You’re using your directional drill when suddenly you slice through a gas line. Gas could be leaking into the apartment building nearby. What do you do?
Accidents like this can, and do, happen more often than you think. In December 2016, a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, exploded after a directional drill operator struck a gas line.
Thankfully everyone evacuated when they smelled gas and no one was seriously injured.
Other kinds of accidents happen, too. In January, a hydroexcavator fell into a sinkhole after the operator parked where a culvert had deteriorated. The ground gave out and the truck fell into the 20-foot-deep hole. The operator wasn’t in the truck and no one was injured. A day later the machine was pulled from the pit using excavators and cranes.
Both of these situations could have been worse: People could have been seriously injured or killed.
STAY COOL
It pays to take time to develop an emergency plan. Having plans available, and copies in each truck, can help leaders and crew members respond effectively. There are many emergencies worth planning for: employee and non-employee incidents on job sites, utility dig-ins, equipment or vehicle crashes, and even weather-related crises.
Develop the steps your employees should follow if something terrible happens. Have a sheet with emergency phone numbers, complete with co-workers and organizations that need to be contacted. The process is simple, costs very little, and can pay off in a big way when the worst happens.
For details on creating an emergency plan you can go to OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov or to www.ready.gov/business/implementation/emergency, where you’ll find tips from the Department of Homeland Security.
STAY TO HELP
If you cause an emergency or witness one, be available to help. Until emergency responders arrive, you might be the expert on the scene. It may be up to you to evacuate the area or provide first aid if needed.
After emergency crews arrive, stay nearby because they might need help — either in determining what happened or knowing what is what at the scene.
BE PREPARED
As the Boy Scout motto says: Be prepared. Be ready for anything. Make sure your workers are ready, too. You could save a life — including your own.
How do you make sure your crews are ready for emergencies? You can email me at editor@digdifferent.com or call me at 800/257-7222. I would love to share what contractors are doing.
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