On October 27, Kahi Puru kindly offered his time to visit our head office and share his story.Kahi, father of two at the time, was 29 years old when his left leg was amputated at the hip after being crushed by a forklift at work.
The accident happened late in his shift, in a poorly lit work environment. The forklift driver did not even notice crushing him and had to be stopped.
Kahi was taken to hospital where doctors were not worried about saving his leg; they were worried about saving his life.
He ended up staying for months in the hospital. When he first woke up in hospital, he couldn’t even recognise his wife and kids.
Following the injury, the hardest question asked to him was: “What about the forklift driver?”
The forklift driver was 23, engaged, and with a baby on the way. Kahi soon after recovery found out that the forklift driver and his fiance had lost the baby due to the stress caused by the incident.
Despite the injury, Kahi became a Paralympian, having represented Australia at the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000, finishing 7 at bench pressing. Kahi has turned to a new challenge, hand-cycling, and has competed in several New York marathons.
This is the story that he has been sharing ever since he joined the Paralympian speaker program. He is doing it to raise awareness about the impact a serious accident at work has, not just on the family of the injured person, but on everyone that witnessed the accident and even those who were involved in the accident.
“SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE BENEFITS EVERYONE”
This is also very inspirational, showing extreme resilience in adversity in a way that is hard to imagine.
To him, the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes in a shift are the most important. He concluded his presentation by sharing the safety poem “I chose to Look the Other Way” by Don Merrell.
This is one step on our journey to improve our safety culture. We are entirely committed to ensuring our people are able to return home the same way they came to work, if not better.
This might have been organised as part of National Safety Month, but safety is every day of the year.
Stay safe.
I Chose to Look The Other Way
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care,
I had the time, and I was there.
But I didn’t want to seem a fool,
Or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before,
If I spoke up, he might get sore.
The chances didn’t seem that bad,
I’d done the same, He knew I had.
So I shook my head and walked on by,
He knew the risks as well as I.
He took the chance, I closed an eye,
And with that act, I let him die.
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.
Now every time I see his wife,
I’ll know, I should have saved his life.
That guilt is something I must bear,
But it isn’t something you need share.
If you see a risk that others take,
That puts their health or life at stake.
The question asked, or thing you say,
Could help them live another day.
If you see a risk and walk away,
Then hope you never have to say,
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose, to look the other way.
-Don Merrell
About All Pumps
With over 40 years of experience, All Pumps Sales & Service has been dedicated to providing solutions in all fields of fluid handling. We have been customising pumps to the exact requirements of clients in the civil and building industries with a range of robust, reliable pumps and environmentally approved pollution control systems.All Pumps is happy to take any inquiries, and is ready to help with your requirements today! Contact Us
