A few summers ago, I was assigned to work night-shift security for a youth group camping trip. One of my security responsibilities at this camp was to protect the kids from hostile intruders. Having worked a security job in college, I knew a little something about being a security guard, and I’m not ashamed to admit that, for this gig, I was anxious to dust off my old security skills and protect the camp at all costs. It turned out, for that entire 12-hour shift, I didn’t encounter anyone awake; however, I did encounter a threat of another nature: wild skunks everywhere! I’m not talking about kids that had eaten chili for dinner. I’m talking about the furry black creatures with a white stripe that, when threatened, spray you with liquid nastiness that only washes off with elixir you wouldn’t normally bathe with. My extensive security training didn’t prepare me for skunks. So, what do you think I did? Fast-forward to this year’s camping gig.
This summer I was put in charge of arranging security for the entire camping week. I gratefully and humbly accepted this assignment (translation: I was completely stoked for this assignment!). In a meeting with my security volunteers, I was asked the question, “What can we expect at this camp?” In my response, I mentioned the skunks.
Then I received a really odd question: “How close can we get to the skunks?”
My answer: “Stay as far away from the skunks as you possibly can – that’s what I did.”
Why on earth would you want to know how close you can get to a wild skunk? I’ve never been sprayed by a skunk, and I plan to continue that streak for the rest of my life. My plan is to stay as far away from skunks as possible. In fact, I may have even used the teenagers at the camp as human shields to protect me from skunk spray. That’s how badly I don’t want to get sprayed by a skunk!
I’m no wildlife expert, but I’m convinced that staying away from skunks will protect me from being sprayed. In fact, I feel the same way about polar bears, king cobras and giant squids. If I stay far away from them I won’t be mauled, bitten or (thinking) not sure what a giant squid would do but they are scary to me. Bottom line: The further away from danger (or skunk spray) I can be, the safer I will also be. Would you agree with that?
Recently, I found the threat of skunks of a different kind lurking in another forest: an automobile manufacturer supplier’s plant. A sign on the door leading to the production floor read: “Safety glasses required beyond this point.” Upon entering the production area, I was disappointed to see several people, including forklift drivers, not wearing safety glasses. I asked my host why so many people ignored the rule to wear safety glasses. He told me they had never had an accident so they had grown lax in enforcing the rule. He explained further that, because they hadn’t experienced an eye-related incident, they didn’t focus on that potential risk. These guys were letting their guard down and approaching danger by permitting folks to choose not to wear PPE. They were not avoiding skunks; in fact, they were practically attempting to pet the smelly creatures.
Only focusing on the risks that get you and ignoring the risks that don’t is akin to trying to catch a wild skunk with your bare hands. It’s only a matter of time before you get sprayed. Now that stinks! Too often I hear about serious workplace injuries that could have been prevented had the employee followed the policy or rule (i.e., stayed clear of the skunk). Similarly, these same incidences could have been prevented with more adequate controls in place like machine guarding or more substantial work practices. In these instances, I’m reminded that certain controls are better than others. Have you ever heard of the hierarchy of controls? The Center for Disease Control & Prevention, OSHA and many engineering organizations publish similar models for hazard control hierarchy. It goes something like this: Elimination, Substitution, Work Practices and PPE. Eliminating the hazard is most effective control and guarding yourself with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the least effective control. Let’s apply the control hierarchy to our skunk scenario!
For starters, imagine you’re on an island in the middle of a lake that is inhabited by you, some friends and a herd of skunks. Your mission is to not get sprayed by skunks on the island. So you…
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Eliminate the hazard. Relax! You eliminate the hazard by leaving the island and, hence, eliminate the chance you’ll get sprayed by any of the skunks on the island… But, let’s say you and your friends really like the island and don’t want to leave, so. . .
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You engineer a barrier that keeps the skunks away from you and you away from the skunks. This engineering control works second best to eliminating the hazard… But, it turns out skunks are crafty little creatures and find a way past your barrier, so. . .
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You create a policy requiring you and your friends sleep in trees at night and only come down to the skunk’s level during the day. This administrative control seems to work well since skunks are most active at night and aren’t really good climbers. Unfortunately, you learn that a few skunks like climbing trees, and a few more enjoy doing whatever skunks do during daylight hours. So . . .
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You wear skunk-spray-protective body suits that shield your body from putrid skunk spray. A few of you get sprayed every now and again, but you remove the soiled PPE and replace it with a fresh PPE. PPE is the least effective control but most often used form of protection. In this case, the skunk-spray-protective body suites keep the smelly spray off your body.
Leaving skunk island with a few closing thoughts . . . I don’t recommend attempting to get as near to hazards as you can. Rather, pour your energies into eliminating hazards all together or at least shielding yourself from the danger with engineering or administrative controls. If you must approach the danger, wear appropriate PPE please. If you have safety rules, obey them. Even if the apparent harm may seem infrequent or unlikely. Stay as far away from danger as possible and that goes for skunks, too!
Until next time, live safety!
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