Safety is Job One in any organization but especially when it comes to city parks and the kids and parents who play there.
The Clarksdale Parks and Recreation Department recently held a series of job safety classes to teach workers how to be safe and also how to spot hazards that might hurt those who use city parks.
Wiley Lavender, an Advanced Workforce Trainer with Coahoma Community College said teaching workers to constantly think safety is the key.
“I tell people it is good to train after an accident happens so it won’t happen again, but it’s even better to train so it doesn’t happen the first time,” said Lavendar. “When an accident happens everything stops. It’s just good business to train people to stay safe and stay working.”
Clarksdale Parks and Recreation workers use heavy equipment, build and construct, maintain fields and push and pull things that are heavy.
He said vehicles and machinery are always danger zones. He also spoke about simple construction site safety measures that are often ignored and how to watch out for pinch-points and things that can fall on a hand or leg.
And while Lavender explained to city workers how to spot hazards that can hurt them he also urged them to think safety as it relates to those who use the park.
Lavender said making public areas completely safe is almost impossible, since people do things the employees never would.
He also said public spaces and buildings can be safe one day, host a public event where people either intentionally or unintentionally break something and the area now has a hazard.
“Your eyes have to constantly work looking for trouble,” said Lavender. “Spotting an unsafe situation, tagging it and then fixing it is the key to keeping parks and public buildings safe.
