shook my hand and gave me a heartfelt thank you.
On another occasion, I watched a skidder operator bring a drag to the landing and while the machine was still rolling, he jumped off, ran and grabbed a pole saw and started trimming a load. In those few seconds he had several “loaded gun moments”—situations akin to running with a loaded gun, safety off. He did not set the park brake or dismount using the ladder and three points of contact. He ran instead of walked and did not look down to avoid trip hazards. He used the pole saw without his PPE. I stopped him and asked why he was running around like that. He said he was new to the crew and wanted to make sure he was the hardest worker.
Look for loaded gun moments, stop them and use them as teachable moments. And when, despite our vigilance, there is an accident, you must have an emergency plan that includes: Names of those on the jobsite trained in first aid and CPR, numbers for those in charge of reacting to emergencies, numbers for medical help, fire and police, and directions from the nearest emergency facilities to the jobsite. Brief your crew on the emergency plan each time you move and provide everyone with a copy.
I will leave you with this daily thought: Today I will act when I see an unsafe situation. I do not want to be the one who has to tell a family their loved one was hurt or killed because I did not do everything I could to live a Safety Culture.
Now go and live a safe day!
Ring Power is a Caterpillar dealer in Florida.