STAFF SGT. LEVI RICH
455th Chemical Brigade
Sloan, Nevada
As an Army staff sergeant, I have conducted numerous convoys involving heavy equipment, served as a licensed operator and participated in driver training at multiple levels. I have hauled heavy equipment over the road both in uniform and in civilian work. Like most experienced operators, I have accumulated my share of close calls and near misses. Those experiences reinforce a deep respect for heavy equipment, but they can also quietly breed complacency.
The incident that reshaped how I approach routine operations occurred during my civilian employment with an asphalt company. I was operating heavy equipment at the end of a closed road while the rest of the crew worked several hundred feet away at the opposite end. The road was barricaded, traffic was restricted and I had not observed anyone enter a vehicle or move behind my equipment. Based on what I could see, I appeared to be completely alone. That assumption was incorrect.
While backing the equipment, I struck a vehicle that had entered the area without my knowledge. I never saw anyone get into the vehicle, and I never saw it back out behind me. The moment of impact occurred before I had any visual indication that someone was there. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but the accident still happened — and it occurred in an environment that felt entirely controlled.
From a risk management perspective, the issue was not traffic flow or road congestion. In hindsight, the contributing factors were familiar: restricted visibility, physical separation from the crew and the absence of positive confirmation before backing. These are the same risk factors we brief during convoy operations and driver training. The controls are equally familiar:
- Confirming the area around the vehicle is clear before moving it in an assembly area
- Employing a ground guide
- Repositioning equipment for improved visibility
- Halting movement entirely until the area is verified clear
None of these controls were complicated. They were simply bypassed because the task felt routine. What stayed with me after the incident was not the damage or the paperwork, but how easily it happened. There was no rush, no pressure and no obvious warning signs. It was a stark reminder that most mishaps do not come from high-risk moments. Instead, they stem from ordinary ones where attention slips and assumptions fill the gaps.
As leaders, we spend a great deal of time teaching Soldiers how to operate vehicles and equipment safely. We brief hazards, rehearse controls and emphasize accountability. The true challenge is applying that same discipline when no one is watching and the task feels routine. Experience helps, but it does not replace deliberate action. This incident forced me to slow down and reassess habits I had accepted as “good enough.” It reinforced that physical verification matters far more than operator confidence and that risk management only works when it is applied consistently.
Lessons Learned
The environment may change, but the principles of safety do not. The moments that feel safest often deserve the most attention, because that is exactly where complacency lives. To prevent routine operations from turning into tragedies, leaders and operators must enforce disciplined risk management. Never assume a closed space is a safe space. If you do not have a ground guide or a clear line of sight, halt the vehicle and verify the area is clear before moving.