Don't be a Darwin Award 'Winner'
Naturalist Charles Darwin (pictured) proposed a theory that only
the fittest species survive and others who are unable to adapt die
out.
Safety officials must often feel that mankind is
traveling the road to extinction. Rules are created to protect
people from themselves, though many continue to believe they are
the exception to those rules.
The Darwin Awards, an international honor to "those who improve
our gene pool by removing themselves from it," is one indication
that people haven't caught on to the idea of "operational risk
management" yet. ORM, a safety official's mantra, is simply
considering the consequences of one's actions to avoid suffering
the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortunes.
The following Darwin Awards winners didn't practice this simple
concept. They were otherwise normal people who boldly put their
brains on hold for a few moments and, as a result, won the
uncoveted Darwin.
Life and limbs
A British tree trimmer sought to save time by burning old tree
limbs at the base of the tree he was trimming. He built a fire and
added limbs to the blaze from above -- where he sat in the tree. If
he had taken a few seconds to evaluate this scenario, he probably
would have used common sense and broken this task down into two
distinct, safe processes: cutting the limbs and burning them away
from his work area. He didn't.
Can you hear me now?
In Kansas, a man was struck and killed by a train while using
his cell phone to call for help after his vehicle broke down. The
train engineer spotted him standing on the tracks holding a cell
phone to one ear and cupping his hand over the other to keep from
being distracted by the inconsiderate noise of a train horn. With
time-honored cell phone etiquette, the man remained focused on his
call and became locomotive fodder.
Man's best friend
Another award winner in Ukraine was walking his dog when a
police cadet pointed out that dogs in that area must be walked with
a muzzle and a leash. The pair began to argue and the man threw a
grenade at the cadet's feet. The dog saved the day for the cadet
when he fetched the explosive prize and dutifully returned it to
his master for the last time.
Clearly, some of these folks are not the sharpest pencils in the
drawer, but many of us become candidates for Darwins in our
everyday lives.
See someone walking around the base a lot? It's not a new
fitness initiative. Despite hearing it weekly, there are some folks
who still insist on driving home after drinking at a party. Now
they can't drive on base.
Do you ever let your cell phone distract you? Do you drive with
only one hand on the wheel while concentrating on that
once-in-a-lifetime call home to say you'll be 10 minutes late? Do
you believe it's the other drivers' responsibility to watch out for
you?
Motorcycles can be a lot of fun when driven safely, but do you
prefer to ride without a helmet to feel the wind in your hair?
Helmets are required by Department of Defense directives to protect
what's left of your brains.
Do you intentionally cut someone off in traffic, or pull out in
front of someone in a fit of anger? Do you believe they're rational
people who will accept your sound judgment of their driving
skills?
Protect yourself by thinking ahead. ORM is a tool that can help
you look at the consequences of your actions. You alone have the
power to keep yourself from being the recipient of a Darwin
Award.
[Thanks to Lt. Col. Kirby Shineman, 341st Space Wing Safety
Office --ed.]