September 12 2022
By: Shawn M. Galloway
My wife was recently in Las Vegas for a long weekend to celebrate one of her sister's birthdays. The first evening, after a great experience seeing the Blue Man Group performance, stepping from the curb in high heels to enter an Uber, she stepped wrong, fell, and broke her ankle. Having spent this past week helping her get around our home in Houston using her new hands-free knee crutch and scooter, I have a new appreciation for the importance and fragility of our ankles.
According to NSC's Injury Facts⍰, 42,114 people died in home and workplace falls in 2020. As a result, ´slips, trips, and falls´ are a common workplace safety topic. As long as humans roam the earth, we can't prevent all undesirable events from occurring. That doesn't mean we should stop trying and advancing. We should do everything we can to build capacity to prevent unwanted outcomes. If we believe all injuries are preventable, we don't focus enough on developing sufficient responses to an injury or other deviations from expected outcomes occur. Thankfully, others have. My home is now full of mobility devices, and trips to receive physical therapy are part of my wife's future.
We must never forget that humans are not just fragile; we are also fallible. We must also do everything we can to build capacity to prevent injuries and help the injured recover and return to the state before the event.
"To err is human, to forgive divine." — Alexander Pope
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." — Robert Burns
"Anything ever written needs a disclaimer." — Michael Whone
Shawn M. Galloway is the CEO of the global consultancy ProAct Safety. With over twenty years of experience in safety systems, strategy, culture, leadership, and employee engagement, he is a trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness. He is the author of several bestselling books and has multiple regular columns in leading magazines, with over 400 articles and 100 videos to his credit. He also created the first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence, with over 800 episodes.
As a leading and globally recognized expert on safety excellence, he has been interviewed and a guest on Bloomberg, Fox News, Dubai One, Sirius Business Radio, U.S. News & World Report, Wharton Business Daily, mainstream safety magazines, and almost every safety-related podcast.
Shawn's passion, dedication, and significant contributions to the safety field have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including Global Safety Excellence Expert, Power 101 Leaders of the EHS World, Top 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS, Top 40 Rising Stars, and Top 11 Health and Safety Influencers. His influence is felt globally, and his status as an esteemed Avetta Distinguished Fellow and Advisor to Harvard Business Review further underscores his expertise and makes his perspectives highly sought after.
For more information, call (936) 273-8700 or email info@ProActSafety.com.
