‘Copter Horseplay Claims Two Victims

A helicopter pilot and passenger were killed in a crash attributed to horseplay. Witnesses reported seeing two helicopters engaged in what appeared to be games or stunts in the air, dodging and weaving within a short distance of each other.

The passenger killed was a news photographer on assignment. The helicopter was returning to an airport when it encountered the second one and the horseplay started. When the first helicopter attempted a steep climb, the tail section fell off and the machine crashed into a residential area.

A fatal incident such as this might seem far removed from your concerns as a supervisor, but maybe it is not. Horseplay in any work setting ? in a motor vehicle, an industrial plant, a healthcare institution or a construction site ? can kill.

When somebody decides to horse around, somebody is likely to get hurt and property is likely to be damaged. Your company does not tolerate clowning around on the job, and as a supervisor you have to put a stop to it.

Horseplay can take the form of stunt driving in the forklift, wrestling, running, chair races, setting traps, making bombs to startle people, setting people up to get an electric shock, tampering with someone’s lunch and countless other attempts to be funny.

You need to get the message across loud and clear that horseplay will not be allowed, and there are no exceptions to this rule. Hot weather is no excuse for a water fight; a slow afternoon is no excuse for rigging up a tripping hazard. Offenders are subject to dismissal, and, if someone gets hurt, they can be charged with a criminal offense.