My Story: Mike Harry

When my friends and I were young, we used to tell horror stories that’d terrify anyone. Well, nothing has changed. We still tell stories – but the difference is that now the stories are based on true events that we’ve witnessed in our workplaces. I didn’t know a thing about workplace safety and health until a tragic incident happened one day and changed our lives.

I’ve been working as a safety professional for more than 10 years. People often ask me why I chose this profession and why I’m so concerned about worker safety.

It all started with a worker named Bill, who was 30 years old and a company veteran for eight years. He was a son, husband and father of two. One day, he went to work safe and sound. Later that day, his wife received a phone call from Bill’s employer, who told her that she must get to Bill’s workplace as soon as possible. She knew something bad had happened. She was terrified, not knowing what awaited her at the jobsite. When she arrived, it was a horrible sight.

She was met by the sound of ambulance sirens. Police officers were present, as well as a crowd of spectators. She passed through them as fast as she could and eventually found Bill.

He was lying on the ground and unresponsive, and his co-workers were there. They were trying to figure out if Bill was still alive.

After inquiring about what had happened to her husband and why he was lying on the ground, one of his co-workers told her that Bill had been crushed by 5,000 pounds of lumber.

After further investigation by the police and the safety officers, it was found that Bill was crushed by the heavy wood that had been released by an untrained crane operator.

Bill’s legs, feet and lower torso had been badly injured. The good news was that he was alive. He was rushed to a nearby hospital. Bill had 60 broken bones, and doctors told his wife that he’d never walk again.

In all, Bill underwent 16 hours of reconstructive surgery. After the surgery and the necessary treatment, the next year and a half was hard. Paralyzed from the waist down, he was unable to take care of himself.

After a long period of confinement, he participated in therapy sessions for another two years to be able to walk again.

Bill was a great friend of mine. I had to see him struggle for the life he once knew. After a long period of physical therapy sessions and medications, he was able to survive physically, mentally and emotionally. But he couldn’t return to the Bill he once was. He was a hardworking, committed, professional man who wanted to excel in his career. But it couldn’t happen because of this incident.

From that day, I realized the importance of safety and health at workplaces and how an incident can change the lives of anyone. After this incident, our company initiated various OSHA training programs to provide workers with safety rules and precautions at the jobsite. Various meetings and seminars were conducted to make things transparent between the employees, employers, supervisors and safety managers.

I’ve become active in these programs. I try to engage with co-workers from every department and promote the safety culture by raising awareness about the importance of workplace and jobsite safety.

Our organization encourages its workers, especially those who are new to the industry, to take part in the training programs.

I don’t want anyone else to become the victim of the same incident or worse. Therefore, I put everyone’s safety first.

Mike Harry
Safety Officer
Los Angeles