I don’t think anyone wakes up one morning and says, “I’m going to make a bad decision today, and it’s going to result in a personal injury.” But we all know that near misses and incidents are going to occur in our professional and personal lives. Many times, these events unfold when we’re in a hurry to complete a task or trying to hit a critical deadline. This is when lapses in judgement take place, and poor decisions are made. Although it’s a bit embarrassing, here’s a personal story I’ll share with you that just occurred.
A few weeks back, I agreed to help someone finish up some wood trim work in their basement. When I showed up to start the project, I saw plastic sheeting hanging everywhere throughout the work space. The drywall workers had just finished applying spray texture on the ceilings earlier that day. My first thought was to turn right back around and head home. I could come back the next day after the sheeting had been taken down. However, I knew this work needed to get done as soon as possible so that the painters wouldn’t be held up. So I made the decision to try and maneuver in and around all of this plastic “drapery” to complete my work.
I wasn’t there for more than 15 minutes before I bashed my skull into a metal bracket hiding behind some sheeting. Ouch! (Side note: For those of you who don’t know, head wounds can be pretty bloody.) I had crouched down and started forcing my way through the plastic to get to an area of the room where my wood trim pieces were stored, but I had no idea what was lurking behind that opaque plastic. Needless to say, my really short work day ended with a trip to the emergency room, where I received a tetanus shot and a staple to seal up the gash on my head.
As I reflected back on this incident the day after, I realized the pressure to get this work done pushed me to make a bad decision and work in an unsafe environment. I was fortunate to escape with a minor injury. I could have easily been hurt much worse. The good news is this provided me with a wake-up call to slow down, assess my surroundings, and follow my gut feeling before starting on any project.
Safety is a full-time job for everyone — at work and at home. Don’t let tight deadlines and external forces push you into work situations you know are unsafe or dangerous. Otherwise, you might just be headed to the ER sometime soon too.
