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 Safety. It is a word that is very broad in its connotation. It can be used in many ways. Because of this, we have to be clear as what we mean when we are talking about safety.
 
Those who are working in the safety career field, promoting safety in the workforce, generally have an easier time expressing what they mean when they talk about safety. As an example, they don’t tell an employee to “just be safe while driving your forklift.” Rather, they inform the forklift driver of the safety rules of operation, teach how to operate, and evaluate understanding and application of the training. They tell the driver to wear a seatbelt, use driver gloves while operating, balance the loads carried, understand the safety triangle as it relates to load stability and maximum weight the forklift can handle, etc.
 
I believe that safety professionals do this because they understand that “be safe” does not cover all the risks which can be found in a single job such as driving a forklift. Often this understanding is based on the safety professionals’ inherent heart for safety—for the work safety professionals do. They understand that they need to get to the detail which makes safety actually understood by the person they are trying to have an effect on. 
 
Am I saying that safety professionals who get this are different from others? To some degree I am. I have met safety pros who just want people to not have accidents and injuries. But the majority I have met understand that there are actions that make people safe and these actions are more than the words “be safe!”
 
Take the time to evaluate how you see safety. If safety is in your heart, you will find yourself giving more helpful guidance and training to your teams. If you are not there yet, spend some time networking with other safety professionals. Get plugged in to the safety community such as the local chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals. The more heart you put into your safety career field, the more success you will have. By visiting with other safety professionals in your area, you can see more of what such safety looks like and how to make it happen.
 

 Chris Lawrence
Chapter President

​Plan, train, and be aware.
 
The National Lightning Safety Council reports that 11 people were killed by lightning last year.
Three of the deaths reported in 2021 occurred on the job: a 60-year-old construction employee in Wisconsin, a 19-year-old roofer in Florida and a 19-year-old lifeguard in New Jersey.
Although fatalities are rare, the danger is that lightning can strike with little or no warning. That’s why it can’t be ignored or taken lightly by employers or workers—particularly those who spend time outdoors.
                                         
“The last time you want to think about doing something about lightning is when it’s actually happening,” said Kevin Beauregard, director of the occupational safety and health division of the North Carolina Department of Labor.
Outdoor workers should practice extra caution during spring and summer. “We want to raise that awareness as we get into the months where these weather events are more prevalent,” said Kevin Cannon, senior director of safety and health services at the Associated General Contractors of America. “It’s about what you need to do to protect yourself.”
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Risks and challenges
Occupations that have the highest risk of lightning strikes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include construction and building maintenance, farming and field labor, heavy equipment operation, logging, pipefitting or plumbing, telecommunications or power utility field repair, and explosives handling/storage.
A direct strike isn’t the only risk to workers. If lightning strikes metal objects, such as pipes used for plumbing and reinforcements for concrete floors and walls, electricity can travel through them. An average strike, according to NWS, is around 300 million volts and about 30,000 amps. A household current is 120 volts and 15 amps.
“It’s something you can significantly decrease your chances of if you take shelter,” Beauregard said. NWS’s lightning safety awareness campaign urges people to go indoors “when thunder roars.”

However, a significant challenge in the construction industry is the numerous settings workers may be in when severe weather strikes. “You have to look at it from the different perspectives of those who are performing work primarily outside, such as civil contractors versus those who are building contractors,” Cannon said. “You may be, at times, working in a fully enclosed building, sometimes partially enclosed, sometimes just framed.”
Many outdoor scenarios include working at height, not only in construction but also telecommunications, utilities, and other industries.
“Say you’re up in a raised position—on a water tower, on top of a tower crane or scaffolding, or on a wind turbine,” Beauregard said. “It’s going to take you time to get down.”
That’s especially important because lightning can strike up to 10 miles from any rainfall, OSHA warns.
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Prepare to act
OSHA’s standard on employee emergency action plans (1926.35)—which covers escape procedures and routes, evacuation, and training of workers—applies to lightning.
“An employer can’t control if there’s going to be a lightning strike or not,” Beauregard said. “But what they can control is making sure their employees are properly trained and they know what they should do in the event of an approaching storm or if they find themselves in a storm.” On a jobsite, educating workers about where to go when the threat of lightning rises is imperative.
“That preparation starts with identifying these types of events in your emergency plan, training to it, and then looking at your specific operations—outdoor vs. indoor,” Cannon said.
Oregon OSHA, which operates as a State Plan, says employers can find resources with their state program’s consultation services to help with minimizing, controlling, or eliminating hazards such as lightning strikes.
Among the key steps to stay safe, according to federal OSHA, is checking weather reports. “Prior to starting the work, know what the weather is going to be like that day so you can plan,” Beauregard said
Employers and workers can use cellphone apps—such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weather app—to track weather conditions. In addition, employees should prepare by “understanding what the policies and procedures entail and put that into action,” Cannon said.