When I worked in light construction "safety meeting" was code for smoking weed in the trailer.
That's exactly what I thought this was going to be about :-)
Safety Meeting
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Re: Safety Meeting
#12>We have safety meetings every Monday and Friday after lunch. Statistically, most accidents happen right after lunch, so the idea is to talk about it before it happens, as if talking is a kind of protective spell, a hex against fiery death, or crushing death, or the whirring blades of amputation, or decapitation. A rather childish way to see it, but fair. Speaking as a full time "heavy" diesel engine mechanic for a s…
> A rather childish way to see it
I think that’s part of the point. This isn’t a journal article. It’s art, as the author says. It’s meant to in part reflect the emotional space of the experience, not necessarily speak to some objective truth.
I’ve been part of these types of safety meetings/safety standowns for much of my career. And while maybe not the most mature interpretation of the meeting intent it definitely reflects many or most attendees attitudes towards them. As art, I think the author did a fine job capturing that sentiment.
Re: Safety Meeting
#13When I worked in light construction "safety meeting" was code for smoking weed in the trailer.
That's the meaning I'm familiar with as well
Re: Safety Meeting
#14I wanted to quit the little league team, but I was too young to realize that I could just quit anything. I think I was waiting for WWIII to break out so all of Earth would die in nuclear fire so I didn’t have to be catcher on the little league team.
Love this quote. Corollary is something I first heard at marching band leadership camp - despite any title you may have, you actually have no power over anyone else. So you'll have to convince them somehow that it's worthwhile.
Re: Safety Meeting
#15The mention of oil refineries and safety brings to mind the US Chemical Safety Board videos analyzing various chemical plant disasters. These videos are surprisingly well done and I recommend them if you have any interest in this sort of thing: https://www.youtube.com/user/USCSB/videos
Re: Safety Meeting
#16Wow... I got sucked entirely into that.
Thank your for the share mstats!
Re: Safety Meeting
#17> Art isn’t something you should protect from yourself. Just run towards it full sprint and embrace how ridiculous your ideas are, how unguarded, how close to something a child might think up, lying on their back in a field overgrown with weeds. The sights and sounds of the rotating world revealing itself to you, or not.
What a wonderful thought from a wonderful set of stories.
Re: Safety Meeting
#18>We have safety meetings every Monday and Friday after lunch. Statistically, most accidents happen right after lunch, so the idea is to talk about it before it happens, as if talking is a kind of protective spell, a hex against fiery death, or crushing death, or the whirring blades of amputation, or decapitation. A rather childish way to see it, but fair. Speaking as a full time "heavy" diesel engine mechanic for a s…
I read this like I would read Mark Twain, or Vonnegut, or Steinbeck.
It's not about what I do for a living, or have done for one. It's a collection of thoughts and feelings based on the experiences of a character's life.
This work stands quite well with some of their short stories.
Re: Safety Meeting
#19The mention of oil refineries and safety brings to mind the US Chemical Safety Board videos analyzing various chemical plant disasters. These videos are surprisingly well done and I recommend them if you have any interest in this sort of thing: https://www.youtube.com/user/USCSB/videos
These videos are absolutely fantastic. I've recommended them to many people, including non-technical friends.
Re: Safety Meeting
#20>Sometimes people say things like, “It’s cool that you work a real job, working with your hands…”. The guys I work construction with all talk about working “real jobs” too, except they’re talking about “not working here.” It’s the polar opposite.
That's the realist thing I've ever read.
Definitely getting this guy's book.