What can smallpox and pickle barrels teach us about workplace safety?

What do smallpox and a barrel of pickles have in common?

Neither would have led to workplace injuries if they’d been stored properly.

Back in ancient times (before the 1970s), people used to store bulk goods in big, wooden barrels. 

They’d stack the barrels on top of each other in giant warehouses. 

The floors were uneven, the stacks would wobble, and sometimes the barrels would fall.

Also, barrels roll. 

The predictable result: Splat! 🫟

It wasn’t funny for the guy under the barrel. 

In response to the pickle barrels and other serious, preventable injuries, OSHA started regulating "stored materials hazards."

And the forcing of millions of American workers to sit through boring presentations about obvious and inconvenient policies began.

But not all workplace hazards are straight out of Loony Tunes.

In 1974, four years after Americans passed legislation in response to the pickle barrel incidents, a lab in Birmingham, England was researching smallpox. 

It was an old building, the ventilation system wasn’t up to code, and a nice lady working upstairs died of smallpox a few weeks later. 

Workplace safety policies aren’t the only company policies that seem ridiculous until they’re broken. But we shouldn’t wait for somebody to be cheated, maimed, assaulted, harassed, or lose their life before we take company policies seriously. 

Whenever I write a handbook policy, I make sure to include the reason the policy is in place. Not just in general, but in a way that’s relevant to the audience who's expected to follow the policy. 

It seems intuitive, but I’m always surprised by how many policies simply say, “All hazardous materials must be stored appropriately” and move on. 

By that wording, a reasonable person could conclude that they’re just saying that the pickle barrels should be stored in a cool, dry place... that may or may not be near the ceiling. 

Krista Lane, AnnE Diemer, and I discussed more about what goes into a successful handbook in our 6th episode of HR Peep Show. Give it a listen at the link below.

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👋 I’m Claire. I don’t believe that a handbook policy has to be boring to be effective. See? I just managed to say the word “pickle” four times and work in a Loony Tunes reference while talking about OSHA and tragic deaths. We can be serious without taking ourselves too seriously.

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