When Arc-Flash Videos Go Viral

On the evening of Jan. 18, 2001, an electrician at an oriented strand-board mill in Elkin, N.C., made a poor decision and sacrificed his life for it. Over a decade later, his story is alive and well and hopefully still opening fresh eyes to the hazards of working with electricity.

The workers name was Eddie Adams, and a training video made in his honor shows how his death shook his co-workers and managers (and no doubt his family) to the quick. Its a powerful, gripping 14-minute video that puts a human face on the threat of arc-flash accidents. And since being uploaded to YouTube in September 2012 (by Jim Steele), the video has received more than 172,000 hits.

When I use the word viral in the headline, I admit that the proclamation might seem like a bit of hyperbole especially when you consider that the crap that truly goes viral in our world (and most of it is crap) gets tens of millions upon millions of hits. But in the world of workplace safety, 172,000 hits seems pretty close to viral to me. And the fact that the video has garnered so many views is an aspect of this tragic story thats truly heartwarming.

If by doing the video we can prevent one person from having a tragic event similar to this one, then its been worthwhile, says one mill employee in the video.

Its hard not to feel the emotion as co-workers and managers describe what went wrong on the fateful night of Jan. 18, 2001. Jeffrey Dale Ficket, the mill general manager at the time of the accident, fights back tears as he laments: Someone lost their life for nothing. And I dont want that to happen again, not to anybody not at my facility or anybody elses facility.

Its been said that for safety leaders to truly make an impact, they have to win over the hearts of their constituents. That makes a lot of sense to me. Its not until you feel the importance of safety that youre going to be truly motivated to take the extra steps and the extra precautions to ensure that youre working safely, day after day. (Easier said than done, right?)

When I watch the people in this video reflect upon the arc-flash explosion that killed Eddie Adams, I know that every one of them is a true believer. They may or may not have been passionate about safety before Eddies horrific death, but I can guarantee you that they are now. I can just imagine the gravity with which they approach each and every job task, no matter how seemingly mundane. I can just imagine how they probably think of Eddie either consciously or subconsciously every time they make the decision to follow safe work procedures.

Every time the phone rings now after 9 oclock in the evening, the fear of God runs right through me, Ficket says in the video. Because it could be the same phone call again. Boy, thats a phone call nobody wants to get.

I stumbled upon this video while conducting some research for an upcoming article. The fact that it grabbed my attention and elicited a visceral, emotional reaction in the middle of a busy workday really gets to the heart of the challenge (or opportunity) for safety leaders in their quest to convert associates into true believers.

Let's face it: No one is more passionate about safety than someone who has lost a colleague in a workplace accident. They feel the importance of safety, in their heart and in their gut, just as the people in this video do in the wake of Eddie's death. For safety leaders, the ultimate goal is to get people to experience that same passion about safety before an accident happens. Its about doing everything possible to ensure that employees have an emotional connection to safety. That's why many safety managers remind associates that following safety policies and procedures equals safetly returning home to their loved ones.

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When Arc-Flash Videos Go Viral