Don’t Make the Rookie Mistake

Inexperienced workers are more likely to be involved in workplace accidents. If you see a worker in a hazardous situation, speak up. You may be saving a life

By Michael Schroeder Hubert, CLAC Training Manitoba Program Manager

It’s the time of year when new workers are entering the workforce, maybe fresh out of high school, or maybe as postsecondary students working between semesters.

Do you remember when you were a new worker? Did older coworkers look out for you on the job, or were you expected to do all the worst and toughest jobs as the rookie?

My first job out of high school was on a road crew, widening a gravel road and rerouting a section. I was an unskilled but energetic labourer. I had the chance to learn a lot of new things that summer. And while I got stuck with a lot of tasks that no one else wanted to do, I also had experienced guys looking out for me, making sure that I didn’t get in over my head.

Near the end of the summer, we drove out to a place where excavators had been preparing the ground for a new bridge that was to go across a creek valley. There was a deep trench that had been dug for the underpinnings. At the top end it was at least 20 feet deep, and it gradually got shallower as it neared the bottom of the valley.

When the foreman showed up, he told us that the trench needed to be lined with filter cloth. With my youthful energy, I went scrambling down into the trench. But before I got to the bottom, the older guys were yelling at me to get out. I didn’t know what was up, but when it became clear that no on else was coming in, I slowly climbed out.

When I got to the top, one of the older guys told me that it wasn’t safe. I didn’t see the danger and I asked what the problem was. He told me that the trench walls were too steep and there was the possibility of a collapse.

If the walls had collapsed while I was in the trench, I would have been buried alive, with no chance of survival. The guys with experience could see this, but I had no idea of the risk. I thanked them for the lesson and looked at the trench with new eyes. No work was done in the trench that day.

I was lucky that the older guys were looking out for me that day; I’m still here to tell the tale.

If you’re a rookie, make sure you listen to the older, experienced workers. They might just save your life.

If you’re an experienced worker, remember that rookies may not know everything that they need to know to do the job. More importantly, they may not know the hazards associated with the work being done.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming rookies know what the dangers are. Speak up when you see them with their youthful energy near a hazard. You may be saving a life.