This is a poem that I usually read at the end of each presentation. Thank you to Don Merrell for writing such an impactful piece. I encourage you to read this poem to your team at your next available opportunity. Remember, when you move safety from the head to the heart, you save lives.

“I Chose to Look the Other Way”
By Don Merrell

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 

Thank you from Laurel and Russ