Hurtig was invited to the event to highlight the importance of following safety regulations in the workplace as well as what can be done to prevent tragic accidents such as his.
“The mindset of ‘it ain’t going to happen to me’ is the single most dangerous approach you can take in causing an accident. The reason that is true is because our mindset directly affects our behavior,” he said.
The local safety council is one of 84 in Ohio. It’s annual CEO event held on Tuesday was sponsored by the Chamber of Greater Springfield. Justin Hayes, the chairmen of the council, said they had 140 people in attendance and are always looking for impactful speakers.
Hurtig has visited schools, workplaces and spoken at events across the country for the past five years. His purpose is to talk about safety and share lessons learned from the incident that cost him his left hand and right forearm.
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Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show workplace deaths in 2016 topped 5,000 for the first time since 2008. In 2017, the number of fatal work injuries reported in Ohio was 174, according to the bureau.
Hurtig’s workplace accident occurred in 2002 and he would later state that it was the result of several factors including a lack of communication, not following the rules, acting on impulse and a faulty safety sensor that failed to detect that his hands were under the press.
“It has been said that a wise man learns from his mistakes, but a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others,” he told the crowd Tuesday morning.
Lessons learned from that incident served as the backbone of Hurtig’s hour-long presentation. He said it is important for workers and employers to make sure they are well-rested, focused on the task at hand, know and follow all the rules, stop to think about a workplace situation before acting impulsively and always communicate with those around them.
Hurtig said he was asked to work a shift at a local factory along with his best friend and brother the day of his accident. However, he was unable to get enough sleep beforehand and instead was planning to be up for 24-hours, since he was to work third shift.
Later, half way into that shift, Hurtig noticed that a metal sheet inserted into the giant stamping press was crooked. He instinctively reached his arms to adjust it. But, his friend’s back was already turned and the button to start the press was already pushed. The machine crushed his hands.
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Hurtig said he was not well trained on that piece of equipment. He stressed to the crowd that in a matter of seconds his life was forever changed.
Hurtig ended his presentation by stating that, though it was an ongoing process and required the help of others, he did not let the accident prevent him from achieving personal goals in life. He said he would later go on to lead his high school’s varsity football team’s defense, garnering 111 tackles in one season and all-state honors.
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