Picture This! Wrong Side of the Fence
Want to show your employees an example of unsafe work practices? This construction worker is a frightening example of being a step away from a fatal fall.
Want to show your employees an example of unsafe work practices? This construction worker is a frightening example of being a step away from a fatal fall.

A manufacturer of industrial and pharmaceutical food coatings is facing [...]
Clutter and an excavation could create considerable risk for anyone needing to access a first-aid kit or fire extinguisher.
Head protection: check. Hand protection: check. Two out of three [...]
Making do with what you have is good advice in many situations, but in the world of workplace safety, making do often translates into taking dangerous shortcuts. Here we have a situation where someone has shoved bare electrical wires into a power outlet and then taped the makeshift wiring to hold it in place. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)
Working in any trench without safeguards against collapse is risky, but this photo shows workers toiling in a deep, mucky one with lots of water in the bottom. It's a recipe for disaster.
Imagine accidentally lodging a large nail deep inside your heart and living to tell about it. A Minnesota carpenter is recovering from open heart surgery after his ordeal.
We often get away with multitasking as we walk, but not if the floor we're walking on is missing a few key components, such as planks.
This worker could be caught between shards of glass and a hard place as a result of leaning against a window.
This powerful and dramatic safety video from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario drives home the point that there really aren't any workplace 'accidents.'
Would you trust this man's rather "unique" ladder arrangement? Neither would we. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)
It's not usually difficult for a driver to stay in his or her traffic lane, unless the lines resemble the ones shown in this photograph. This situation recently created chaos on Interstate 66 in Virginia.
Taking shortcuts with scaffolding is risky business. Here is a photograph showing a makeshift scaffold that was cobbled together by a person who should have known better, namely a safety supervisor.
Location is everything, particularly when one is speaking about access to a fire extinguisher during an emergency. This device is well out of reach for all but the tallest people.
Here's an example oaf having an object designed to save lives that may be useless because it isn't easily accessible. The object in this case is a rescue ring that can't be used without a knife to cut it free.
Amateur "handy persons" often produce shoddy work by failing to realize their limitations. But here's an example of someone crossing the line from shoddy to potentially deadly by performing electrical work they had no business tackling.
Try bending sharply at the waist for a minute and then stand up. Feel dizzy? Now imagine doing it while standing on two narrow boards high above the ground, with nothing but hard ground to break your fall should you lose your balance.
One of the safety violations in this image is almost screaming at you, it's so obvious.
This unbelievable photograph was snapped more than 30 floors above Sydney, Australia.
This photograph illustrates a recipe for disaster. A worker toils high above the ground while standing on a stack of pallets hoisted by an aerial lift. To make matters worse, he has no form of fall protection and isn't even wearing a hardhat.
This photograph illustrates a hazard seen time and time again in the workplace--workers standing under suspended loads. Yes, that's danger tape in front of the workers, warning people to stay away from the area. It appears that these workers didn't get the memo.
Walking on solid ground one second and suddenly stepping into nothingness through an unguarded floor opening has to be one of the most frightening experiences for a construction worker. With a little planning, these often-deadly falls are preventable.
What happens to your rig when you underestimate a clearance height?
This photo illustrates a very dangerous way to use a boom as a work platform, above traffic no less.
Molten metal and jeans and a T-shirt have no business being in close proximity. But this photograph shows a woefully unprotected worker getting up close and permanent with red-hot metal.