Is your workplace a killer?

by Maryanne Pope

No? The people who worked at the warehouse where John Petropoulos died likely didn’t think so either. But guess what? Their workplace was a killer… and it left me a widow.

On September 29th, 2000, Cst John Petropoulos of the Calgary Police Service responded to a break and enter complaint at a warehouse. He went into the building with the K-9 officer and his dog. John went up to the mezzanine level to search for the intruder and stepped from a safe surface directly onto an unmarked false ceiling. He fell nine feet into the lunchroom below and within hours, succumbed to a massive brain injury.

He was 32. We both were.

The break and enter complaint turned out to be unfounded; there was no intruder in the building. Rather, it was a false alarm – the third that night – caused by the wind.

The subsequent investigation revealed that, according to OH&S legislation, there should have been a safety railing in place to warn him – or anyone else – of the danger. Anyone could have fallen where John did.

However, it was likely a familiar danger to those who worked at the warehouse on a regular basis because there was a warning sign hanging from the roof…ten feet past the actual hazard. So when John went into those unfamiliar surroundings in the dark to do his job, he didn’t stand a chance.

“If our job as law enforcement officers is to protect the public and their interests,” said Darren Leggatt, the K-9 officer who went into the building with John, “the reality is that people need to take efforts to protect us while we’re protecting them.”

Emergency workers – police officers, firefighters and paramedics – have dangerous jobs, yes. However, when communities work together and people begin to perceive the issue of workplace safety as a shared responsibility, there are ways to help minimize the risks these workers face on a daily basis.

Whether you work in a shopping mall, office building, warehouse, manufacturing plant, construction site, or on a ranch, farm, oil rig or refinery, there are actions you can take to ensure emergency responders make it home safely to their families after every shift. And if you make your workplace safe for emergency workers who may or may not have to attend your premise, you make it safer for everyone – including your own colleagues, visitors and service workers.

Put yourself in their boots.

Turn off the lights, trigger the alarm and put yourself in the boots of emergency responders who could be at your workplace during an emergency – such as a fire, crime in progress or medical crisis. Take a moment to look around. Your workplace is their workplace…is it safe?

No? Then make the change and save a life. Here’s how:

Tangible tips to make your workplace safe for everyone:

• Remove all broken glass, sharp objects, tools, spills and debris
• K-9 dogs may have to walk through broken glass and hazardous chemicals
• In a fire, firefighters often have to crawl on their knees
• Keep hallways and exits clear of clutter
• Firefighters work with limited amounts of air and need to move through and exit buildings quickly during a fire…every second counts
• Paramedics navigate hallways with stretchers
• Emergency exits should NEVER be locked, blocked or chained
• If there is an EXIT sign about a door, people must be able to exit
• Ensure safe storage of pallets and other stacked materials
• Lighter items should be on top shelves; heavier items below
• Ensure safe storage of hazardous and flammable materials
• Keep alleyways and sidewalks clear and accessible for emergency vehicles and personnel
• Uncleared snow on a sidewalk can significantly slow a stretcher
• Install safety railings/guard and toe rails
• Secure all scaffolding
• Obtain a permit for all renovations
• Have renovations done by a professional
• Ensure proper placement of signage
• Post close to the actual danger
• Keep signage current for dangers and hazards that change
• Ensure open holes are covered
• Particularly important in industrial yards
• Especially where there is no sensor lighting
• Deal with culverts and sinkholes immediately
• Ensure proper functioning of alarm systems
• Test regularly
• Deal with malfunctions and false alarms promptly
• Ensure access points to construction sites are clearly marked for emergency services
• At construction sites, stop overhead cranes and swinging loads when emergency responders are on scene
• At both the emergency site and adjacent sites
• Conduct a regular hazard assessment by asking yourself: 
  
  
  • What could go wrong here?
• What can I do to make sure nothing goes wrong here

How you can make the roads safer for emergency workers:

• Pay attention
  
  • Avoid distractions such as talking on the cell phone, texting, eating and applying make-up
• Check rear view mirror regularly
• Yield to emergency vehicles with lights activated
• If an emergency vehicle comes up behind you, get out of the way in the safety possible manner
• Slow down when passing emergency responders – and their vehicles – when they are stopped on the road…and give them room to work.

Apparently, the people who worked at the warehouse where John died felt terrible about what happened. However, since death has the final say, there are no words or actions that can bring him back. All that can be done is to learn from the circumstances that led to his death and incorporate these lessons into creating a culture of safety that includes all.

What may be a very simple action on your part could lead to the prevention of a death or serious injury. As for those of us left behind…you could be preventing years of heartache.

We have to fear evil men but what we must fear more is the indifference of good men.
- From The Boondock Saints

* * * * *

Maryanne Pope is the author of  A Widow’s Awakening and the Board Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund – an organization that raises public awareness about workplace safety issues facing emergency responders. Please visit www.jpmf.ca or www.ourboots.ca to view the Put Yourself in Our Boots campaign and other safety initiatives.

Want more valuable information like this to help your socially responsible business become an online success and get the results you've been looking for? Sign up for our FREE newsletter, Net Results, by filling in the form at the bottom of this page.

Don’t be shy, tell us what you thought of this article. Drop us a line anytime with your feedback. And, if you REALLY loved it, share it with your online community using one of the links below.

nrichmedia works with eco businesses and organizations. These include LEED certified architects, green builders, health centres, eco resorts, yoga studios, organic food producers, farmers markets, counsellors, healing professionals, musicians, artists, hand-made bath and beauty products, safety programs, green technology innovators, foundations and non-profit organizations.

nrichmedia is located in Courtenay (in the Comox Valley, on Vancouver Island), British Columbia, Canada, and thinks and works globally! Thanks to the Internet, we're able to create web sites and other multimedia for clients all over the world. You can contact us by email or by telephone, at 250.871.7424.