You always hope that employees will use their common sense and experience to protect themselves from hazards on the job. But you can’t depend on it as a substitute for accident prevention training. Here’s a case in point.
—S
A crew was assigned to finish construction of a basin at a wastewater treatment plant. At the center of the basin was a drainpipe 42 inches in diameter. The pipe dropped straight down 6 feet before reaching an elbow joint where it proceeded horizontally to the pump station.
During construction the drainpipe was covered with a plywood plug to prevent workers from falling in. Because the drain was plugged, rainwater and snowmelt had accumulated in the basin. To drain the water so that workers could finish the construction, an employee wearing waders, life vest, harness, and lifeline entered the basin and drilled holes in the plug. The water began to drain, but the basin didn’t empty completely.
That’s when one worker decided to see what he could do to solve the problem.
Wearing waders but no other PPE, he walked into the water, which was still more than 32 inches deep at the drain. He used a long metal bar to thump the plug. When the plug suddenly dislodged, the employee was sucked down the drain and drowned.
Try OSHA Accident Case Studies and give a boost to your safety training program with real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files. We have a great one on lifting. Get the details.
Case Comment
The employer in this case was cited by OSHA for failing to instruct employees in the recognition and avoidance of hazards associated with entering a basin filled with water and failing to require employees entering this hazardous environment to wear appropriate PPE.
The employer in this case had apparently relied on employees’ common sense and experience to keep them safe. Although a supervisor had discussed hazards and PPE briefly with the crew before they started working, they had no formal training session concerning the specific hazards and required protections involved in the job they were assigned to do.
Big mistake! Don’t make the same mistake. Train your employees to recognize and understand hazards—and to take proper precautions to prevent accidents like this one.
Get Your Workers Thinking Safety
To prevent accidents like the ones we featured in today’s and yesterday’s Advisor, you have to train employees about job hazards and accident prevention procedures.
One good way to do that is to have them analyze real accidents, determine what went wrong, and discuss how to prevent similar accidents from happening.
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees with OSHA Accident Case Studies. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor. Get more info.
And that’s the purpose of OSHA Accident Case Studies, a safety training program that will engage your workers and get them thinking safety in every task they perform on the job.
Animated, customizable PowerPoint slides tell real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files, complete with accident photos to get workers’ attention and make your safety meetings come alive.
OSHA Accident Case Studies includes 25 meetings on all key safety topics.
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor.
You get:
- 25 case study meetings on key OSHA topics
- Customizable visuals and text
- Fast moving, animated PowerPoint presentations
- Detailed speaker’s notes for every slide
- Printable handouts, quizzes, and slides for each topic
- Interactive exercises and questions
Safety topics include:
- Back safety
- Power tools
- Hazard communication
- Lockout/tagout
- Fire safety
- Hearing protection
- Confined spaces
- Trenching and excavation
- HAZWOPER
- Ergonomics
- And more!
We’ll be happy to make OSHA Accident Case Studies available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.
afety Daily Advisor—BLR
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