A picture can be worth 1,000 words, and sometimes it can offer 1,000 lessons.

A recent CNN article on the recovering housing market was featured on the news organization’s homepage, and an accompanying photo caught my attention. (See screen-capture on the right.)

I didn’t think the photo of the worker was showing safe behavior. So I contacted Tim Neubauer, a National Safety Council senior consultant, to find out what might be wrong. In addition to noting a lack of eye protection on the worker, Neubauer suggested the worker wasn’t properly protected from a potential fall.

“I will not give him the benefit of the doubt on proper fall protection or [personal protective equipment] for the assumed task of nailing shingles on a roof,” Neubauer said.

News coverage inadvertently showing unsafe behavior has happened before, offering a valuable lesson to employers and workers. This is just another example.

The opinions expressed in "Washington Wire" do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.