This poem says it all, whether you are talking forklift safety, aerial lift safety or any workplace safety:
I could have saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care; I had the time, and I was there.
But I didn’t want to seem a fool, or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before; if I spoke up he might get sore.
The chances didn’t seem that bad; I’d done the same, he knew I had.
So I shook my head and walked by; he knew the risks as well as I.
He took the chance, I closed an eye; and with that act, I let him die.
I could have saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way.
Now every time I see his wife, I know I should have saved his life.
That guilt is something I must bear; but isn’t’ something you need to share.
If you see a risk that others take that puts their health or life at stake,
The question asked or thing you say; could help them live another day.
If you see a risk and walk away, then hope you never have to say,
“I could have saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way.”
by: Don Merrill