Monthly Archives: January 2016

Safety Tidbit for Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

26 Tuesday Jan 2016

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Years ago, I knew a Coast Guard petty officer who told me that, when he was a young seaman (I think that’s how he said his rank), he was once on a detail that involved pulling in a heavy rope.  Like any good team member, he jumped in and started pulling his weight.  Only he didn’t bother to put on his gloves, and his hands took a thrashing.  I can’t remember all the details of his story, but I remember two things for sure.  First, he was chewed out afterwards for not taking care of himself.  Second, he was off-duty for several days while his hands recovered.  I’m also certain he never made that mistake again.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) needs to be used, not when it’s convenient, but when you or I need to be protected.  Sometimes it will protect us from a sting or a nick, sometimes from a cut or a broken bone, or it may just save a life.  There have been times when I realize I need to get my safety gear and I stop and put it on, so I will …

Be Safe!

Keith Steele

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Safety Tidbit for Tuesday, January 19th, 2016

20 Wednesday Jan 2016

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I’ve worked many jobs, each one with equipment that posed some degree of risk – from letter openers and electric typewriters to farming tractors and hay balers.  I won’t tell which job I was at when this story happened for the benefit of my coworkers.

Once I was working with a large piece of equipment that needed to be cleaned.  Because of moving parts, we asked the mechanic to train us so we could safely move the equipment and do the cleaning without injury.  He showed us which cover to open and how to set an actuator so we could do our work.

When we started, I worked closely with two others on a team, with one of us (usually me) watching to make sure the safety actuator was properly set, and that everyone was clear when we moved the equipment.  After a while, I left the cleaning to do a different task.  Later, I noticed my coworkers were moving the equipment and doing the cleaning, but they weren’t engaging the safety actuator.  When I asked, they said that the equipment couldn’t move (and injure them) because they were both inside doing the cleaning and I was yards away, so nobody could turn it on.

It wasn’t just that no one could “turn on” the machine, but when we used (engaged) the safety protocols, the machine was disabled.  Fortunately, nothing went wrong and we completed the cleanup without incident.  But whenever I think back on that project, I wonder what could have been the worst-case scenario?  I wish we had always taken an extra moment to make sure everyone would…

Be Safe!
Keith Steele

Safety Tidbit for Tuesday, January 12th, 2015

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

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I grew up driving a manual transmission (a stick shift), so I’m familiar with the challenges of driving with a clutch.  Perhaps the most-feared place to drive a stick shift is when you have to start moving while on an uphill grade.  In my travels, there’s such a place – a well-traveled road that climbs a nice hill with a stoplight.  Most of the time it isn’t a problem since I drive that street in my minivan.  One day, I needed to drive my truck, and I feared stalling when the light turned green.  If I did, what would I do?  How would it affect other drivers?

I got lucky.  Even though there was traffic, as I was approached the intersection, the light changed and I didn’t have to stop.  As I drove through the intersection, I looked around and saw that with a minor change in my route, I could take the cross street there there isn’t a hill.  I’d have to wait for traffic, but that may be better than risking a stall on the hill.

Everyone has situations that they fear, where there’s a risk of inconvenience or accident.  Whenever we face these situations, prepare for them the best you can, and if possible look for changes you can make that will help everyone…

Be Safe!

Keith Steele