In an industrial company in Romania, a seemingly insignificant accident showed how dangerous a decision made outside the safety regulations can be. A crane operator improvised with a nail instead of replacing the defective safety device on a hoist. During operation, the nail broke and the boom hit the worker on the head. The result: five stitches, temporary incapacity to work and an official investigation.
According to Law 319/2006, improvisation on work equipment is prohibited. The employer is obliged to provide workers with safe equipment and training, and any misbehaviour can lead to sanctions, including fines or criminal liability. Apart from the legal aspects, such accidents affect team morale and confidence in internal safety systems. In many cases, they indicate a lack of real control or a strong organisational culture at SSM.
This real-life case highlights how easily procedures can be ignored and how costly the consequences can be. Only through an organisational culture based on prevention, control and continuous training can such incidents be avoided.