On Thursday afternoon Dad and I were delivering some small square bales of hay to a customer. On our way home we came upon a Ford Escape on the side of the road with the driver laying beside it on a cell phone. It took a moment for me to clue into what was going on but the gentleman had gone to step out and get the mail when he slipped on the road (which had a fraction of an inch of packed snow/ice on it) and went down and broke either his tibula or fibia in his right leg (he heard the snap as he went down). Anyway we helped him get up, got him into his vehicle and got him into the house where his wife called 911. They thanked us and a few miles down the road we met an ambulance enroute.
I guess as I get older I tend to think more about "What if?" So yesterday when the snow hit and it was an indoor job day I went up into an empty hay mow with boards missing or loose boards and cut some lumber and screwnailed everything down secure. Even more so now that I farm full time I realize I can't afford to lose time to injury. I understand accidents can and do happen but we can reduce the chances if we spend some time doing the simple things.
This is just a simple reminder to all that when we go about our busy days to stop and think of what can sometimes happen and when we have a moment, and sometimes even when we think that we don't have the time, to do the simple things that can save injury, or even worse. Things like sanding or salting ice, removing snow, stopping PTO's when we step off a tractor or replacing shields. I keep thinking back to those safety cartoons in old equipment manuals but I suspect the folks responsible for putting tham in there may have learned some of those lessons the hard way.
I guess as I get older I tend to think more about "What if?" So yesterday when the snow hit and it was an indoor job day I went up into an empty hay mow with boards missing or loose boards and cut some lumber and screwnailed everything down secure. Even more so now that I farm full time I realize I can't afford to lose time to injury. I understand accidents can and do happen but we can reduce the chances if we spend some time doing the simple things.
This is just a simple reminder to all that when we go about our busy days to stop and think of what can sometimes happen and when we have a moment, and sometimes even when we think that we don't have the time, to do the simple things that can save injury, or even worse. Things like sanding or salting ice, removing snow, stopping PTO's when we step off a tractor or replacing shields. I keep thinking back to those safety cartoons in old equipment manuals but I suspect the folks responsible for putting tham in there may have learned some of those lessons the hard way.