Safety starts at the top of any organization. Yes, we can give “tools” to those on the front lines that can prove to be successful even in tough environments, but there must be support from the top as well as middle management to produce a strong safety program that impacts practical decisions made in the field every day.
Our senior leader, CEO Pat O’Loughlin, found himself in a safety situation at a recent meeting in the Touchstone rooms of our statewide office. One of the directors attending the meeting got up from her table near the front of the room and appeared to rush out of the room holding a cup near her mouth and making sounds that could have been coughing, snorting, or laughing. Nila Moyers followed her out of the room and Pat followed them both out.
Nila was outside the women’s restroom when Pat arrived and let him know that the director had gone inside. They could hear some sounds that sounded like coughing coming from the restroom. Pat directed Nila to go in and check on her. When she opened the door, they could see her standing in front of the sink and appeared to be choking. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts from Nila using the Heimlich maneuver, Pat directed her to get emergency assistance while he stepped into the restroom to attempt the Heimlich maneuver himself. Pat’s application of the Heimlich maneuver was successful! The director was then able to speak and let Pat know that her airway was clear. After collecting herself for a few minutes she returned to the meeting and later said that she was about to pass out when they entered the restroom.
Wow! That’s safety leadership at its finest. Way to go, Nila! And thank you, Pat, for not only supporting one of the finest safety cultures in the nation, but for acting when someone’s life was on the line…even though nobody realized it. How many others would never have followed her out of that room and how bad could the situation have become had she passed out? There are so many lessons to be learned here, but maybe the main lesson is to simply care for others enough to be inconvenienced and get involved when most people never even notice. We are our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper.
This quarter’s article is “How Has Your Risk Assessment Evolved? Part 1 of 3.” May the concepts for these three 2024 articles stretch us all. We hope you enjoy this quarter’s edition of SAFELINES.
Dwight Miller, CLCP, CUSP: Senior Director, Safety Training and Loss Prevention