Jimmy Schwing

“Hearts broken. Palms sweating. Tears streaming. Two young girls stand aside their father’s casket, longing to understand why this was happening. Why didn’t he make it home that day? How did this happen to them?

All I could think to myself in that heart-wrenching moment was, “Why didn’t I stop and take the time to make sure he was okay?” After several weeks of working together, I had grown to know him. He was not only a coworker, he was my friend. Our common love for our family was what made us relate to each other so well.

Right before my eyes, my friend made one wrong step and fell 40 feet. In that instant, it became real. Accidents happen, ready or not.

Workers rushed to where he landed, and within an hour he was loaded into a helicopter and on his way to a nearby hospital in New Orleans. Just as the helicopter landed, he couldn’t hold on any longer. He went into cardiac arrest and passed away.

Prior to the fall, I noticed he was on the phone. I noticed he was upset from the phone call, that things were not at ease in his mind. I should have taken the time to make sure he was all right. I knew that not being able to focus equals danger at a worksite.

Now, two young girls are fatherless. Now, a young woman is a widow. Eating dinner together as a family no longer exists for them. I can not even begin to understand their pain.

After his passing, I knew I had to examine what happened that day. Through inspection, we found a number of things on the worksite that could have led to that accident. Aside from our failure to check on what was making him upset, the hole he fell through should not have even been there, meaning that someone failed to complete their job.

March 6th, 1992 was the day my passion for safety began. This was the day I realized safety is about more than checking boxes. Safety is about real lives that impact real families. People don’t have to get killed to support their families. Thinking about the person and the family behind every action helps to remember the importance of thinking safe.

When I made a commitment to safety that day, I made a vow to change the culture of the worksite. I made a promise to myself that I will never simply teach compliance, I will teach to cultivate a culture that prioritizes lives- a true culture of safety.

When safety is neglected, it impacts families, sometimes forever. Safety matters, it’s as simple as that. "