In the 1990s, my brother Bob worked in the Vancouver film industry as a production assistant. He told me about an experience that makes me angry to think about because it’s so dangerous. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, but it’s still a good example of worst practices.
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Recently I was invited to Ventana Construction’s Safety Day 2011 – a mini-conference that brought together more than 30 workers for courses, certification, and a lot of laughs.
On March 25, 1911, 148 people died at work – trapped by a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Those workers were trying to support families for a low wage from an employer who locked them in to prevent theft and left them to die. Let’s remember them.
There’s a certain appeal in pointing out other people’s errors. This is evident when you look at the popularity of “What’s wrong with this picture?”
Here’s a story from a former care aide attendant who worked in a group home for young and middle-aged adults. Residents at the group home lived with cognitive and physical disabilities, mental illness, and dual diagnosis (i.e. addiction and mental illness together).
Years ago, Christine was working at a car dealership when she walked outside and found two coworkers in danger of electrocuting themselves.
Up to 16 Americans die at work each day and the United Support and Memorial for Workplace Fatalities formed to remember them and lobby for improved safety conditions.
In the 1970s a UK man was given a hammer and a damp cloth to cover his mouth. His foreman said to smash down an old ceiling made of asbestos boarding. “My how things have changed!” he wrote.
Steps For Life is a fundraising walk to raise money for families who lost loved ones in workplace tragedies. On May 1, 2011, people in 33 Canadian communities will walk together and remember the human faces behind the statistics.
“Have you ever said no to a supervisor because something seemed too dangerous?” I posted this question on Facebook and got some interesting responses. I’ll share them with you in the coming weeks, and start with the craziest one.
