A worker falls into water and his co-worker runs for a rescue ring, only to discover it’s secured around a metal pole and can’t easily be freed. “Hang on,” he says to his struggling co-worker. “It’ll only take a minute or two for me to track down a knife to cut this rescue ring free.” There is a large, uncovered tank beneath the walkway in this photograph. Forgive us for saying that the person who placed this ring didn’t seem to have both oars in the water. (Naval Safety Center)

What was that Simon and Garfunkel song? Bridge Over Troubled Trailer? You don’t want to be playing a guessing game with the height of your rig when approaching a low bridge like this railroad bridge in Tiffin, OH. Many truck drivers have experienced the grating sound of metal on concrete as their semi-trailers get unexpected haircuts while trying to pass under bridges with low clearances. (Naval Safety Center)

Hmm…This picture brings to mind the saying about not always being able to believe what one is reading. Many workers carry cell phones these days, but if you aren’t among them and need to find a telephone to report an emergency, this scenario would certainly set your heart rate soaring. A phone jack without an emergency phone is about as useful as a fire engine that runs out of fuel on the way to a call. (WorkSafe Victoria, Australia)

We’re not certain who is in the more frightening position—the obviously straining person holding this dangling worker by the waist of his pants or the person who is being held. Keeping a grip on this worker is tiring enough, let alone having the strength to pull him back up through the window after he is finished performing whatever task he is doing. If this worker falls headfirst even a short distance, the consequences could be tragic. (Internet)

This isn’t the type of move a worker makes without plenty of practice. And you know what they say about practice making perfect. Except one time, this type of unsafe behavior is going to catch up with this worker, and the results could be anything but perfection. With no fall protection, no proper working platform and tenuous toeholds on supporting surfaces that sometimes aren’t even horizontal, this worker is courting a trip to the hospital or morgue.

This photograph may bring to mind a joke along the lines of “How many workers does it take to screw in a light bulb?” but from a safety standpoint, there’s not much that’s funny about it. A sideways slip of the ladder, especially in the direction of the stairwell, could have fatal results for the worker on the ladder and anyone walking on the stairs. A real stepladder is what’s needed here. (Photo re-used with permission from Cheezburger.com)

People often care more about their loved ones’ health and wellbeing than they do about their own. That may lead them to take chances with their health and take unnecessary risks both on and off the job. If that sounds like you, imagine the void you would create for your immediate and extended family if you didn’t return home safely from your work shift today. (Thinkstock.com)

Plastic milk crates have a number of practical uses, but using them as substitutes for ladders is unsafe. If one of these crates shifts while the worker is standing on it, he could suffer not only a nasty injury from falling to the floor or crashing into one of  the objects behind him, but also from having the load he is lifting land on top of him. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)

With all the anti-smoking legislation in place, it’s getting harder for smokers to enjoy a cigarette in peace. But even a diehard smoker would probably raise an eyebrow at what’s going on in this picture. We aren’t sure whether this guy has a reading comprehension problem or a death wish as he lights up within a few feet of a huge tank containing flammable gas. (Internet)

If water and electricity don’t mix, the situation becomes a whole lot more dangerous when one adds to it a worker standing barefoot on an aluminum ladder. This picture is commonly seen on the Internet, but not everyone may have viewed it. It’s a shocking reminder that aluminum ladders should never be used while performing any work involving electricity, because of how they conduct electricity. (Original photograph source unknown.)

Turkey Day took on a whole new meaning for this truck driver when he “picked up” a turkey while traveling down the road. Luckily, the safety glass in the windshield prevented what could have been a serious injury. Without skipping a beat, the driver reportedly texted this message to his wife: “You can cross turkey off your shopping list. I got one for free on the way home.” (Naval Safety Center)

A safety inspector visited a church roofing project after receiving a complaint about unsafe conditions and quickly shut down the project after observing safety rope running over the sharp surfaces of the metal roof edge. It would have only been a matter of time before the sharp edge severed the rope, with potentially deadly consequences. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)

Nearly 40 percent of workers experience fatigue on the job, according to a study reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. If they can take a nap during a break, that can help keep workers alert for the rest of their shifts, but if workers nod off unintentionally while performing safety sensitive work, such as driving or operating dangerous machinery, the results can be devastating. (OHS Insider)

Imagine being in a panic while trying to find your way out of a smoke-filled building and coming across this sign. Signs that provide unhelpful or confusing information have no place in the workplace. This photograph should serve as a strong reminder of the importance of knowing where emergency exits are located, in both work and non-work settings. (Naval Safety Center)

Wind gusts exceeding 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour sent scaffolding crashing down at a construction site in Edmonton, AB. Fortunately, no workers or members of the public were injured. High winds can make conditions hazardous for construction workers, and in the case of building materials being thrown, can also endanger the public. (CBC News)

Not watching where one is walking is a common problem, as workers try to multitask by texting, reading or filling out paperwork while moving from one area of a worksite to another. We get away with it most of the time, until a situation like this one develops. Then all bets are off. It appears that several of these planks are long past their due-for-replacement date. (elcosh images)

Anyone can be an electrician, or so some people wrongfully think. This mind-boggling installation was found in the basement of a dental office during a safety inspection. Here we have a missing breaker box cover, exposed conductors, a circuit breaker dangling by a wire and use of the wrong type of breakers. Sounds like a scary combination of potentially lethal hazards. (Naval Safety Center)

Here’s an eye-catching act of risk taking—standing on the end of a boom suspended over moving traffic and a fire hydrant as these workers attend to a lamp standard, all without fall protection. Imagine plunging face-first into that hydrant or into the path of a moving vehicle. In terms of brightness, the streetlight wins out over these workers. (Naval Safety Center)

This photo offers a disturbing, yet thought-provoking reminder of the need for employers to impress upon their workers that it is better to ask a question, no matter how “stupid” it may sound, than to attempt to figure something out on one’s own and making a terrible and possibly fatal mistake. (WorkSafe Victoria, Australia)

This photo was snapped in Australia, so it was probably a nice day to be working outside, but this guy is more than a little light on fall protection equipment and other safety gear. One slip and he could face some heavy personal consequences. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)