Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam.  After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.  Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands . . . Plump was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!  One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting...

The Safest Person Ask yourself this question, “Who is the safest person I know?” Did you name someone you used to work with or perhaps someone you work with now? Many people do. The answer should be, “me.” If you can’t say you are the safest person you know, then you might want to think about what it means to make safety a personal thing. Can A Company Be Safe? If you talk to executives,...

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfil today and I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have. Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances...

“Line of fire” is a military term that describes the path of a discharged missile or firearm. It’s the path an object will travel.  In the workplace, particularly, there are many objects that have potential to create ‘line of fire’ exposure.  Examples of line of fire hazards: Electric hand tools which could kick back if they jam or catch Torque wrenches or other levers used to apply force...

by Michael Josephson It’s been said that the line between childhood and adulthood is crossed when we move from saying ‘It got lost’ to ‘I lost it.’  Indeed, being accountable – and  understanding and accepting the role our choices play in the things that happen -are crucial signs of emotional and moral maturity.  That’s why responsibility is...

by A. J. Schuler, Psy. D. People talk about “leading by example,” but what does that mean? By incorporating the following attitudes and practices into your life, you will not only improve your own life, but also begin to fashion yourself into the kind of person that others will follow and emulate – the very definition of leading by example.  So, here are my “Ten Rules for Working and Living:” ...

Of the many stories that came out of NASA’s Apollo space program, one of the favourites is the story about the janitor who upon being asked by a reporter what his job was in the organization replied “I’m helping to put a man on the Moon”. Now, whether this story is true or not doesn’t really matter as it exemplifies the general sentiment shared by everyone involved in that project; that...

Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 accidents are someone’s fault, usually the person involved in the incident. “Unsafe acts cause four times as many accidents and injuries as unsafe conditions.” Accidents occur for many reasons. Unfortunately, too many employees and supervisors tend to look for “things,” or excuses to blame the accident on, instead of  looking for the root...

Bernie Inman, a former energy company engineering employee who became a quadriplegic following an on-the job accident in 1994, warned that workplace accidents with grave consequences can arise from seemingly simple circumstances.  Sheila, his wife of one year at the time of the accident, told of the impact “preventable accidents” can have on the victim’s loved ones.  “Every one of you is...

We have been receiving advice about safety for years. We have listened to it, read it and watched television spots on it, but some maybe never thought about it much. We might even think, “Accidents can’t happen to me”. Then your best friend, who is in a hurry to get out of the house, has a bad accident that costs him/her a leg. Everyone is impacted – especially you.  You can see what...

A tradesman was nearly sprayed with heavy fuel oil while attempting to change the suction strainer on a pump. He was  removing the securing bolts from the strainer when the incident occurred. Initial findings indicated that the suction and discharge valves were not isolated and the system contained a tank header pressure of 80-100Kpa at a temperature of 35º-40ºC. Approximately...

“Values are critical guides for making decisions. When in doubt, they cut through the fog like a beacon in the night.”- Robert Townsend Let’s make safety a value!