What happens when you embrace safety...

I was fortunate enough to have been blessed with many opportunities at a young age that many individuals don't have. I was made a project manager by the age of 23. I was running multiple projects at multiple locations with a great deal of success. I was riding high! Nothing could stop me! Then comes a life changing force on February 17, 2001, at 1:30 PM...

I was on one of my project sites, checking on progress of one of my lump sum projects. I was wrapping up and about to head towards the gate when a call came over the radio that an employee was down. I didn't know what to do. I immediately went to where the employee was at. His name is Daniel Sincecio. A young man that worked hard and wanted to better his career opportunities. 

We immediately followed reporting protocol and notified plant personnel and site safety management. An ambulance was on the way and I performed a quick investigation into how and why this happened. It appeared as though him and another employee took a short cut to off load a very heavy roll of CPVC cladding that we were using on our project site. They tried using a spare piece of 3" conduit to use at leverage to get the roll off and it slipped and struck Daniel in te head and left a deep gash in his head and knocking him unconscious.

The ambulance arrived and I committed to riding along with Mr. Sinecio to make sure he was taken care of. We arrived at the hospitals and he was quickly admitted. I sat in the waiting room, concerned about how hurt Daniel was. While I was waiting, I lived out the worst thing, other then having an employee of their's in the hospital. The young man's fiancee, his parents, and her parents arrive at the hospital. They start asking all kinds of questions, looking for answers. I didn't have any. 

While I sat there, looking at the loved ones of Daniel with concern on their faces, I started thinking what did I do wrong? Was there something I could have done better? And I realized that I didn't embrace safety for what it is, a culture and a way of life. I never told my employees they should embrace it. They should feel comfortable in using safety as an everyday tool along with all the tools in their tool belts. 

After a few hours, the doctors finally came out and gave us all the best news in the world at that moment. Daniel was perfectly fine except for the 6 staples they put in his head. He was able to go home with his loved ones that night. It was great news, because I know there are some families that didn't have that option. 

I made a commitment to myself to make sure that I stood eye to eye with all of my employees and told me that short cuts are not allowed at our project sites anymore. I emphasized that making it the top priority of getting everyone home to their families means a great deal more then being financially profitable on a job. 

I moved on to other companies and other positions, but I make it a personal obligation of mine to share this moment that I experienced with as many peoples as I can. If it prevents someone else from taking that ambulance ride, then I know that embracing safety is the greatest end result.