Jun 2, 2022
It's always a good time to focus
on focusing, especially with June being National Safety Month, so
today's episode is all about the serious consequences that can
occur when we become distracted at work. And there are few, if any,
people who are more qualified to discuss this than today's guest,
Bill Doran, an Occupational Safety and Health lawyer with Ogletree
Deakins. Bill shares one of his many safety stories which he has
collected over his almost 30 years in the industry with listeners
here today. Episode Highlights:
- Bill has unfortunately had to participate in a
large number of accident investigations whose goal is to identify
an unsafe condition/work practice that can be eliminated to ensure
that a similar accident never happens again.
- Often, decisions are made when we are
distracted by any number of factors that could be surrounding
events, personal thoughts, stress, or just eagerness to get a job
accomplished.
- One such situation that Bill remembers involves
an individual and his crew who were involved in the task of
refurbishing sections of the metal shell of an elevated kiln which
required removing structure and material from both the outside and
inside of the kiln shell.
- This individual was intent on completing the
job, and, at one point after passing a sign warning of an open
inspection door, he began removing the last debris and material
from inside the kiln that needed to be cleared.
- While doing this, he focused on the plywood
board that was covering the opening, picked it up, and then he
inadvertently walked forward into the opening, suffering fatal
injuries from the 20 foot fall.
- He wasn't taking shortcuts or risks he was an
experienced professional who just lost his focus for a
moment.
- This emphasis on getting the job done is the
bedrock of the mining
industry - it's the key to the industry success - but that same
strength, overcoming all the challenges to complete the task can
sometimes be a weakness in hindering your ability to see the
more immediate hazards before
you.
- You can't let your guard down - the job will
get done, but it may be necessary to take a breath and an extra few
minutes to consider the world around you.
Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:
- In this story, an experienced miner suffers a
fatal fall from a momentary distraction. He wasn’t rushing or being
negligent, he just missed a hazard right in front of him. What can
we learn from this
story?
- As good as we think we are at multitasking, the
brain can miss important pieces of information when you’re jumping
between tasks. How can we remember to focus back on the task at
hand?
- Would anyone like to share a story about a
distraction or something that took away your focus from a
task?
Quotes:
“These experiences have taught me that no matter
who you are, at any given moment, you can be just a split second
decision away from a serious injury.”
“No one is immune to these distractions. It
doesn't matter how experienced you are, people concentrating on
getting the job done, or solving a problem can focus their
attention in one way and miss the hazard directly in front of
them.”
“That's the point. It's not easy, and it wasn't
obvious. His focus was on completing the job. Everything that he
did after leaving the outside area around the opening... took his
attention away from the hazard that was waiting for
him.”
“One of the real challenges is constant
vigilance, always being aware, slowing down, taking a
minute.”
“Distraction is human, and it's something that
we all struggle with, and something that we want to really
emphasize and highlight so we can try and prevent distractions in
the workplace in any way we can.”
Links:
National Stone, Sand & Gravel
Association website