ABSTRACT
Keeping the focus on things that do not matter (or make a measurable difference), the author uses this chapter to explain the risks worker’s face on any given job site. In his model, he asserts that risk is not managed in “real time” and that there are only three choices that can be made when risk is presented. This theory is explained using the example of an elite powerlifter who is going to attempt a record-setting deadlift. Since the lift is an inherently risky endeavor, the lifter uses his three choices to different effect. The first choice the lifter has is to plan in advance and then train for the desired outcome (completing the lift). In doing so, the worker’s odds are improved and the potential for injury decreased. The second choice is to react by instinct. This choice is a crapshoot which may end well or may end poorly. But only by chance. The last choice is to analyze in hindsight, anecdotally known as “armchair quarterbacking.” This hypothetical case study is used as an example to demonstrate why many safety practitioners choose the third option more frequently than others. In doing so, however, they distance themselves from the workers they are supposed to protect.
