Risk Management Magazine

After three deployments to Iraq, I saw a trend developing in my unit. During the last 30 days of each deployment, we had an accident. What was causing this to happen — complacency, nerves, ego or just plain bad luck?

There I was, my company’s “temporary” untracked aviation safety officer, purposely speeding on my motorcycle after work. Worst of all, I was right in sight of my company! Looking back more than a decade later, I have to shake my head and ask, “Why would I do such a stupid thing?”

Identifying fall hazards isn’t always easy because appearances can be deceiving, often affected by our own perceptions. For example, if you’re 6 feet tall, you’re taller than a 4-foot-high platform, which makes it easy to assume the platform isn’t a fall hazard. On the other hand, if you’re standing on that platform, you are now looking down from a height of 10 feet. If you fall, even from 4 feet, you could be seriously injured.