"Luck has a way of Evaporating"
Every so often you'll see in the news a bad accident. The story will describe the different variables, the depth of destruction, and will usually end with, "Thankfully they were lucky and nobody got hurt".
Luck is a strange thing in our world. We all know it's there and we use that term quite a bit in instances such as First Aid Cases, Near Misses, and in events that have much more serious consequences. How many times in your career have you ever been told or heard things like, "I can't believe that didn't take your finger off, you got lucky" or, "Good thing you weren't standing a foot to your right, you're lucky." But the truth is luck will run out eventually.
A quote I always liked is, "Luck has a way of evaporating when you lean on it". In other words, we must be proactive in our safety programs. We must be diligent and aware of the potential that surrounds us every day. Why? Because when we rely on luck alone it will always disappear.
Construction is a dangerous job. We work in a volatile environment that has the potential to hurt us if we let our guard down. Never rely on luck. Instead, here are a few things to have in your safety toolbelt to rely on:
Your own safety mentality and that of your coworkers
Proper Training
Proper Pre-planning
JHA comprehension
Proper jobsite communication
You can bring safety to your jobsite by remaining alert and aware, while practicing proper protocol. All incidents are indeed preventable, and luck isn't a way to prevent them.