Mollie Mines

Today is Workers Memorial Day which is a day to remember those who have died in the workplace and of rededicating our commitment to safety. This day first became important to me in 2012 after the death of my coworker, Alan Cambell, due to a fall in an underground gold mine. I wasn't there when it happened but nonetheless, it impacted me. Alan was the type of guy who always had extra earplugs in his pockets and would give you a pair if he thought your were too dirty to put back in and might cause an ear infection. Alan was the type of guy who would carry extra food and give me some if I was starting to get cranky. Alan was just the type of person you wanted to work around because he cared and was an all around good guy. When Alan died, I was shocked. Alan had been clearing blast holes around a stope and had failed to wear his fall protection and the floor gave way beneath him sending 100 feet to his death. I struggled to understand how someone who had cared so much whether or not my...

In August 2009 I sat in my first Occupational Safety and Health class at Murray State University. I had every intention of getting my degree and going to work with my husband in construction. What actually happened is that I found myself, met some amazing people and continuously get to experience so many amazing things. I sat in the front row on my first day of my Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health class. The teacher walked in and set his laptop down and with a click of the mouse The Safety Dance came blaring out of the speakers. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing and secretly worried that this was only a sign of how the rest of the semester was going to go. The professor was Dr. Fender and he was a classic example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. To be fair, safety isn't exactly the most interesting subject to teach. The semester started out slow and I was unsure I had chosen the right major but by December everything in my life had changed and I...

I believe that everyone experiences multiple moments of clarity throughout their lives that determine the path they walk in life. I currently find myself in the midst of a lot of change in my life and keep thinking about those moments of clarity that got me here. Those moment of clarity that I can clearly remember are: 1) Watching my first re-run of Rin Tin Tin K-9 Cop as a child and deciding I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up 2) Being in the middle of a sparring match in the police academeny and realizing that perhaps my short stature didn't make a very good match for the career I had chosen 3) Walking down the aisle at my wedding when I was 22 and thinking that I was probably making a big mistake 4) Thinking that the professor of my Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health class at Murray State University, Dr. Fender, was crazy when he started the semester by blaring the 80's song The Safety Dance from his computer before the first class yet being strage...