“You can’t just sit there and watch them.”
Donald Taylor Ritchie was an Australian man who saved lives. He wasn’t a doctor or a fireman. He was a man who enjoyed sitting on his porch in the evenings. His home was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. He had a great view. And although he lived in a rural area, sometimes a car would pull up across the road from his house and a desperate person would start to walk toward the edge of the cliff. When Ritchie bought his place, he didn’t realize he lived across from a spot where people committed suicide. He ended up being a watchman of sorts. And a savior. When Ritchie saw someone go to the cliff, he’d walk across the street to where they were and casually ask if they wanted a cup of tea.
As a supervisor and a safety manager, you spend a lot of time thinking about your people and how to keep them safe while they’re on the jobsite. You’re not running a café. The work won’t get done if everyone is drinking coffee and talking about their feelings. But we all take breaks throughout the workday. Breaks give you an opportunity to check in with your people, especially if you have a feeling that something’s off. A cup of tea or coffee, or half of a sandwich can sometimes be all someone needs to change their mood from bad to good.
Importantly, if one of your people is obviously depressed or upset to the point that they may harm themselves or someone else, call 911.
Donald Taylor Ritchie’s gift was one of observation. He saw people who were literally on the edge between life and death and was able to bring them back with a cup of tea. You work with your crew every day, and you may never know how many lives you’ve helped over the years. You may never know how much a kind word from you could change someone’s outlook. Over a 45-year period, Ritchie was officially credited with saving 180 people from dying from suicide. His family says the number was more like 500. He brushed off his heroism saying: “You can’t just sit there and watch them.” Don’t underestimate how powerful personal connection can be.