When will companies learn!!! Hanging a safety banner is just asking for it! I love these as they are ALWAYS an opportunity to poke fun at ourselves and our profession. In a recent article in MS regarding changes to the state worker comp drug and post-accident drug testing they highlighted a local company. The picture shows the workplace with the infamous safety banner touting how serious safety is to the company. But take two minutes and scan the photo and tell me if they mean what they say in their banner!
It was 1994 and my plant manager wanted to do a safety calender spotlighting the employees, their family and their safety. So the safety committee members were given digital ameras for their Christmas presents (this was a HUGE deal back then!). The members took pictures of their co-workers doing their jobs and submitted them to a special committee who then picked the winners for the calender. The calenders were handed out during a safety celebration event and were a huge hit with the employees and their families. But we also sent some to the plant manager’s boss, corporate safety, etc. as a friendly gesture and to show off our great safety idea. It was then when it all came crashing down. Out of 50 or so photos, dozens of unsafe acts and conditions were in the photos!!! The background observations were bad enough, but when a photo of a worker with one foot on a ladder and the other foot on a pipe that is labeled “NOT A STEP – DANGER ACM” it sends a lot of bad signals about safety! To this day, this company has an approval process for any project that includes photos taken within the facility! I was so proud that I could contribute to bettering the company… NOT!!!! I still get reminded of this screw up by the employees when I return to visit or do a project. Here is the full size photo to help you see the OSHA violation/unsafe condition. Send me an e-mail if you need a tip of what to look for…
Source:http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/07/22/mississippi-workers-compensation-changes-go-into-effect/
