The Safety Drum
Workplace safety has come a long way over the years. But we cannot allow the drums to fall silent
By Neil Houtman, Local 52 and National Board Member
The saying to beat the drum refers to when a person enthusiastically proclaims an idea or cause. I have heard it used another way as well, more commonly as a way to refer to when a person who continually proclaims the same thing over and over again.
It always reminds me of the scene from the movie Ben Hur when the galley slaves are chained to the oars and the taskmaster calls out, “Ramming speed!” The drummer picks up the pace, beating his drum to keep the rowers in rhythm. The drum set the pace.
When it came to land warfare, the drum was used to send signals over the battlefield for tactical troop movements and to set the cadence of the advance. The drum could send coded messages to the troops from the officers.
In October 2001, I made my glorious debut on the construction scene. It was exciting and new. I received what I thought was copious amounts of safety training, and I felt equipped to brashly go about the site proclaiming things like, “Guys, it’s the new millennium! Why are we still arguing about wearing hard hats?”
Well, it is 23 years later, I have had even more training, and I am still going about the job site asking why, in the year 2024, we are still arguing about wearing hard hats, safety glasses, vests, and any manner of petty or serious issues.
This is by far my least favourite part of my job. I feel like I am constantly beating the safety drum, again and again.
Don’t get me wrong. Safety has been much improved over the intervening years. I look back at the expectations then, and now, and we have come a long way.
It just seems that there is always something. Delivery drivers, new workers, contractors not used to higher expectations of safety. There’s something every day.
My personal favourites are, “Oh, I left it in my truck” and “This is how I have always done it.” These two get me beating my head off a wall, never mind a drum.
Coming up with relatable ideas for a blog about work, and something I know about, can be difficult. So, I often think about safety, and I feel like I beat a drum here, too.
But in warfare, if the drummer falls silent, it usually meant that the officers had fallen, and the battle was lost.
As we march toward April 28, the International Day of Mourning, the list of names of those lost or injured at work has grown again this year. We cannot allow the drums to fall silent. Be safe. Think safe. Work safe.