There's nothing better than getting honest feedback from our readers, so I was all ears when I got a call from a gentleman in Texas who had concerns about the safety of what was shown on our last cover. He was referring to our June/July issue which highlighted our annual Renters' Review feature. The action in the photo showed two people using a post hole digger.
"What are your concerns," I asked.
"Well, the woman is wearing flips flops while she's using a post hole digger, and that's not safe," he said, plainly.
I chuckled a bit before replying, "Those are boots, not flip flops."
"No, those are definitely not boots, they look like athletic-style flip flops," he said.
"Trust me, they're my hiking boots. They aren't flip flops, I promise," I said.
Sheepishly, the caller then said, "You mean that's you on the cover?"
"Yes," I said. "And I wouldn't wear flip flops to operate machinery, but I appreciate you expressing your concerns about safety."
The caller and I had a laugh together and that was the end of that.
I'm sharing this story because safety happens to be top of mind as we bring you our annual Construction Zone Safety and IPAF Elevating Safety supplements. After writing and editing safety material for the past couple of months, it's encouraging to talk to a rental professional who clearly makes it a priority. Not everyone does. In fact, I told the reader who called that anyone renting from the store I rented the post hole digger from could easily have been wearing flip flops to operate machinery because no one would have told them differently. It seems like a common sense issue, but as providers of powerful equipment, you can't make assumptions about what your customers know and understand. As it was, no one said a word to me about safety when I rented the post hole digger. They could have instructed me on the right footwear, eye and ear protection, gloves, etc. - and possibly earned some extra money if they offer personal protective equipment - but they missed that opportunity for a sale, as well as the chance to ensure a customer's safety.
As you read the safety materials included with this issue, I hope you'll be inspired to keep safety top of mind like my recent caller does. His willingness to call out what he saw as unsafe should help motivate all of us to take similar action when needed.
Now, as far as how he could have mistaken my boots for flip flops... well, that's anyone's guess.
