Sole Education Spring 2020: Safety Standards

This week, we asked Tod to discuss what safety protocols he has to follow and/ or learning about in his classes and internships, any safety training that he was tasked with completing in an effort to stay safe on the job!

Things I have learned:

On my first day of class, during our first hour, one of my classmates was in front of us demonstrating how to correctly operate a fire extinguisher. He called the method he used the PASS technique. That stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep - a skill he learned while serving in the Air Force. We've all seen them hanging on walls in buildings and schools, most of us have them somewhere in our homes, boats, and RVs, but do we know how to use them?One by one, our instructor had each classmate who wanted to try, go through the PASS training steps using a live working fire extinguisher putting out a pretend fire in an abandoned BBQ grill. When we were finished with the exercise, I realized that it isn't enough to just understand how a safety device works, you must be able to execute properly to get results. Since that first day, we have learned countless safety rules and protocols. From wearing steel-toed shoes, to safely lighting an Oxyacetylene torch. There's eye protection needed for welding, proper setup of a 24-foot ladder against a building, correct operation of a chop saw, and always wearing safety glasses and gloves when required.

Slow Down, and walk through the procedures

We've learned so many safety steps that you cant commit them all to memory, so you have to slow down and walk through the procedures before you start your project each day. We also have a responsibility to keep classmates safe as well, so always be looking out for the person beside you. Remember that one loose wire, one stray shard of scrap metal, one oily rag, or one slip on a ladder, can change your life forever.Stop and walk through your safety steps every time you start at your job site, and always be aware of anything that doesn't look safe.Follow along with our students progress here. Learn more about the Generation T movement here.

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