Thinking About Families Following Catastrophic Injuries with Bill Duguay

NSSGA Podcast

Bill Duguay brings his vast amount of industry experience back to the podcast today to discuss the importance of workplace safety, accident prevention, and the implementation of stringent safety protocols. Bill, who now advises leadership teams on running safety-oriented businesses, shares a personal and poignant story about a lockout/tagout procedure gone wrong, an incident that nearly cost his father his life, and that had a profound impact upon his family.

Throughout the episode, he stresses the human element of workplace safety, advocating that the protection of workers extends beyond mere compliance with regulations—it is a fundamental duty of every employer. Bill’s powerful message here today underscores the necessity of constant vigilance to ensure the safety of all employees, ensuring they return home safely each day.

Episode Highlights:

• Bill Duguay's extensive background in construction and road-building and his current role in enhancing business leadership and safety

• A detailed recount of a lockout/tagout incident involving Bill's father

• The evolution of safety measures over the years and the importance of modern safety equipment and procedures

• The emotional and long-term impacts of workplace accidents on victims and their families

• Strategies for improving workplace safety culture

• The role of personal stories in reinforcing the importance of safety and humanizing the implications of neglect

• The systemic changes needed to prevent similar incidents and the overarching responsibility of employers to safeguard their workers

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:

• In this episode, Bill talks about a lockout/tagout incident that happened years ago. How have you seen lockout/tagout safety practices change over the years?

• Bill said that his family didn’t receive emotional support from former coworkers following his father’s accident. Why do you think this is, and do you think it would be different today?

• Bill wants people to remember the human element following a catastrophic injury. How do you think we can learn from the accident while still remembering that real people were involved?

Quotes:

"It's so easy, as an employer, as an employee, when somebody is critically hurt, to lose track of what the impact on the family is from a catastrophic injury."

"We work so hard on creating safe workspaces and having systems and processes and training.”

"My message here is, when somebody suffers a catastrophic injury at work, it's so easy to forget that person, and we can't."

"Every day, I thank the people who were there to help him, to get him out of that manhole, to restart his heart, the clinicians, the physicians, everybody involved in his journey."

"It could be any one of us today, and our families impact the work that's required of us as employers to make sure we have identified and mitigated and eliminated hazards in our workplace."

Links:

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association website

Bill's LinkedIn