Charlie Morecraft didn’t care much about safety rules. In his early years working at an Exxon refinery in New Jersey, he said he often worked without personal protective equipment – because it was too uncomfortable and too uncool to use.

“Accidents happen to the other guy,” he said. “I was never concerned about safety.”

That all changed one August evening 30 years ago as he worked the night shift. Morecraft was called out to perform a routine repair, when a series of mishaps caused a horrific explosion. He was burned over 50 percent of his body, his life saved only by the flame-retardant clothing he was wearing.

“What caused this accident was my attitude toward safety,” he said. “If you have the same attitude I had, the same could happen to you.”

Charlie Morecraft shared the powerful story of his life-changing accident with FRC East employees at the all-hands safety stand-down held recently at the station theater. Now scarred but recovered from the accident, the motivational speaker tours the country spreading the message that workers must take responsibility for their own safety on the job. After spending five years in the hospital, enduring countless surgeries and endless physical therapy, Morecraft said he has little sympathy for people who say that PPE is inconvenient or uncomfortable.

“You know what’s uncomfortable?” he asked the audience. “Learning to get around for the rest of your life with a white tipped cane – that’s uncomfortable. Riding around in a wheelchair you control with your chin – that’s uncomfortable. Safety equipment uncomfortable? Give me a break.”

In his introduction of the speaker, Commanding Officer Col. Scott Loch said that inattention to safety doesn’t just impact the individual, but FRC East as a whole.

“There is a financial cost of safety,” Loch told the assembled employees. “The fact of the matter is, if you’re not a safe organization, you pass the cost on to the customer. There’s only so much business the warfighter will give us. We’ve got to be better at what we do.”

The stand-down was divided into two sessions. Employees who were not listening to Morecraft’s speech were involved in activities within their safe sites. Leaders addressed such topics as traffic safety, slips and falls, and job hazard analysis. In addition, speakers paid special attention to the four most common causes of mishaps – rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency. Industrial and Program Planning Operations Coordinator John Gatt told employees in the 94402 Starters and Turbines Shop, that they are responsible for their coworkers’ safety as well as their own.

“Eighty-five percent of our employees say they will stop a coworker from doing something unsafe,” he said. “But in every injury we’ve had, coworkers have been watching. Would you let your child cut something with a bare razor blade? Well, then why let your coworker do it?”

FRC East leaders said the goal behind the day-long stand-down was to refocus the attention of all employees to the importance of safety. Worker compensation costs represent a $6 million dollar annual drain on the FRC East budget, and these costs are reflected in the facility’s rates.

Charlie Morecraft, however, said that to him the greatest cost of his accident was the time he lost with his family. He was 33 years old when he was injured, and his daughters were 10 and 13. After spending five years in various hospitals, he missed those years with his children.

“It’s not worth the gamble,” he said. “I would give anything to have those five years back with my kids. Safety’s personal. It’s about family. It’s about your family.”