What Keeps You Safe?

If "The Reverend, Jesse Jackson", or Farikan or Spike Lee saw that picture..

They'd call CR4 racists, and we're nothing more than a website for crackers.

I Suggest replacing that picture with a picture of Chuck Norris..... because as crackers we are more tolerant of the portrayal of crackers........ ^{probably find that as racist in it's self, there is no winning in the age of hyper sensitivity}........

Thankyou phoenix911. The point of this real world photo (not hollywood fiction) is that a personal flotation device is being used as body armor. Does it keep this person who is relying on it safe? It is a real world example of my point- what we think is protecting us may not be.

If the rules for speech have devolved to the point that one may not use real world photos to illustrate a point because of race, than there is no freedom of speech at all.

Political correctness is a fascism to which I will not submit. The facts are what the facts are.

Chuck Norris is not in real combat and not relying on Personal Flotation devices for body armor. Some where in the world real people are. And are we in our shops any different than them?

My point is that we are not, and false reliance on the wrong protection can get us killed.

Milo

A relief to hear a man of convictions.

I understand your point at the beginning, p.c. is nothing but fodder. And your article like the others is very pertinent and important.

Yes, this personal flotation device is being used as body armor. However, I believe it is arrogant and wrong to think from this single image that the wearer believes a direct strike of a bullet will be stopped by this vest. In contrast I say from the crouched position of this irregular soldier, he knows that the vest will not stop a bullet. Except for the brilliant, eye catching color, this vest is surely better than nothing for stopping and deflecting less energetic projectiles.

In comparison I take this image as an example of what is wrong with our modern safety perspective. The safest individual is the alert and wary individual not the one confident in the effectiveness of their personal protective equipment. This is the point of the article.

As for the color of this soldier's skin, it happens to be dark. Human beings come in a variety of skin tints, get over it.

As for what somebody might or could say about this image.... I have really gotten sick and tired of straw man arguments made here at CR4. No "politically correct" complaints were raised except to shoot them down. I admit that I am guilty of using this enticing false argument technique. I'm trying to do better. False arguments quickly divert away from the topic presented. On that note, let me get back to the real topic at hand.

This soldier is obviously relying on the most important safety tool we all should use, an acute understanding of the situation. His secondary safety tool is ready for immediate use in his hands, a way to respond and mitigate a probable threat. His tertiary safety tool is far from ideal but it is better than nothing.

I agree with you Milo, we rely far too often on the wrong safety tool to keep us safe.

What your saying is correct, condensed down on some of the context just because you are wearing protective wear does not and should not put a false sense of confidence to take unnecessary risk.

Safety is self awareness as well as your environment, and respect it.

As for the 'political correct' aspect, hopefully if brought out in the open enough, there will be a consensus to put it in its place, no matter what topic, period.

Well Kris, one can certainly never be too careful about making assumptions. Making inferences from available information is certainly not 100 % certain, and heavens, maybe this is part of a west point training exercise and he is going to jump into a pool and be retrieved by navy seals, hence the personal flotation device. Maybe that is not solid ground he is crossing, but artfully disguised solidified water and in case of sudden phase change, he'll be kept at the surface and able to continue his marksmanship training. I get it. "Who you gonna believe? Me? Or your own lying eyes?"- Richard Pryor. Maybe this guy is trying to be protected from fragments resulted from 'Bathtub Breaking' You and I probably agree that critical thinking is recognizing and challenging assumptions. Failure to think is ignoring the evidence present because, just because, one doesn't have 100% certainty. Thanks for advancing the conversation, nonetheless. Milo

It's late over here, Milo, and I want to read this carefully before I reply.

This isn't strictly CR4 stuff (in my opinion), but I find it hugely interesting. As ever, you've made a thought provoking post that has value. I'll be back on this tomorrow. Thanks- you are a consumate diplomat and provider of stimulating discussion. I can't spell, but I think we have the same hymn-sheet.

OK, I've considered. The first step in safety is in considering our own actions. Forget telling others what to do (I'm not suggesting you or anybody has done such), but to simply examine our own actions and there impact on others. I could relate some stories of safety cock-ups that I've witnessed, but I think we've all seen that type of stuff. There are situations that may be endemic in any workplace, and also the 'unexpected'. Bottom line is that all people have to treat safety in the workplace just as seriously as they would personal safety at home. I don't think any of us can ever be 100% certain we get it right. Some workplaces kick off the day with a team-meet that amounts to 'everybody stay safe'. Probably not the accounts department (though I'd wager I could google some good examples of safety failures there. My current #1 on that list is now (I'll probably revise my opinion later) to accept that we are all more than capable of missing something. Great post, Milo. People go to work for all sorts of reasons, but the most important part of any job is that folk get to go home in one piece. Forgive the pic, it's just to remind myself and all that we can all fail to miss the obvious.

Thanks Kris. We agree that the point of work should not be to put ourselves in grave danger. and that the responsibility is 'ours' regardless of the rules, bureaucracy etc. The idea that we are all more than capable of missing something is a crucial point and opne I'll probably expand into a separate post later. What we fail to perceive is nonetheless a part of the reality that can bite us.

Thanks again for advancing the conversation.

Milo

While your attitude kept you safe and evidently didn't hold you back, it would freeze some people, it would cause them to roll up in the fetal position and hide under a blanket.

!

Milo

Milo.

My reaction was to the emphasis on the risks instead of the balance. You have probably seen the TV ads for some medications, five seconds on what it can do for you and twenty five on the terrible risks from taking it. The penalty for not taking it would have to be huge to overcome the risks.

gringogreg's post showed balance, he learned good work habits, how to operate his machines properly, he didn't just get the negatives, the vulnerabilities.

kramarat,

"A nation that depends on government to tell them what they have to do in every situation, (whether it's wearing a bicycle helmet, or not drinking a 20 oz soda), will eventually fall.

We were built by smart, tough, enterprising individuals; it will take the same to continue."

The smart tough enterprising individuals took their own risks and paid for their mistakes themselves. The medical costs for the head injuries to a helmetless person who crashes on a motorcycle are often born by the rest of us, they take stupid risks with our money. If they indemnify us with a notation on their license that they have, placed sufficient funds in escrow or that they agree to be left to die at the roadside, then go ahead, we don't need them in the gene pool.

Soon all of that will be taken care of. Mandatory insurance for all, or a fine, and it will be be illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition; which means that the motorcycle rider with the busted head, can sign up for insurance when he gets to the hospital.

It's going to be wonderful, and all of us are going to save tons of money.

Oh and a 5kg disclaimer with all the things you should not do with the product.

sure safe passage to heaven

If you consider the easy to get hard stone of various type in that region, those floatation devices could actually be made into a low grade armor. It doesn't appear that the PFD in the pic was altered in that way though.

Maybe the guy was more afraid of drowning than of getting shot. Maybe he had to cross water, but had to get there first, and so not wanting to give up a hand to hold on to the PFD the guy wears it.

Maybe no one is supposed to shoot him because he is wearing orange.

Robin that is absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever read here.

I guess you couldn't hear my fingers dripping with sarcasm when I typed those words.

The last paragraph sums it up very well,

If "Knowledge of how vulnerable you are" and an "Attitude of being vulnerable to all the hazards in your area" aren't your answers, maybe you should take a moment to think about what is really keeping you safe. Or not.

I was just thinking last week when I was working on a pallet wrapper, that we had trouble with since we purchased it over 2 years ago. The maintence crew hates working on it, and when he arrived, and small minor adjustment had to be made and maintenance mentioned about not LOTO that he wouldn't tell if I don't.... I was just thinking the same thing here. Anything could happen, it will be quick, it may not be deadly, but it would be quick and leave a mark. Told him to ply it safe and to LOTO.

I'll preface this by saying that workplace rules are needed.

However, I believe the things that keep people safe, is the freedom to make bad decisions, and the knowledge to know better.

We are spending billions on dumbing down our educational system to the lowest common denominator; in the name of fairness.

By supplanting common sense, with the comfortable cocoon of government provided safety, we are stripping people of the ability to analyze a situation and come up with the best course of action, and therefore, removing the basic survival instinct that built this country into what it is.

A nation that depends on government to tell them what they have to do in every situation, (whether it's wearing a bicycle helmet, or not drinking a 20 oz soda), will eventually fall.

We were built by smart, tough, enterprising individuals; it will take the same to continue.

For anyone that doesn't care for our bill of rights..............move someplace else.

If you have a good government(elected by your community) which cares for its citizens irrespective of color,race, language, religion,caste,creed,job,area,political influence, wealth etc you need not worry about safety.

Make sure to let your table saw, drill press, etc., know about that; things like power tools and heavy equipment don't always comply with government mandated safety rules.

Government taking caring of you from cradle to grave, keep in mind that with big government comes bureaucracy.

So when that happens as an old proverb,

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

I have always felt that the person that looks back at you in the mirror, THAT is the one that you can actually depend on looking after Number One, and Number One is you.

Government treats people as "voting machines" only but special attention is paid to ruling party members,the rich,the influential,political criminals,police/armed forces etc.

I hate slogans but when it comes to safety, they tend to ring true.

Such as;

No one, takes your safety more serious than you.

One of my all time favorite slogans is:

"DON'T LOOK INTO THE LASER WITH YOUR REMAINING GOOD EYE"

I agree, that is why being aware of the surroundings, coupled with presence of mind, and knowing or identifying all of my limitations help maintain my own personal safety as well as those around me.

Everyman is his own safety officer.
Del

(presumably the man in the pic thinks pulling a silly face keeps you safe too?)

As far as i know, common sense keeps me safe.

I for one have always had mixed feelings about on the job safety.

Too many times I have seen safety practices in place that were clearly thought up by desk dwelling paper shufflers being that in actual practice they were more of a hindrance to the work being done than a help to the workers actual safety in what they are working with.

More so this becomes obvious when different groups from different departments are working together in the same place at the same time doing the exact same tasks. Some have no safety gear others are loaded to the hilt with every single item of safety gear that they can possibly have.

If Bob works for group B from department F and the only safety gear he is required to wear is a light weight orange high visibility vest and Jack works right beside him all day doing the exact same tasks but comes from Group C of department H and has to wear the full on safety gear system of Hardhat, full face shield and goggles, Kevlar gloves, full flack jacket vest under full body orange coveralls, with full foot coverage steel safety boots what does that really say about the actual safety requirements and costs involved in the work site?

If the work safety records for both Bobs and Jacks departments show zero injures for any period of time then what?

Is Bob still under safe or is Jack way over equipped and who makes the decision as to why they both have far differing work place safety gear requirements for the exact same work conditions?

I fully agree on using the proper safety practices when they are justified by the realistic hazards of the work place and tasks at hand but I disagree with having workers overly protected against unrealistic "what if" scenarios.

I bit of irony. A few years ago I ordered a step stool to aid a machine operator to safely reach a part of their machine. I made sure that the stool I specified was rated for industrial use and conformed to the current safety requirements.

A few days later when the stool arrived, as I was unpacking it, I cut my hand to the bone on a damned sheet metal sign that the manufacturer had affixed to the frame, listing all the warnings and precautions for using the stool.