Stand Up for Safety, Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace

 

This is a resend, but it is time we ALL stand up for safety……. ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE

Thanks B, this is self-explanatory

Here is an example of not looking the other way;
A concerned individual waiting for their spouse noticed the activity in the pictures going on (from a block away) and happened to have a camera handy. With two young children in the vehicle, the choice to leave them was not good, so pictures were the first answer, and a cell phone in hand to dial 911 just in case. Everything was over in about 15 minutes with no injury or fatality.

The individual, not wanting to leave well-enough alone, sent the pics to a trusted friend with a question of what to do. He just happened to know an individual who worked for the business in the pics. He emailed the pics and the note (below) to this individual who promptly remedied the situation.

In the pics you will see a person cleaning second story windows with only an “air harness” on, meaning ZERO fall protection! What she is standing on is the sign which is mounted to the building, with concrete below. Not a good scenario at all. She is trusting her grip, balance, the window frame and sheer luck for her safety. I would dare say that this is not the first time she has done it, and it is not the first time that someone has witnessed it. That is how our experience can give us a false sense of security and get us killed, “I’ve done it this way for 23 years etc.”. Nobody says a word and it becomes the norm until someone gets hurt or killed.

I am willing to say that a life may have been saved, by action, doing something. Maybe not that day and maybe not tomorrow but somewhere down the line someone will learn from this and not get hurt or worse, because somebody said something and raised awareness. What I am really hoping for is that the individual in the pics realizes that someone cared enough about her, not even knowing her, to say something that just might make it possible for her to see & enjoy her family another day and for years to come, and to appreciate it.

I just imagine (in my little safety mind) everyone in the work place, and others, willing to “do something” when they noticed a problem or potential problem, and then having a great big fat ZERO at the end of the year for injuries. I am one who believes in that particular number as being real, and very possible to reach, but it takes everyone buying in to accomplish it. We do it one person at a time, a day at a time, a task at a time, a week at a time and so on. Please KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! Know That WE ARE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!!!
Correspondence coming from the pics below;

XXXXXX,

A friend of mine sent these photos to me. I do not know if your group resides in the upstairs of this building, however I am sure that you know those that are. This practice would be be viewed as an imminent danger situation in the mining industry, and would result in very serious fines and citations from MSHA. OSHA, who would have jurisdiction over this site would view it very similarly. The citations and fines are a best case scenario, and I am sure you could imagine the other scenarios.

I do not know who she is, and that point is truly irrelevant. I am sure that there is someone, husband, children, maybe even grandchildren, who would have a very difficult time this Christmas and several to come if she were to slip. Clean windows are not important enough to endanger your life for.

XXXXXXX has something called courageous leadership for safety and health, and that doesn’t mean this woman deserves punishment or the like. What I would like is for someone to express the desire for this young lady to have a very Merry Christmas and to never endanger her families’ happiness to complete a job. And, those responsible for having this work completed need to understand that this task requires many more tools and much more time to complete safely. We all want to have our jobs done quick and cheap, but the cost of having that is often too great.

Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Thanks and have a very Merry Christmas

Answer to above email –

Thank you for the information, I will take care of this today.
Thank you,

XXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
Executive Vice President / Chief Credit Officer
XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX

A phone call from this individual (above) stated he was totally unaware that this practice was going on and that it would stop now. Further, if this was the only way to have clean windows, we would live with dirty windows and not further endanger someone’s life.

I hope this may help someone in the group, please keep up the good work!!!