JLC Online: In the construction industry, two groups of workers account for the most accidents. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers 25 years old and younger account for the most nonfatal accidents, while those in the 55-to-64-year-old cohort experience the most fatalities.
3 comments:
I found the safety points he made useful and the stories of near severe injury/death a “good” read. I think the point about working in the cold was most eye opening to me because it’s obvious that with more clothes and on and lower temperatures your reflexes and movement change and also materials and tools you work with will behave differently—but when you’re in the middle of a project or job outside sometimes those details are not brought to our attention and errors like this are made. The point about not working alone was also relevant to the theatre industry because this situation is common for job leads who are running behind schedule and can’t force other people to work longer than they’re called so it falls onto a select few to try to put projects back on track in a fast, dangerous manner.
This reminds me of a video I saw once about 'Delta P' (change in pressure) while diving or swimming. It had a variety of accident reports of divers that died because of it, sometimes while cleaning drains. It is when there is a space with little water next to a space with lots of water, and the water is rushing to travel to the less-occupied space. If you are caught in that current, depending on the pressure change, you will certainly be caught in it and drown or be crushed entirely. While many people might think of SCUBA diving as a riskier activity than anything we'd do in the theater, I disagree, because there is a sense of complacency with all the hours we spend in the theater and the shop. You don't get that with higher risk activities, such as skydiving or SCUBA diving; people hardly ever lose than sense of caution. Very few people are overconfident when jumping out of a plane so they're likely to be very cautious about all safety procedures. But, someone working in a scene shop for 30 years around heavy machinery? They may get complacent and succumb to an accident that could have been easily avoided. Same thing with driving, it is easily the most dangerous thing most people do, and every time you get on the road, you're signing up for the risk of being maimed or killed, or inflicting that on someone else. This article is a good reminder to always stay cautious and vigilant.
Safety is a very important aspect to consider even just in everyday life. The age groups that experience accidents are not a surprise to me. Those who are just starting their careers are eager to prove themselves and less cautious when it comes to small dangers. The older age range having a high fatal incident count is most likely due to a comfort that comes with being in a shop for hours on end, leading to the cutting of corners when it comes to safety that comes from a over confidence in one’s own skills. It’s always important to take safety measures and most importantly never work alone.
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