Take the Time to Work Safely with Madalynn Habron

May 5, 2022

Today, Libby is joined by Madalynn Habron, NSSGA’s Digital Communications Manager. Madalynn is the tech guru behind the scenes of these safety shorts, and without her none of these episodes would happen. In this episode, she shares a story about safety that she learned from her husband and father-in-law regarding the importance of taking the time to work safely.

Episode Highlights:

• Madalynn’s father-in-law has worked for a beer distributor for the last 20 some years who is now in his late 50s and experiencing some health consequences from his decades of work. 
• He's had knee replacements, injuries to his hands and fingers, and now suffers from constant back pain
• Five years ago, her husband started working for the same beer distributor, and her father-in-law started to notice him doing those same sort of risky lifts that he had done when he was younger 
• Her father-in-law then shared with her husband the adage ‘do as I say, not as I do’ and taught him some of the lessons he learned later in his career: to plan ahead so you never have to rush, that it's better to do things right the first time instead of having to go back because you miss something, and that it's easier to make a second trip than to struggle through just one trip 
• These lessons have applications to everyone working in the aggregates industry, from haul truck operators to office workers - anyone

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:

 

•           We expect a lot of our bodies. How can we implement this idea of taking care of the body

that we’ll have for the rest of our lives?

•       It’s better to do it right the first time than to have to come back and do it over again. How

  might this work on a day-to-day basis?

•       Does anyone have an example of a time they chose to work slower or more safely?

Quotes:

“These two men have learned the lesson the hard way, and I'm grateful to be able to implement this in my own life.”

“He was a legend in his heyday, throwing 260 pound kegs over both shoulders, and carrying them several blocks to a restaurant or bar.”

“He can still do all the things that he wants to do, but he knows that he could be healthier today, if he'd worked a little smarter when he was younger.”

“My father-in-law started to notice my husband, a young man himself, doing those same sort of risky lifts that he had done when he was younger.”

“It's worth taking a few more minutes if it keeps everyone involved, safe and healthy.”

“You're making sure that you take the time to do things safely and make sure you're thinking ahead to what life is going to be like living in your same body 30, 40 years from now.”

Links:

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association website