Read on for a great reminder on the importance of protecting the people closest to you – shared by Jack Cain, Weifield Chief Safety Officer!
All too often, complacency can set in at the workplace. Maybe it is because you have never been hurt before, or you start viewing safety rules as a hindrance.
It is often the illusion of invincibility that can drive workers to take chances and walk into a hazardous situation. Maybe you didn’t hurt today, but could someone else get hurt.
You can make a difference no matter the circumstances, and no matter your position — from apprentice to superintendent.
The following poem is a reminder to all of our teammates at Weifield — that safety is about you, but also the other guy — the one with the new baby, the one close to retirement, the woman about to be married, the one who has your back…and to all the family and friends at home waiting for you. The following poem has circulated the Internet for a few years, but I think it is worth repeating.
I Chose to Look the Other way
I could have saved a life that day, But I chose to look the other way. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I had the time, and I was there.
But I didn’t want to seem a fool or argue over a safety rule. I knew he’d done the job before, If I spoke up, he might get sore.
The chances didn’t seem that bad, I’d done the same, He knew I had. So, I shook my head and walked on by, He knew the risks as well as I.
He took the chance, I closed an eye, and with that act, I let him die. I could have saved a life that day, But I chose to look the other way.
Now every time I see his wife, I’ll know, I should have saved his life. That guilt is something I must bear, but it isn’t something you need share.
If you see a risk that others take, that puts their health or life at stake. The question asked, or thing you say, could help them live another day.
If you see a risk and walk away, then hope you never have to say, I could have saved a life that day, But I chose, to look the other way.
– Poem by Don Merrell
Until next time…work safe & be safe!
