ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- Last week, I had a near miss reported to me.
A forklift operator delivering material to a building on base was about to make a left turn, and a car passed her on the left just as she was beginning her turn. Had she not seen the car, it could have been a bad accident. It’s a good example of a near miss.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says, “A near miss is … a condition or an incident with potential for more serious consequences.” This could include:
• Unsafe behavior
• Unsafe conditions
• Events where injury could have occurred but didn’t
• Minor injuries that had potential to be more serious
• Events where property damage could have resulted but didn’t
• Events where potential environmental damage could have resulted but didn’t
The “Injury Pyramid” emphasizes the idea that for about every 3,000 near misses, there will be 300 recordable injuries, 30 of which cause a lost workday and one potential fatality. So, if you reduce the number of near misses, you will reduce the likelihood of a major incident.
Unfortunately, we have seen an increased number of close calls and safety incidents over the last few months at Arnold Engineering Development Complex; many of them were caused by someone not paying attention.
OSHA’s website reports 145 U.S. workers have died on the job so far in 2024. Below are a few examples:
- Fall from a roof
- Trench collapse
- Cutting wheel debris
- Crushed between trailer and dock
- Struck by powered industrial truck
- Ladder contacted power lines
What does this have to do with us at AEDC?
- All these tasks are tasks we do on base.
- All these tasks are something routine that the employee had done “a thousand times.”
- All these fatalities happened because someone was not paying attention.
Distracted or impaired driving – including talking or texting on cell phones, eating while driving, changing the radio, or having your mind focused on a hundred other things – takes your mind, eyes or hands off the task of driving.
The upcoming holidays, rushing to get things accomplished, worry, stress, and lack of sleep and are some other distractions that can take your mind off the task at hand.
As we continue through this season, we all need to take a step back and remember to be constantly aware of our surroundings and to pay attention to the task at hand. Keep in mind, just because you have “done it that way a thousand times for a hundred years” does not mean it is safe.
Take care of each other.