Construction Safety: Inspiring Workers Through Leadership & Action

Construction safety is an issue important to Chad Hyams’ heart. Twenty years ago, Chad’s life was changed forever when a 2,800 pound bale of hay fell on him, shattering his neck and leaving him a quadriplegic. Devastating as this was, Chad dedicated his life to being an advocate for safety, especially on construction sites.

In today’s podcast, Chad joins host Mike Merrill to discuss the right mentalities for a culture of safety, how to prepare for the inevitable and how to respond to failure.

Key Takeaways:

1. The right mindset will increase safety. Safety managers and leaders often have the mindset of “If X happens we will do Y.” For example, you need to be out of the way of the payload falling if a crane fails to avoid injury. However, it’s more beneficial to have a mentality of “When X happens then Y.” So, remain out of the way of any crane payload to avoid injury when a crane fails. By changing from if to a when, then nothing should surprise the job site.
2. Just because you’ve gotten away with shortcuts doesn’t make it right. We live in a world where things can go right when they should go wrong and wrong when they should go right. Doing the safe and right thing is important even if nothing happened the last time a protocol was missed or forgotten. Remember those warnings and rules are there for a reason.
3. Have a 24-hour safety mindset. Safety doesn’t stop when you are off the job site. Having a 24 hour safety mindset means practicing what you are required to do on the job site but in every situation in your life. For example, if you are taught to wear safety glasses at the job site when using power tools, then do the same when you’re using power tools at home. The majority of accidents happen at home or the office – the potential for injury is everywhere, so it’s up to you to be aware and take the steps to ensure something avoidable doesn’t happen wherever you are.