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Construction is dangerous work. Have you heard someone say that? Have you said that? We accept that construction workers put themselves at risk. Why? Maybe it's because construction workers keep getting hurt. We're just buying into the common sense. I've done that. Have you?

A Portland, Maine landscape construction worker died. He was sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck. The tailgate gave way. He hit his head. Three days later he died. OSHA fined the company $3,550 for contributing to an unsafe work setting. [See story] My first reaction was You gotta be kiddin'! But I wasn't there. I don't know the conditions of the work site. I've learned OSHA is quite deliberate in assessing fines. How could this have happened?

Here's one theory. [Remember, I don't know the specific circumstances.] I call it a confluence of unsafe conditions. When one unsafe condition is present with another, and another, and … then you have a site that is ready for an accident. The frayed extension cord, in the presence of an 8-foot ladder, next to a few pieces of extra rebar can be a deadly setting. Each one is rather benign. Taken together we can imagine a situation where a brief interruption in power could result in a jerk on the power cord which comes in contact with the ladder sending the worker falling onto the rebar. Far-fetched? Not at all.

Our complacency is the leading contributor to construction worker injuries. We can't let there be rebar lying around. We can't have a worker on an 8-foot ladder unattended. We can't have frayed power cords on our worksites. Yet, too often we tolerate each one of these problems. None may be a threat, but taken together they contribute to 3 deaths everyday.

Next time you're on a job site look for the "little things". Stop. Do something to remove the hazard. There is a child somewhere expecting a parent to come home. Do your part to see that the worker does go home.

Read Safety Everyday's construction safety in the news sideblog.