Electrical Shock (PSA Radio Script)

My name is Lupe Alcantar.

In March, I was electrocuted while picking oranges in the central valley. Maybe the reason I wasn't killed is because my dear mother always prays for my safety.

I was carrying my ladder on my shoulder when suddenly it touched some power lines. The electric current jolted through my body and I lost consciousness.

I was under intensive care for two days and lost several weeks of work. I was in a lot of pain and very frightened. So were my family and friends. Thank God I'm okay now and have returned to work.

But this never should have happened.

The worst thing is that I had received safety training on ladders and power lines and how to avoid them but I paid no attention to that training. I believed that nothing would ever happen to me... I could have avoided all this pain.

Now I am alert to every hazard at work and especially about how I and my coworkers carry our ladders. And I pay attention to the safety trainings we receive. There's no way that I'm ever going to be electrocuted again!

Narrator: Worker safety is your responsibility as well as your employer's. California law requires that workers be provided health and safety training at work. Pay attention to that training and always be alert to possible hazards where you work. And if you find hazards in your workplace, warn your coworkers and report them to your supervisor right away.

This is Jenny Rodriguez, from the University of California Agricultural Health and Safety Center wishing you a healthier and safer life.