Safety first – not a suggestion, but a lifestyle

Safety is something we Filipinos have yet to fully embrace. For so long have we taken everything for granted, thinking that we are invincible. There was a time when cars that were sold here did not have any seat belts, even when their counterparts in other countries had them as standard issues. To my knowledge, it is only recently that the seat belt law is being strictly enforced, even on public utility vehicles. Only recently have I noticed safety belts being worn by construction workers who work at dangerous heights. All this is well and good, as we really do need a change in attitude when it comes to safety. But it takes just one instance of neglect, one moment of carelessness, one occasion of complacency for a horrendous accident, or tragedy to occur!

This is what happened to a seasoned policemen who has spent years teaching firearm safety to students of law enforcement in Negros Occidental. Not a single accident, until one morning, while teaching a group on how to field strip a pistol, it discharges a round into his head! Where did all those years of safely handling a firearm go? One cannot blame the gun, since it will not fire by itself without some sort of help from a human, right? And why wasn’t it safety checked for a bullet before being used as a teaching aid? Isn’t that the first thing you do when handling a gun?

The policeman is in stable condition, thank God. Thank God that a student wasn’t hit by the accidental discharge! That would have been a PR nightmare for the PNP, at least a lot worse than this one. Reminds of a YouTube video I saw of a similar situation. A policeman was teaching a class on gun safety when he accidentally shoots his foot. Again, one cannot stress the importance of handling a gun safely at all times, especially when it is being used as a teaching aid. If I’m not mistaken, any responsible gun owner has to undergo a briefing, or an indoctrination of sorts, with regards to handling a gun.

Still, we hear and read in the news accidents that could have been prevented if only safety was the primary concern, coupled with some common sense. What came to my mind was the breaking of a construction elevator because it was overloaded. Simply put, there were those who just could not wait to get down from the building. Well sadly, that’s exactly what they got, an expressway to their doom! Had they followed the maximum capacity of the elevator, that accident would not have happened!

There is good reason why there are signs that say “Safety First”. It is not a suggestion, but a lifestyle one must adopt. Your life and the lives of others may and will depend on it. We are not invincible, if that’s what people think. Or, in as much as I don’t want to say it, many are just plain stupid. Idiots who pay no attention to anything. A friend once told me that this was evolution’s current way of getting rid of those “unfit” for life. Sounded funny then. Resonates more seriously now.