Not too long ago, an employee of mine was calling prospective customers to tell them about the latest and greatest in electrical safety devices. In the midst of typical calls, the employee encountered a man with an interesting perspective. The man, a manager of an engineering company, didn't think electrical safety devices were important. He said, "If someone is stupid enough to go into a hot panel, well, then that just makes the human race stronger."
While I hope not all people share his sentiment, it does bring up a thought-provoking question. Is the function of electrical safety devices solely to keep people safe? One may think so, I mean, they are called electrical safety devices for a reason. But, as you may have suspected, it is a trick question. The truth of the matter is these devices, while the key objective is to keep people safe, really do a lot more. Not only can these devices help with following NFPA guidelines, but they can increase employee productivity. With the weakening dollar and the faltering economy, increasing productivity can be the difference between a successful quarter and going in the red.
As the owner of a company that manufactures products, I know manufacturers are either making money or losing money every minute of every day. When their machines are up and running, the company makes money. When they are down, they lose money. Incorporating devices that reduce the number of minutes machines are down just makes good business sense. Using devices that increase safety and productivity is a smart thing to do. And, as that manager pointed out, being smart does make the human race stronger. It just so happens it makes a profit, too.
-Phil Allen, President
Grace Engineered Products
philallen@grace-eng.com
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Phil,
ReplyDeleteThe stronger race theory is an interesting one and at one time, in my younger days, I subscribed to that way of thinking. I was always bothered by those lawn mower safeties. Especially the one that you have to hold down on the push handle, else the mower’s blade and engine comes to a screeching halt. This is real convenient when having to remove debris from the path of the mower, NOT! I was sure these safeties were implemented because urban legend has some guy picking up his mower and trimming his hedge until he loses his finger tips in the process. Boy, what a moron! Now I have to suffer with these safeties.
That was my thought process. That is until the day I was visiting an orthopedic surgeon for a minor knee problem. Once I had arrived I found my appointment was canceled by the doctor because he was called away to perform emergency surgery. I learned from the receptionist that a young man was mowing his yard and suffered an epileptic seizure. When he fell to the ground the mower rolled backwards over one of his hands and cut some of his fingers off. From that day forward I have viewed safeties with a different mindset!
That's right, Bob. We never know how or when a series of events could have negative consequences. Mostly people buy our products because they want to be compliant with safety regulations, but there are some who buy them because of time and cost savings they offer. Either way, people are safer and everyone wins! Thanks for your comment!
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