In August, a pair of girls followed a YouTube video to make homemade popcorn. They placed corn into soda cans, which they heated with an alcohol burner.
Unfortunately, the cans exploded and the girls suffered severe burns. While one of the girls is in stable condition, the other tragically passed away from her injuries.
At PDS, we believe that safety means taking nothing for granted.
Any activity involving fire and pressure should be taken seriously. Especially when it’s tempting to assume that nothing will go wrong.
In fact, taking things for granted causes accidents at the workplace too. Changing into safety shoes are a hassle, so why put them on before going to the warehouse? Maintaining your fire extinguishers is a waste of money since there’s never been a fire before, so why replace them?
The answer is: because things can and will go wrong one day. Maybe not in a month or even a year. But all it takes is a lapse in concentration or an unexpected chemical reaction, and disaster would happen.
Stay safe, friend. Assume the worst can happen and take steps to prevent it. And most importantly, don’t invent your own safety procedures if they trade safety for convenience. Because if a seemingly innocent D.I.Y popcorn activity can backfire with deadly consequences, how much more seriously should we take workplace safety?
Warm regards,
Shirley Ng
PDS International Pte Ltd
Email: enquiry@pdssafety.com.sg
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