Risk Management Magazine

Here’s a quiz: Which four-wheeled vehicle is among the toughest, hardest-working and has, at times, a center of gravity several feet off the ground? If you guessed monster truck, you’d be wrong. The correct answer is forklift.

I am the supervisor of a field maintenance shop and have been in the military for more than 20 years. Driving and riding in automobiles and trucks is an everyday occurrence. What happened on this day, however, forever changed my view of driving.

Typically, mishaps are the result of many contributing factors rather than a single event. If any link in the chain is broken, the scenario changes and the mishap can be avoided. This is not just an aviation safety officer’s words from a PowerPoint presentation. It’s a fact.