The difference between life and death are the same as guilt and innocence. It's a matter of timing

For example, you decide to run a stop light. If a cop is there you get a ticket. If no one is around you get away with it. It is a matter of timing.

A couple of years back our company went through a Safety Overhaul. My Boss asked me "When you go to sleep at night, do you hope your people are working safely or do you know they working safely?"

This little question has sent me on some long thoughts as to the answer. What i have really come up with is this, do i really want to know? You know what they say, ignorance is bliss.

My location has worked 7 years without an LTA (Lost Time Accident) when asked how we did it i replied " We got Lucky". Actually there was a lot of truth to that. It comes down to reporting. If a person has a minor cut or bruise or something and they are looking for a meal ticket you can bet your ass they can turn that into a LTA. If you have good solid people who want to earn a decent living they will go on about their business and suck it up.

What do you ask makes a solid person? I would say it is a direct reflection of the company they work for. If your company takes care of it's people, pays them fairly and provides a safe work environment etc.. you will probably have good solid people. Don't get me wrong. You do have to do some culling. I might go through 3 or 4 people before i find the right person to mesh with our group. I will tell you this, it is worth the culling effort to get the right person. It will pay for itself in the end.

The it will never happen to me scenario. How many times have you said this? I have said this a million times. I look at it differently now. What if it did happen to you? What would your family do? Are they prepared for it? Do you have fire drills at home? Does your kids know what to do in the event you must evacuate your home? Do you have a designated meeting area?

In the industry, risk are determined by probability and devastation. We train on a lot of different scenarios so we will know what to do in the event the one in a million accident does occur. Can you truly be safety conscious if you don't? Is it worth jeopardizing your hearing because ear plugs are uncomfortable? How many chances do you take in a single day. Chances that if it is bad timing may result in serious injury or death? Is it worth all that to risk being a few minutes late?

It comes down to you believing it will never happen to you. I have news for you. It is a matter of timing!