Construction Finance Safety Minute: Avoiding Complacency

Construction safety is important.

Depending on exactly what you do, you are spending every day surrounded by heavy equipment, spinning blades, and/or things that will crush you if they fall.

Also, you may or may not be 100 ft. in the air while all of these things are going on.

Suffice to say, there’s a reason that construction workers are more likely to be injured on the job than loan officers are.

…………….

Over the years, a lot of time and money has been spent figuring out how to best combat these dangers–after all, people being maimed or killed on the job isn’t good. That’s why OSHA has 9,000 pages of policy on the proper procedures for eating a sandwich.

The big thing about construction safety guidelines, though, is that in order for them to do any good, you have to follow them.

A hard hat that’s sitting in your truck will keep your upholstery safe, but it won’t do much for your brain. The harness you left on the ground is doing even less good–it’s not even keeping the grass safe!

And so, today’s PSA is an obvious one, but also a really important one:  Don’t fall victim to complacency!

I know this is the 100,000th board you’ve cut. I know this is the 600th cell tower you’ve climbed. I know this the 4th window you’ve installed today.

But you know what?  I’ve typed my name quite a few times over the years, and I still managed to misspell my own freakin’ name in an email the other day.

The difference is, I sit at a desk all day.  I can misspell my own name as many times as I darn well please, and I’m still going to live to misspell something else tomorrow.

Construction isn’t like that.  Falling off cranes is one of those mistakes you usually only get to make once.

So please, be careful out there.  Follow those “stupid” productivity-killing safety precautions your contract mentions.  Wear the hardhats and harnesses and other protective gear they give you. Don’t disable the safety triggers and protective guards on equipment.  Do pay attention to what you’re doing.

I know you’ve done it 100 times, but I want to see you live to do it 101.*

*Edit: Yes, I realize that this is ironic post to write immediately after encouraging our nation’s youth to go into construction.  You know what? I want those future construction workers to be, too!  Because building things awesome, but it can also be ridiculously dangerous if you don’t follow the right precautions.