Even healthy risk taking can cause injury is our today toolbox topic. The causes that produce accidents are innumerable. We would need several sessions to be able to mention them all. As this is not possible, or practical. In this toolbox talk, I want to limit myself to talking about some causes. Even healthy risk taking can cause injury and we are going to talk about what usually appears directly or indirectly. In most of the accidents that occur in plants.
I will try to justify this topic with a real story and then describe the three control measures, we should apply before any activity to prevent injuries. The following story is a good illustration of what we mean.
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Example of “even healthy risk taking can cause injury”
In a petrochemical plant in Jubail Saudi Arabia, there was a small bridge over a ditch. A truck driver, new to the job and still a little bit inexperienced, misjudged the clearance and left rear wheel coming off the axle.
After this happened, there were some workers near who fixed some pipes under the direction of the foreman. They left their work for a few minutes and went to help the driver put the truck back on the bridge. Among them was a young man who was very proud of his physical strength. He frequently gave demonstrations of his ability to lift weights so that bring the truck back on the bridge.
He lifted the truck with the force of his arms. The weight was much greater than he had imagined and the worker could not lift the truck. On the second attempt, the young worker exceeded his efforts and his muscles were put to a very severe test.
Suddenly, during the lifting operation, he felt a terrible stab like a knife through his left side. He had no choice but to stop what he was doing, although his pride did not allow him to admit what was happening to him. The pain lasted for a while but he mechanically kept doing his best to finish the task.
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After having managed to put the truck back on the bridge, the foreman noticed something strange about him and asked him if he was feeling well, the answer was immediate "nothing, I'm perfectly fine". Admitting what had happened to him was, in his opinion, a confession of weakness. Apparently, he showed himself fine and the next day he went to his work as if nothing had happened. He felt fine, except for an occasional twinge.
However, after several weeks his colleagues began to notice a radical change in him. He was pale, listless, and was losing weight. Although he had good digestion, he had a good appetite and there were no symptoms of fever. There was no doubt that something was consuming him.
Finally, his foreman took the initiative and suggested that he go see the doctor. When the doctor asked for an explanation of the background of the case, nothing was said about lifting the truck. Both the foreman and the worker himself had forgotten the incident.
The doctor began to listen to him with the help of a stethoscope, for a moment he listened attentively to his heartbeat and with a worried expression he said “Young man, I'm afraid you'll have to suspend work for a while. The best place for you is the hospital.”
We know that lifting heavy loads can cause injury
"But what's the wrong doctor?" asked the worker.
The doctor explained that you had a heart injury that was the cause of a twinge due to lifting something heavy. The doctor told his foreman that very few cases as severe managed to recover. Six months later, the fatal outcome occurred.
This story reveals the fact that the case never appeared as a disabling injury, no one knew that he had suffered an injury and he did not fully understand because “Even healthy risk taking can cause injury.” Without a doubt, a very childish attitude that unfortunately cost him his life.
Which of the following is considered an unsafe exercise that might cause injury?
Three of the causes frequently we mention in toolbox talk that “even healthy risk taking can cause injury” are:
- I did not see it.
- I didn't think so, and
- I didn't know.
Let's talk a little about each of these three things and measure their relationship to accidents.
I did not see it: Sight is an extraordinary faculty with which all human beings are born. Because we use it practically to do anything. Sometimes we forget the precautions that we must always take to keep it in the best possible condition. You have two eyes to see the dangers that exist around you at work and home. So look around you and be on the lookout for dangers that may occur.
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I didn't think so: Many people still think that accidents just happen. Which are due to "bad luck". These same people would laugh if you told them that they are superstitious. His attitude that accidents "just happen", or cannot be avoided, is as ridiculous as the superstition about a black cat crossing his path.
Thinking logically would lead us to the conclusion that almost all accidents, that is 98 out of every hundred, can be prevented. Over the last 30 years, there has been a steady and increasing improvement in records as accident prevention/loss control coordinators, management and workers have been thinking of ways to make their jobs safer while keeping high production.
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Now, if accidents "just happen", we could not explain in any way this reduction in the frequency of accidents, right? That simply and authoritatively proves that thinking men avoid accidents.
What does mean for that worker’s twinge in his chest? It means that he did not think about how to do his job safely or he was not trained in manual handling techniques. I would like each of you to think that way about your work as well.
I didn't know: Although knowing how to do a job correctly is very important, not everything is reduced to knowing. You have to put that knowledge into practice.
Conclusion
Part of my responsibility is to make sure each of you knows the right way to do your job. If you think you don't know the correct way, please ask me. I will try to explain it to you to the best of my knowledge. In this way, we can be sure, without any doubt, that we know the correct way.
Finally, remember “even healthy risk taking can cause injury“. if you are sure that you see all the dangers, that you know the correct way to do your work, and that you think when you are working, all of you can avoid accidents. Workers who see, think, and know prevent accidents.
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