ENG Safety Newsletter
Information for ENG/SNG/BNG Professionals
Dept:_______________
Ten feet is the rule! Live by it!!! Maintain at least a 10 foot distance from ALL power lines!
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Name:______________
Date:_______________
- Houston.....and other markets, we’ve still got a problem....
- How to REALLY MAKE SURE your van set up is no accident.
- Lightning safety....a war of words may step up the safety effort.
- “Why do employees do risky things?” A repeat of a classic article.
Houston...(and other markets)...we’ve still got a problem.
June was a great month.
As stated in the May & June ENG Safety Newsletters, this June marked the 10th year in a row the
industry has not had a fatality. It’s the first time since
the widespread use of remote ENG vehicles that
we’ve gone 10 years without one.
So I called up a favored truck expert to ask him
what he thought about that. He’s got about 30 years
in the business manufacturing vehicles for the industry. He was sort of impressed, but indicated we still
have a problem, and it’s really urgent.
The problem? Mast-up drive-aways.
He said something to the effect of “It seems we’re
always repairing damage from mast-up driveaways.” His spoken frustration was unmistakable.
We’ve still got a problem we had years ago. So
long ago, the “Houston, we have a problem” was a
new quote in our culture. And the pictures with this
article are about as old. The problem is older.
NONE of them had to happen.
When most vans are built they cannot be driven
with the mast up because of electronic and/or mechanical devices built into them to prevent such practice. In time that seems to change in many vehicles.
This makes them susceptible to many very bad things.
Let’s work from the closest objects that will be
damaged and then onto those further away.
First, up top, there is likely more equipment than
your station wants to buy again. This may include your
transmit antenna, pan & tilt head, a mast-top camera, receive antenna, protection-against-power-wire-contact device, the assembly that holds it all up on top of the mast,
the mast top itself, then the tubes that make the mast up.
Let’s not forget the coil of wires that brings signals
to/from the truck...hit, bent or twisted
the wrong way, it also may be compromised to the point of replacement.
Working down from there there is
a roof platform, or just the roof. It’s
highly likely that the roof penetration
point, and that through a platform, will
be compromised causing structural
damage to the platform and/or body of the truck.
Once inside the truck things may be worse.
The third picture down in the pictures at the center of this page
was worse. The truck operator, who knew the truck
very well, and was considered at the top of his craft,
was driving the truck without the proper devices in
place to prevent movement with the mast extended.
They reportedly had been altered or removed.
This particular mast’s base was mounted on the
floor behind the drivers’ seat. When the mast hit the
overpass, it was “levered” upwards and crushed the
seat and operator against the steering wheel and
windshield area; as bad as this sort of accident gets.
Even with a mast anchored to the floor between
seats, or behind racks in the rear, or anywhere, if a
deployed-mast hits an obstruction, the damage it can
cause is beyond the predictability of truck builders,
and can and will cause damage that may be permanent
to truck occupants, the truck itself, bystanders or the
property of others, and subsequently, the station, who
loses any way it goes...except if such an accident does
not occur.
So, call this a good-news/bad-news article.
We’ll cross our fingers about the good news and
hope it continues. We’ll hope the industry will not
have a mast/power-line(s) fatality. Good News.
Bad news?
If there is not a working functional system in your
truck to prevent it from being moved while the mast is
deployed, odds are much better that you, or another employee, will be involved in a mast-updrive-away accident.
Test your truck. If it’s not working fix it.
Is there a question about this?
Sometimes there IS no second chance.
Don’t make the first your last.
Check it today.
July
2014
“Avoiding the topic
doesn't help
it go away.”
Safety is a habit, NOT an event!
One idea of how to make sure to look up. It’s as simple as this.
When you arrive at a location, walk away from the truck as far as you would have to,
to view the truck’s mast after being totally raised. Take a picture. Simple as that.
When you are ready to leave a location, walk away from the truck and double check
to see if your mast has been stowed properly, or there are any other irregularities in
view...basically from the same place as the setup pic. Take a picture. Simple as that.
As you are walking back, look under the truck. Look on all sides of the truck when
walking back. Also make sure all hatches are closed and secured. Simple as that.
Chances are you’ll not leave anything behind or flapping about.
It’s time verses money.
Can you spare a minute to make sure you are really ready to to set up? If you set up
What could not be seen here before the mast
incorrectly, or dangerously, you may not get the shot out...so why not do it correctly? It was raised if the crew knew the 10-foot rule?
takes one minute...or less! Losing a truck leads to far longer consequences.
Walk approximately 75 feet from your truck before setting up and before driving off. Take a picture. Simple as that.
Some stations have made it mandatory that operators take a picture before setting up and before leaving, because if one knows their
truck is in a dangerous spot, they’ll not set up. If they see the mast up, they will not drive away. It’s as simple as that!
Interesting discussions about Lightning Safety are going on. -Mark Bell
For those of you who know me, I’m a bit of a revolutionary.
Over the years I’ve seen things the way they are and feel some
good positive energy towards the “right” might tip a few things
in favor of the greater good.
The ENG Safety effort would never have happened if I took
critical comments, friction, and foot-dragging by many, seriously. Too many felt as if I was just pushing a pile of mud
uphill in trying to promote safety. I had to say no to unfavorable conditions before I could get others to help me say yes
towards improvements. It wasn’t easy. Thank you for helping!
It figures I’d find a guy who is on a similar quest, but for
Lightning Safety. Mike Utley has a bit of dislike for what he
feels is incorrect information that’s put out by places we’ve
referred folks to, namely LightningSafety.com and
LightningSafety.NOAA.gov. He wants to help change the way
people are told to stay safe. He got a bad deal, and feels others
do by getting wrong information. Mike wants change.
Michael runs a website called StruckByLightning.org.
How’d he come up with that title? Well, you can search the
whole story out for yourself, but let’s say it’s felt it was a good
thing that he had a putter in his hands and it was touching the
ground when he was hit by lightning. The putter may have
taken the brunt of the hit by conducting much of it to ground,
thus saving parts of Mike’s body from damage.
Friends and medical personnel kept him going with CPR and
other lifesaving techniques. Michael’s heart stopped many
times after the hit. He then spent 38 days in intensive care, then
another two and a half months in rehab. Needless to say, it’s
been a long road back for him. Part of that has been becoming
an activist for lightning safety.
After the National Fire Protection Association used some
published Lightning Safety advice that Michael felt was outdated, he wrote to them. Michael disagrees with many about
using the crouch technique to deal with lightning. He advises
clearing an area as soon as possible, not staying outside.
People may think crouching will save them, and stay out.
Part of the response from the NPPA was this: “It has been
forwarded to staff who will review the current lightning safety
information and make corrections as necessary. We appreciate you bringing it to our attention.”
He didn’t like that. Part of his message follows:
“I am sorry [NFPA employee], but that is not enough. I need
you to do more!! I have copied this to John J and Donna F,
they are NOAA's lightning experts. They can verify what I told
you and save you and your committee lots of time.
National Lightning Awareness Week is here and the dangerous lightning season has already started.
How would the National Fire Protection Association feel if
some child was struck while following their advice, how would
you feel.
This is important stuff and needs to be dealt with right away.
People read what you write and you are responsible to get
it right. PLEASE help, our children's safety is not something
to be put off. I have also sent this to a ton of Media people and
others hoping to attract attention to your dangerous information, in hopes of getting it changed, sooner not later.
PLEASE HELP
Sorry if I come across abrasive, but I was struck and don't
want anyone to have to go thru what I have.”
Dramatic? Well, maybe not to a person who was struck.
Lightning Safety is not an exact science, but one which we
need to observe and respect. The “discussions” are about
avoidance....survival, choice...saving lives; maybe your own.
What works for you? What are your personal policies? What
are your station’s policies? Will they save lives?
Discussions are not bad things, but how well you do this one
may make a lifetime of difference! (To your viewers, too!)
Remember, good safety practices are habits, not events! 10+ feet is THE rule!
The ENG Safety Newsletter is produced and hereby copyrighted by ENGsafety.com. Material within is original or gathered from a variety of sources. ENGsafety.com, its owners, employees, heirs and assigns are indemnified
and held harmless for the use and/or misuse of the information contained within. ENG Safety Newsletter is for the use of subscribers at ONE facility or company location. Each copy may be duplicated without limitation,
but distribution is limited to the subscriber’s facility unless otherwise licensed. Unauthorized duplication is subject to subscription charges and/or use fee of $195.00 per issue per offense. Possession of this material constitutes
understanding and acceptance of the above. Subscriptions are $195.00/year. Corporate and Union discounts are available. Call us, toll free: 1-UR-SAFE-6090, Fax: 781-394-0762, or email safety@ENGsafety.com
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ENG Safety Newsletter Safety “Vocabulary” - July 2014
“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” (Can we learn before we are taught?)
Behavioral Science Technology revisited.
A relevant blast from the past, July, 2003
It’s an age old question employers and managers ask
themselves: “Why do employees do risky things?”
Rationale of workers who operate in apparent-risk situations is often mysterious. Consequently, inquiries after fatalities often contain questions of intended death. (Suicide)
Nobody wants to face the unpleasant task of attending to
the necessary duties after an accident/fatality, nor tell the
family of an injured/killed worker the future discomforts
accident-effected family’s experience.
It all comes down to avoidance. Avoidance is the best
defense against effects of an accident. Avoidance is best
learned by understanding the “why” of accidents.
Why?
Behavioral Science Technology, Inc., is a California
based consultant organization devoted to behavioral modification for accident/incident avoidance. They labeled four
common reasons why employees do not perceive risk. They
represent lessons we can all learn from.
1) False Feedback.
2) Comfort in the status quo.
3) Cognitive interference.
4) Habituation.
False Feedback:
Ironically, false feedback becomes a product of safe practices. In a progressively safe environment, just about all
employees have NOT experienced a workplace accident.
This brings forth a feeling that it can’t or won’t happen.
Frequently, it has been thought when analyzing power
line tragedies, the person involved has seen so many harmless power lines staying silent in their duty, hosting singing
birds and being such a physically accepted part of the environment, that it’s hard to conceive that they can kill and
cripple with explosive force when grounded.
Comfort in the status quo:
Crews who take risks will become complacent with those
risks. In jobs requiring work at high elevations, a worker
who may become casual with fall prevention hardware will
eventually “poison” others into the same contemptuous be-
havior. Then, only tragedies reinforce the need for safer
behavior. Strict guidelines, reinforcement of their “whys,”
then adherence to the guidelines/policies is the only way to
maintain respect and rationale for rules.
Seatbelt use in cars, another sort of accident prevention
restraint, is another example of comfort levels in dangerous
situations. Despite all that has been learned about seatbelt
safety, some still resist wearing them. It may not have been
simple coincidence that the only survivor of the accident
which killed Princess Diana, in one of the safest cars ever
built, was the only person wearing a seatbelt.
Cognitive Interference:
If people see the same things over and over again, they
tend to stop looking at them, and will easily not pick up
differences. Misreading words, casually cutting corners,
routinely stepping out of safety zones and similar behaviors
are signs of this. “Shortcuts used by our brains get in the way
of our recognizing risk” is the way BST put it. What are the
shortcuts in your culture? Do you recognize them?
Habituation:
Put simply, when an employee is new at a job they are
high in awareness and low in experience. The worker is
sensitive to risk, but not skilled in handling it. Over time,
experience grows, but awareness diminishes as the activity
becomes more and more commonplace. Pretty soon, the
employee is high on experience and low in awareness.
Mixed with the factors previously written, the employee
has become desensitized to job hazards. Danger, danger!
What to do.
It all comes down to asking the question of what has been
done to re-sensitize remote vehicle operators to the risks
faced in their jobs. Was it the last accident which reinforced
policy or a safety-positive presentation or memo from
“above” which let employees know that their pro-safety
work habits save them, their families, and their companies?
It doesn’t take much to say: What we do safely today gives
us more choices in what we can do tomorrow.
(Learn more about BST at www.bstsolutions.com)
Special thanks to the folks at Safteng for some of the updates in our “Safety Vocabulary” segments. Lessons learned from accidents and aftermath can help safety
conscious people avoid hazards before they become accidents. One doesn’t have to be in an accident to gain the experience documentation provides.
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2014 calendars are
still available!
(Getting low on supply)
email us and let us know how many
you can use so you can continue 2014
with safety reminders!
POLL QUESTION:
Does your station have
good quality warning and
policy signage?
email answer, and
some sign pictures (?) to
safety@ENGsafety.com
Quiz & Exercise - July 2014
Name:______________
Each station should decide its own policies and procedures with regard to safety. Some answers may
Dept:_______________
differ from one person’s view of “correct.” There may be a few good answers to a question.
Read each question and look to understand each point or answer given. Speak to your coworkers and
managers to clear up any questions the quiz produces. In the end, the answer is what YOU think.
Date:_______________
1) Mast up drive-aways present numerous dangers. Which on the following list may be the worst if a van drove away with a mast
extended? Indicate by numbering from worst to least damaging. a) Hitting power lines and shutting off power. b) Knocking down
traffic signals. c) Toppling the mast and causing it to hit another’s personal property. d) Structural damage to the truck and equipment.
2) On a degree of difficulty scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to take a picture of a news vehicle with
a mast prior to set-up? Circle best answer - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
2a) On a degree of difficulty scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to view a picture of a news vehicle
prior to deploying the mast? Circle best answer - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
2b) On a degree of difficulty scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to take a picture of a news vehicle with
a mast prior to leaving an area where you have just performed a live shot? Circle best answer - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
2c) On a degree of difficulty scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to view a picture of a news vehicle
prior to leaving a live shot venue? Circle best answer - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
3) True or False: As time goes by, just about every rule needs to be modified because of conventional knowledge increase, change
in technologies, or other large scale development. Lightning Safety is no different. While Michael Utley may be seen as a radical in his
urging to authorities about better safety techniques, his actions and words may actually help push standards up a notch. (T) (F)
3a) Yes or No: I have reviewed StruckByLightning.org, LightningSafety.com and LightningSafety.NOAA.gov. (Y) (N)
4) False Feedback, Comfort in the status quo, Cognitive interference, Habituation, are what? a) Four groups playing at the Hangout
Festival in Alabama. b) Four reasons people work at TV stations. c) Four reasons people stay married. d) Reasons why employees fail
to see risk.
5) True or False: The incident pictured on pg 2 could have been avoided using standard (legal) rules of mast deployment. (T) (F)
The monthly safety quiz is designed to promote discussion and debate about safety subjects in each facility, as well as measure certain areas of field crew aptitude. Many
answers are specific, but others are somewhat dependant on a station’s culture and governed procedures. Please feel free to email safety@engsafety.com for the newsletter’s
opinion or factual answers to any ENG Safety Newsletter monthly Safety Quiz.
Journalists are terrorism targets.
Field News Crews need to be extra vigilant in their awareness of the area surrounding their story coverage.
Crew people are not just crew people, but an extension of the broadcast station, ownership, and/or network. (And Country!)
Your work is seen by many. Many know you. Watch out for “new” people with weird, maybe “store-bought” IDs.
Just who ARE those new people in the “regular” group sharing special media access?
YOU can make a difference. Keep your eyes open and ask questions if something seems out of place.
Remember, good safety practices are habits, not events! 10+ feet is THE rule!
The ENG Safety Newsletter is produced and hereby copyrighted by ENGsafety.com. Material within is original or gathered from a variety of sources. ENGsafety.com, its
owners, employees, heirs and assigns are indemnified and held harmless for the use and/or misuse of the information contained within. ENG Safety Newsletter is for the use
of subscribers at ONE facility or company location. Each copy may be duplicated without limitation, but distribution is limited to the subscriber’s facility unless otherwise
licensed. Unauthorized duplication is subject to subscription charges and/or use fee of $195.00 per issue per offense. Possession of this material constitutes understanding
& acceptance of the above. Subscriptions are $195.00/year. Corporate and Union discounts are available. Call us, toll free: 1-UR-SAFE-6090. Fax: 781-394-0762
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