Let's conclude the series with a look at Critical Error Reduction Techniques (CERT) that can be used to minimize risk - on and off the job.

Critical Errors Cause Injuries

Hazards are everywhere. Heck, gravity is a hazard - witness all the trips and falls people suffer. If there were no hazards, there'd be no injuries. But just because a hazard exists doesn't mean an injury will occur. Think about it. There are many more hazards than there are injuries. Injuries are caused not simply by the existence of the hazard. Even though we're all in the line of fire, some of us sidestep the hazards and others get hit.

Why? The difference between getting hit and sidestepping danger may be just pure luck. But more often than not, it's the result not only of a hazard's existence but also - and especially - how the individual interacts with the hazard. Remember the four critical errors we discussed last time - eyes not on task, mind not on task, moving into (or being in) the line of fire or somehow losing your balance, traction or grip? These errors are involved in over 99% of all acute injuries (excluding contact sports).

CERTs Prevent Critical Errors

The logical conclusion: If you can prevent people from making critical errors, you can prevent most injuries. The million dollar question: How do you prevent people from making critical errors?

It's not enough simply to say: "Try really hard not to make one of these four critical errors." Nobody tries to make a mistake. So telling people not to make a mistake is of limited value. To prevent critical error, we must back up and look at what causes people to make mistakes: rushing, frustration, fatigue, complacency, extreme joy, extreme sorrow, panic, etc. If, for practical purposes, we consider just the emotions and instincts most people are likely to experience on a day to day basis, we can narrow the list to rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency.

CERTs enable us to minimize the critical errors that lead to injury:

1. Self-trigger on the state (or amount of hazardous energy) so you don't make a critical error;
2. Analyze close calls and small errors (to prevent agonizing over big ones);
3. Look at others for the patterns that increase the risk of injury; and
4. Work on habits.

Figure 2

The Importance of Training

Notice that the CERTs are unified by a common factor: Self-awareness. We're trying to get people to understand that there are hazards around them and to become introspective and analytical about how they deal with those hazards. Teaching these techniques to people is one thing. (See Figure #2) Getting them to put some effort into applying those techniques and improving how they do so is another.

To make it happen requires more than simply the imparting of information; you must provide training. Of course, such training involves an investment of time, effort, etc. But it's not expensive. And it's an investment that carries significant return in injury reduction. Training in CERTs has been proven to reduce injury. Moreover, injury reduction occurs not just on the job but off. These concepts are simple and can be communicated with the use of a few training aids. So employees can teach them to their families. In addition to protecting children, spouses and other loved ones, the very experience of teaching helps individuals gain a further mastery of the techniques. (See Figure #3)

The impact of this is real and it goes directly to the bottom line. If your company also pays for not just the employee's injuries but those of dependents, the return of investment is huge. In some cases, it's been over 500% in two years!

Figure #3 ©Copyright 2003 U.S. Patent Pending #10/749,572 1-800-792-6933 www.electrolab.ca

Conclusion

The elephant in the living room can no longer be ignored. Hopefully, none of you will have to go to a funeral to realize that, as a safety professional, you have a moral and a professional obligation to address the problem of off-the-job injury. And once you reach that conclusion, you should consider the fact that experience has proven that training your employees to apply CERTs is one of the most effective ways to put that elephant back in the cage.

A FOOTBALL TRAGEDY

The late Sean Taylor (right) plying his trade

The Death of Sean Taylor

By Glenn Demby

At 6'2", 212 pounds, the Washington Redskins' Sean Taylor was a safety in a linebacker's body. (For those of you not versed in American football, a safety is a relatively light and swift defensive back responsible for defending passes, while a linebacker is a large player that plays closer to the line of scrimmage whose primary duties typically include stopping the run.) The presence of Taylor in the Washington secondary posed great peril to opposing receivers, especially those going over the middle.

This is the part of the story where we usually say that off the field, the victim was a model citizen. In fact, Taylor wasn't squeaky clean. In 2004, he was involved in a drunken driving incident; a year later, he was arrested for possession of firearms. Taylor would plead guilty and be sentenced to 18 months' probation.

But the 24-year-old Taylor was apparently a decent guy who seems to have been maturing. He was the father of an 18-month-old boy and engaged to be married. So while it might not have come completely out of the blue, yesterday's fatal shooting of Sean Taylor in his Miami home by an apparent intruder came as a total shock.

I know that people get shot every day. And I know that all of those victims have families of their own. But Sean Taylor was a person I knew - at least from afar. So I can't help but feel as if I've suffered a personal loss.

My heart goes out to Taylor's family - especially the little boy who will never know his daddy.

THE SHOOTING OF NFL PLAYERS

Darrent Williams: One of the all too many NFL players involved in off the field shootings

By Glenn Demby

Football is a violent game. Sadly, the men who play the game seem to have a hard time steering clear of violence off the field. In the past two decades, countless players, including Sean Taylor, have been busted for possession of firearms. Many others have been shot. Here's a partial list of shootings involving NFL players since 1992:

• Darrent Williams: The Denver Broncos' cornerback was leaving a Denver nightclub in the early A.M. hours of New Year's Day, 2007, when his limousine was sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting. Williams died of his wounds.
• Steve Foley:On Sept. 3, 2006, the San Diego Chargers' linebacker was shot twice near his home by an off-duty police officer who had followed him for several miles after suspecting him of driving drunk. Foley's injuries caused him to miss the entire 2006 season.
• Keith Davis:The Cowboys' defensive back was shot in the head and right thigh while driving on a Dallas Interstate on July 16, 2006 in what police believed was a car-jacking attempt. Davis would recover from his wounds and play in every game during the 2006 season.
• Jerome McDougle:The Philadelphia Eagles' defensive end was shot in the abdomen during a robbery attempt in Miami on July 28, 2005. He missed the entire 2005 season but returned the next year.
• Terrence Kiel:On July 4, 2003, the Chargers' defensive back was shot outside a Houston mall in an attempted car-jacking. Kiel was shot once in his ankle, once in the knee and once near the stomach. He went on to recover from his wounds and would eventually start seven games as a rookie in the 2003 season.
• Keith Davis:The same Cowboys' defensive back shot in 2006 was shot in the elbow and hip in a separate incident outside a Dallas area strip club on June 29, 2003. Davis would make it to the first day of training camp but was cut that day by the Cowboys. The shooting came about a month after Coach Bill Parcells warned players about hanging out at places they weren't welcome.
• Joey Porter:The Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker was one of six people shot on Aug. 31, 2003 (one victim died of his wounds) outside a Denver sports bar. Porter was wounded in the left buttock. He recovered and went on to play 14 games that season.
• Fred Lane:On July 6, 2000, the Carolina Panthers' running back was shot and killed by his wife during a domestic dispute. Lane's wife is serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
• Shane Curry:The Indianapolis Colts' defensive end was shot in the head and killed outside a Cincinnati nightclub on May 3, 1992, after a dispute regarding a blocked vehicle.

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