A recent comment about the unlikeliness of a dust explosion got me thinking about how accidents happen. The idea that it is unlikely or that, as many say, it has never happened before is no guarantee that it will not happen.

It would not be farfetched to suggest that at least half of the accidents in the workplace are a result of things happening that never happened before.

Something breaks or comes loose. Someone losses their grip at just the wrong moment. There are a thousand causes and I would think that, in most cases, if you asked the person who was injured, they would tell you "that never happened before."

There is much we can do to improve our chances of escaping unfortunate events. Much is common knowledge that we only need to avail ourselves of. But there are still many things that have not happened and presuming that they never will simply because the have yet to occur is a dangerous way of thinking.

D.D.