A kid on a site visit made me rethink my whole approach to safety

Last Tuesday I was doing a fitting on a new boiler at a school in Akron and a 5th grader walks up and asks if my hard hat has a chin strap because his bike helmet does. I laughed it off at first but then I realized I've been sloppy with my gear for years. He was just a kid but he had a point about basics I overlooked. Anyone else get checked by someone unexpected like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jesse19d agoMost Upvoted

Got a buddy named Dave who does HVAC work up in Cleveland. He told me he was swapping out a thermostat in this old church basement last spring and an elderly janitor came up and asked him why he wasn't wearing goggles. Dave said he just shrugged and said he didn't think he needed them for a simple swap. The janitor pointed out a rusted pipe right above the panel that looked like it could flake any second. Dave put goggles on right then and felt stupid for not thinking of it himself. He still talks about that guy whenever he skips safety gear.

abby_martin2819d ago

Honestly, that's exactly the kind of wake-up call everyone needs sometimes. Good on that janitor for looking out for him.