I Chose to Look the Other Way

In November last year, I joined a professional course at a local university, this course offers a unique opportunity for students to study occupational safety and health in a systematic and interactive approach, and it is designed to provide students with adequate qualification to register as safety officers with the Labour Department HKSAR. This course consists of six subjects, including (1) legislation, (2) safety knowledge at part I, (3) part II, (4) safety management, (5) occupational health, and (6) practical knowledge for safety officer

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My favorite subject is Safety Management; this is very natural I am a registered engineer. Safety to all the industries is an essential branch of knowledge to a person who is currently working in the field, not only to the construction sector, but also to other sectors, such as those works relating to lift and escalator installation, maintenance and modernization.

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This course teaches me a wide range of knowledge, for example, legal requirement on safety management, safety audit and review, principle of safety management, concept of loss control and risk management, accident investigation, 14 nos. of key elements in a safety management system and others. All the subjects are very practical and useful to my daily work. The knowledge attained not only makes a person a good engineer with safety knowledge, but also makes him an intelligent and efficient member of the field. The purpose of writing this article is to thank a teacher “Mr. James Cheung”, Mr. Cheung gave us a famous poem “I Chose to Look the Other Way” as a present at the last lesson, and desired all the students from here to strictly perform safety at works with the local legislation.

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Let’s see what you can experience!

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I Chose to Look the Other Way

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,

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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.

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The chances didn’t seem that bad, I’d done the same, and he knew I had.

So I shook my head and walked on by, he knew the risks as well as I.

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He took the chance; I closed an eye, and with that act, let him die,

I could have saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Poem from Don Merrell

J.R. Simplot Company

Don Plant Training Center

Best Regards