A construction worker who almost lost everything in a serious accident is dedicating himself to making sure the industry puts safety first. Steve Howe works as a Safety Manager for Kiewit Construction and held a talk at the BC Common Ground Alliance’s breakfast on Feb. 16.
Howe was working on tree removal for Kiewit during construction of the Sea to Sky Highway project in 2006 when a brutal accident changed both his life and his perspectives on worksite safety.
Howe, who was then 22 years old, was standing by an excavator which was removing trees from the area. The bucket of the excavator dropped onto his pelvis, and the teeth of the bucket penetrated his pelvis and his abdomen. He was dragged forward and his legs began to separate from the rest of his body.
"My guts were going south," Howe said. Howe was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital and began a long recovery period, including 60 separate surgeries and learning to walk again.
"I thought I passed out one day and woke up the next, but I had been out for three months," Howe said.
Since his recovery, Howe has dedicated himself to speaking to others in the construction industry about the importance of safety in the workplace, particularly at a personal level.
"You are the last line of defense. Basically you have to make a choice, a good or bad one. To me now, I value more things than work. Work is important but it’s not the only thing, and I’m not willing to risk my life or quality of life for something at work," Howe said.
He added that he thought he was irreplaceable, and was replaced the next day on the Sea to Sky job.
"I risked my life for that highway, and it has a shelf life of … 60 years?" he said.
Howe added that by not caring about himself, he did harm to others, likening his experience to when one throws a rock into water and waves ripple outward, adding that decisions he made as a 22 year old now affect what he can and can’t do with his children.
"Being a cowboy … all that means is that you have a better chance to become someone like me. What are you doing it for?" he asked the audience of contractors and other construction professionals.
Howe also noted that while it can be difficult for smaller companies, safety must always be the prime motivator in any organization.
"In smaller companies, there is that ‘get ‘er done’ mentality, and I understand, everyone is in the business to make money. But to me, people in a business are the most important asset," Howe said.
He added that when safety is stressed as a value, morale tends to be higher in an organization.
Howe also stressed the importance of recognizing "comfortable moments" as potential hazards.
"We start developing these mindsets that it’s not going to happen to us, that it happens to everyone else, and I challenge the group to say what word or thing makes you better than everyone else? What makes you better that means it could happen to everyone else, but not you?"
Steve Howe spoke to the BC Common Ground Alliance about safety on Feb. 16.
Photo: Warren Frey"
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