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May 09 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine SpotlightSafety…part of everything we do
Billy Turney of Remedy Solutions places a magnetic safety sign on a vehicle. Turney is on the Lab’s institutional Worker Safety and Security Team that promotes excellence in safety and security across the Lab. Photo by Richard C. Robinson Participation on the Laboratory’s institutional Worker Safety and Security Team (WSST) isn’t just a check-the-box exercise for Billy Turney of Remedy Solutions. He has a safety story worth telling that all employees should hear. Turney’s recounting of his commute to work one morning during the winter of 2007-08 is a lesson all employees should heed. That morning a car he estimates had a closing speed of close to 80 miles per hour struck his car on North St. Francis Drive as he was leaving Santa Fe. He was able to walk away from the accident, but soon came to realize “that fraction-of-a-second impact had changed my life forever.” An environmental professional in Remedy Solutions, Turney is the chairperson of the Waste and Environmental Services Division WSST, in addition to being the Environmental Programs Directorate’s representative on the institutional WSST. It’s a role he takes seriously. “I jumped at the opportunity to lead the WES WSST, and have enjoyed the interaction, sharing, and spreading of safety consciousness at the Laboratory,” said Turney. “Safety designs built into vehicles of all types always have been of interest me, and safety around construction sites has been a regular job duty as a field engineer.” In the accident, Turney said his glasses were broken and the interior of his car filled with a yellow smoke from the airbag that deployed. Only later did he realize that he had two broken ribs, some broken teeth, and what he described as “rug burns” on his neck from the airbag deployment. Turney said a chemical used to speed up the airbag deployment can cause reactions in some individuals. In Turney’s case, it led to two squamous cell carcinomas that had to be removed from his neck. “It was only when I was told that confirmation biopsies had shown that they got all the cancers did I realize that I was ever in any real danger. For some reason I thought that I would be back at work the day following the surgery,” said Turney. The lesson Turney wants to convey is safety should be part of everything we do, including driving to and from work. “Operating a motor vehicle is a serious thing. It’s fun and enjoyable, but remember it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” --Steve Sandoval Other Headlines
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