We often hear that a work-related accident or illness could have been prevented if the employee had…taken his/her time, thought before they acted, used common sense. The reality is that people do things that maybe seemed okay at the time, but had consequences. Maybe it is because they “weren’t thinking,” were in a hurry, had a brain lapse, or that is how they had seen it done.
The Centers for Disease Control, in their “Notes from the Field” column, wrote recently about a report from the Wyoming Department of Health of two cases of (warning: some may find the following information disturbing) Campylobacter jejuni enteritis, an intestinal infection usually from poor sanitation or cleanliness. It is one of the causes of traveler’s diarrhea. One case required hospitalization.
Work related? Definitely.
Both people had participated in a multiday event to castrate and dock tails of lambs. Well, and this is where you shake your head in wonder, both “patients are the only two known to have used their teeth to castrate lambs.”
You read that correctly. They used their teeth. You wonder why they did it that way instead of using more conventional methods. But maybe they learned that from someone else who did it that way for years. Maybe they couldn’t find their knife sharpener. Maybe they thought it was faster. Maybe they didn’t know the possible hazards.
Common sense isn’t common. When it comes to safety, education, the correct tools and enforcement can help save a life.