Today I was scheduled to have lunch at Penn Station in Philadelphia with my friend and colleague, Terry. It got canceled.
She sent me a message last night that her husband Joe (also a friend) was in the emergency room. He had nearly cut off his forearm with a power saw! Now, canceling our lunch date was of no significance. But I’ve been thinking about what this will mean for the couple. This mishap could envelop their lives for the next few weeks or longer, depending on the severity of the injury. (Terry wrote that it looked like a “horror movie!,” so I’m guessing Joe cut deep into his forearm.)
Thankfully Joe didn’t cut off his arm or bleed to death. (A decent-sized ulnar artery runs inside your forearm.) I have no idea yet what caused Joe to “nearly cut off his forearm.” Joe was deeply involved in nuclear safety and a knowledgeable person. He’s not the “risk-taker” type. But he is human.
“It Can Happen To Me.” “It Can Happen Today” is the title of a training program that included a video I developed for British Petroleum. I’m not writing this just to promote my work (though that’s in the mix). Still, I want to write this blog post as a reminder of how important it is to realize that at any time, any day, including today, we can succumb to an action that could lead to a severe and hurtful incident, one that’s life-changing or life-ending! This is something that as safety leaders, we have to give our best to convince our employees to realize and keep in mind while they are going about their daily tasks.
I wish my friend Joe a speedy recovery with little or no permanent damage. (He’s seeing a surgeon today.) Terry and I will have to reschedule our lunch, and I’m sure I’ll be hearing about the gruesome details of her husband’s injury. I’ll include and update in a future blog.
PS: Here’s a link to the video I wrote and produced for BP: https://youtu.be/WrHjWlXuQ8g
