Sorry for the "Hiatus"

I apologize for the lack of entry to this blog over the recent past. I have been having web access problems with my AT&T connection. They have been working on it, but have not been successful to date. I am on a "borrowed" connection now and hope to be back up soon.

In the meantime, here's a safety related comic strip for your amusement.

This Can't End Well

It is my opinion that the single most important (and effective) thing that safety professionals do is "education & training." I'm not just talking about speaking at jobsite safety meetings, or teaching an OSHA 10 hour class, I'm also talking about the one-on-one training that occurs when we explain to a worker the reasons why he shouldn't stand on the top step of a ladder, or that his anchor point isn't adequate and then teach him/her to tie-off properly.

Or, we try to teach up - trying to explain to upper management the reason why we want to enforce a company rule that exceeds OSHA's minimum standard. Or how the safety program actually saves them money.

To that end, I am constantly on the look out for photos that help in that process. I always carry a camera (I think most safety pros do) and take lots of "how not to do it" photos, and a few "atta boy" photos. The most outrageous photos may win the "Nitwit of the Week" award. Many photos also appear in my powerpoint programs used in the classroom or at a refresher class in the job trailer. I also look for those humorous photos that often get e-mailed around to "spice up" my programs while getting a point across to attendees.

Well, a friend and fellow safety pro sent me one such photo last night. This photo will certainly make it into a section of my next OSHA 10 hour class. It's a great way to point out the importance of paying attention to what is going on around you because the other guy's behavior can have disasterous effects on your own health and safety.

I offer it below for your own use - I'm sure that you will find ways to use the photo and I'd be pleased if you would leave comments with other "captions" that you think might fit this photo as a training tool. Perhaps this is even a good photo for a "Motivational Poster."

Inspiratonal Message

As a safety professional, I am often in the position to tell people things that they don't want to hear. I try to avoid being the "safety cop" on a project site, but sometimes I don't get the cooperation that I need. Anyway, this picture shows the results when a construction safety guy "pissed off" a guy with a backhoe.



















The moral of the story is: "Never Piss Off a Guy Who Owns a Backhoe!"

What Do Charles Darwin & Abe Lincoln Have In Common

They share the same birthday! Yep, they were both born 200 years ago on 12 February 1809!

















Darwin, of course, is remembered for his On the Origin of Species and "survival of the fittest." Most recently, we in the safety profession revere his work in the "Darwin Awards" where we celebrate the idiocy that removes people from the gene pool. Darwin Awards are presented for people like this:

The construction trades have been revolutionized by new tools that are little short of miraculous. Take the nail gun. Operating on compressed air, it turns the tedious task of nailing into a simple point-and-click operation. It also makes possible a new way to injure yourself, one hitherto unknown: hammering a nail into your brain.Brad, a 33-year-old bricklayer, had just finished using a nail gun to install wall paneling at home. After the safety-minded man had turned off the compressor and removed the nail cartridge, he downed a few beers with his mates while they joked "about construction site accidents, and taking your eye out with a nail gun." For dramatic effect, Brad pointed his nail gun at his head and pulled the trigger. His mates noted a small red dot on his skin.

Brad figured the firing pin had simply glanced off his skull, powered by a left-over charge of compressed air. In fact, he had fired a 3.2cm nail into his brain. He started to feel light-headed, but didn't feel much pain due, perhaps, to the anesthetic effect of beer. Nevertheless, his son insisted on calling an ambulance.

When he arrived at the hospital the pain had become worse, so Brad asked the nurses for "a pair of pliers to pull it out myself." Instead, a neurosurgeon and a team of specialists spent four hours sawing through part of his skull and carefully removing the nail. Brad was expected to make a full recovery. "Luckily for him it lodged in the motor area of the brain and not more critical areas," said the doctor.

"I did a very stupid thing," said Brad. If the nail had been a centimeter deeper, he would likely have suffered permanent brain damage, or paralysis.

How will you celebrate Darwin's 200th Birthday?

Top Ten Ways To Tell If Your OSHA Inspection Is Going Badly

10. OSHA sets up temporary housing in your parking lot.

9. The Compliance Officer mutters, "This is unbelievable" each time he or she enters a different area.

8. OSHA calls in a professional film crew to document conditions on your site and a reporter from "60 Minutes" tags along.

7. The Compliance Officer insists on wearing a moon suit supplied with SCBA, while your employees work in jeans and tennis shoes.

6. The Congressman you called for help won't return your call, but he does return your campaign contribution.

5. The Compliance Officer begins the opening conference with the following: "You have the right to remain silent..."

4. The Compliance Officer asks you a specific question about a report in your files, but you haven't turned any over yet.

3. The Compliance Officer knows each of your employees by their first name.

2. The Compliance Officer is a former employee that you fired.

1. Thomas M. Stohler conducts the closing conference.

You Can't Fix Stupid

No matter how hard we try, "you just can't fix stupid!"