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Loss Lessons
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UNSECURED LOAD
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PestSure Members,
During one of my recent visits to a PestSure member company
location, a technician pulled me aside after training to discuss
an incident he had at work. He asked that I share this information
with the rest of you because, in his opinion, the outcome
of this mistake could have been much worse. I agree with him
and appreciate that he took the time to share this story.
After completing some work under the eaves of a customer's
home, the technician carried his ladder to his truck and placed
it on the rails to secure it for the drive. Just as he placed
the ladder on the truck, the customer came out to the curb
to discuss another pest control concern that he had. The customer
asked the technician to accompany him to the back yard to
look at shed on the property. After inspecting and discussing
options with the homeowner, the technician completed an additional
service and left the location. He drove about 6 or 8 blocks
and then took a ramp to the freeway. Just as he was accelerating
on the entrance ramp, he heard his ladder slide off the top
of his truck. Nobody was directly behind or beside him and
the ladder simply tumbled to the shoulder of the road. He
pulled over and retrieved his ladder.
This technician shared this "near miss" because
he realized the potential loss that could have resulted from
the unsecured ladder falling off the truck. Had the ladder
fallen off on the freeway at a greater speed or in the path
of a motorcyclist, or had it hit a pedestrian as he rounded
a corner, the outcome would have been much worse. A moment
of distraction from the task at hand was all it took to create
this unsafe condition.
Lesson:
- Develop a written or mental checklist for your
job site arrival and departure routine that includes checking
that your load is secure
- Try, whenever possible, to complete the immediate
task at hand before allowing a distraction to remove your
attention to other matters
- Before moving your vehicle, visually inspect the
area around your vehicle, and the vehicle itself checking
to be certain you have left nothing behind and that all
doors and hatches are secured and locked and that all
equipment is secure
Our technicians have many distractions to deal with as they
complete their duties in the field. Please share this lesson
with your team and work together to develop an arrival/departure
checklist to help them stay focused. A dented ladder was all
that resulted in this situation but most of us would not be
this fortunate given a similar set of circumstances. We can
all learn from this "near miss".
Linda Midyett
Area Manager
Safety and Loss Prevention, PestSure
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc.
14241 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, TX 75254
972.663.6199
800.326.6203 |
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