Hardwood Floors April/May 2017

HEALTH & SAFETY FOCUS

By Wayne Lee

A Curve in the Road of Life

iStock photo ©

will fly where and what will happen in the back of the van at that moment? Are the tools secured properly and are there safety measures in place to protect the driver? Well, I found out. A few months ago, my day was off to a simple start. Then, in the blink of an eye, it all went downhill. I was driving the van on a two-lane road, just focusing on the road ahead. A car came into my lane, and we hit hard. I had no time to react or get out of the way. Just like a movie, it became a series of snapshots. I took a quick look to my right to see if I could go on the side of the road to move out of the way. I saw a ditch, so moving over was not an option. I needed to hit the brakes as hard as I could to slow down and stop. I couldn’t go right, and I couldn’t stop fast enough. As if in

I recall the first time we set up our van, doing our best to think through the location for each tool based on its size, weight, shape, and how often we will use it for the job. Is it an install tool or a sand/finish tool? Should we put it up on a shelf or keep it low? We set it up and took it apart several times before we agreed it was ready. We outgrew the van quickly, so we decided it would be best to also get a trailer and a pickup truck. This provided several additional benefits such as allowing me to leave the tools on the job so the crew could keep working if I had to pull off and go do an estimate, and the ability to use the truck for trash removal on demo jobs. While we spent countless hours organizing for efficiency, we didn’t stop to consider a key factor. What happens if the vehicle is ever in an accident? What

We all drive some type of truck, van or combo truck/trailer to transport our tools from job to job. Most of us take great pride in our vehicles, as well as the way we keep our tools organized and ready for work. I know it’s important to me that we have all the tools in order, everything in its place, and a place for everything. No one wants to waste time looking for tools, supplies, or something as simple as a roll of blue tape. If the crew knows where everything is in the van/trailer, it makes the job go much smoother. The key to that is making sure the tools are put back in the correct spot at the end of the job or when we are finished with that tool. Every time we have a new crew member, we make sure he or she understands how we work and why we do what we do to keep the truck/ trailer clean and ready.

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