Surely this cannot be serious?

Surely this cannot be serious

This photo of a hi-viz wheelbarrow, complete with safety flag, was taken recently at an Australian Mining site. This photo is going straight to our This Toaster Is Hot page.

Surely it can’t be serious or it would also have had a flashing light, two-way radio, VMS and SOP’s attached to it! Of course there would also be a pre-start checklist and a lengthy induction. If it is a joke then it is actually sad indictment on the ridiculous way that safety is being managed in mining and other high risk industries and why “safety” is becoming a very despised word.

We are hearing of 2 hour inductions to use a vacuum cleaner because it is an electrical device and full scale investigations when a band-aid is issued. Meanwhile……. the FIFO way of life is leading to severe depression, relationship breakdowns, obesity, alcohol abuse, fatigue etc etc. No wonder many of these guys turn to Harleys and Jet Skis and other high risk pursuits during their downtime – How can it be healthy for a human to regularly transition between those two extremes – from being free to take risks, be imaginative, learn new things etc (and probably not get injured) and then go to work, for 12 hours over 7 or more straight days, in a system so mind numbing, controlling, onerous and risk averse?

Unfortunately,  there have been a number fatalities in mining in recent weeks – I simply cannot see how focussing so much attention on micromanaging safety would have prevented these incidents – well clearly it didn’t! Because of all the trees we have definitely lost sight of the forest!

I know these are big statements to make for someone who doesn’t work directly in the industry and I would love to hear the thoughts of those who do.