Workers’ Memorial Day… Why Safety Matters In The Workplace?

Author: Tony Mudd, CSP  Published: 4/28/2023 Time: 3 Minutes

On January 24th, 1996, Joe, a career company veteran of 25 years, and a husband and father of 5, went to work and did not come home. On that night, his wife of 45 years received one of the most terrifying phone calls of her life. Joe’s employer called, informing his wife that she needed to get to the job site right away.

Filled with fear, wondering what she would witness when she arrived, she left immediately and headed to the job site. When she arrived, she was overwhelmed by the blaring sounds of fire engines and paramedics; her sight was blocked by a sea of police officers flooding the crowd. Struggling to hear past the pounding sounds of her heartbeat, Joseph’s wife rushed forward, as close as she could get. There she saw Joe’s fellow work community gathered around the facility, eyes filled with tears and faces hung low with grief, asking if Joe was still alive. As his wife stood tall, pulling together all the strength she had left, one of Joe’s friends from the facility approached her saying, “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Joe was crushed; crushed by 5,000 pounds of lumber.” Unable to bear the news, his wife fainted.

Joe was crushed by a load of wood that was hoisted and accidentally released by an untrained crane operator who claimed that he did not see Joe working in the area. The crane operator’s failure to see him changed Joe’s life forever. Joe was rushed to the local hospital where due to his legs, feet, and lower torso being crushed, he underwent 16 hours of reconstructive surgery. Joe had over 60 broken bones and was told that he would never walk again. For 12 dreadful months, Joe was paralyzed from the legs down, restricted to a body cast, and unable to walk and care for himself.

After one full year of being confined to a body cast and another 2 years of physical therapy to gain back his mobility, Joe lost his job, and his mental health deteriorated from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although Joe survived this incident, it did in fact take his life; his life of providing for his family and being free from pain and agony. This man named Joe was my grandfather. At the young age of 7, I watched as my grandfather fought for the life he once knew. From struggling to walk with a cane to limping and holding onto walls as he made his way to the restroom, to going from one doctor’s appointment to another and taking several prescription medications each day, my grandfather was not the same.

Following this incident, I could never play ball with him, go on road trips, or have him stand by my side as I graduated from school. Although he survived physically; mentally and emotionally he did not make it. He was never himself again. This incident not only stole his life; it stole my experiences with him as well. As a result, workplace safety is not just a job, it’s personal. I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the investigation receiving the call that changes everything.

When I think of my grandfather, a hardworking and committed family man who had given so much just to take care of others, and who believed in creating his own future, I can’t help but think about that future being taken from him. His future was taken because others did not see the value in being proactive vs reactive. Like many other injuries in the workplace, my grandfather’s injury was preventable. I went into the field of Workplace Safety to prevent someone else from having to experience a story like my grandfather’s. To prevent another person from having their whole life changed in a split second. I went into the safety industry because I naturally care about people. I believe that all people deserve to make it home safe.

Thank you for allowing me to share my story. As you read my story, think about what caused you to get into the field of Safety and share your comments below.

Stay Safe & Stay Healthy!

Sincerely,

Tony Mudd, M.S. CSP

#workersmemorialday #OSHA #story #SensoriSafety #SensoriSafety #safetyfirst #data #Dataanalyst #KPI #Metrics #PowerBI #Sensoriio #InjuryTrends