Gary Norland
Life After 12,500 Volts, Survived Electrical Burns To 37% Of His Body.
Gary Norland is a world-class speaker with a passion for safety. He worked construction for years until an electrical accident sent him to the emergency room with burns on 37 percent of his body.
He was told his brain and spinal cord was permanently damaged. More than 50 surgeries later, he has 40 percent use of his legs. Gary talks about the ripple effect workplace accidents have on the family, co-workers, and community of those injured.
His images of the accident leave an impact on workers and companies. This is reality and Gary wants to ensure it doesn’t become another person’s life.
My story of 12.5 Still Alive, Life After 12,500 Volts
It is relevant to your safety and the safety of your employees when I share the story about my life and the tragedy I experienced due to my lack of situational awareness.
I want to make sure that everyone understands that safety is a choice. We too often expect nothing to happen to us unless someone else causes the accident. At times this is the case, but more often we are injured for one reason or another due to our own negligence. When you lose your awareness of a situation, you take a risk of being involved in an accident that may have been avoidable.
Do you text when you drive? Do you really need too? All you need to do is remove your eyes from the road for a moment and your entire surroundings can change. I could describe cinereous, but you can imagine a tragic accident all on your own. Maybe you even had a close call once while driving and texting? Are you still texting and driving? Sure everyone else does it, but does that make it a good choice?
When I share my story with you and your employees, I will demonstrate with images and share my testimony of how in the blink of an eye my life changed. Not only did my life change, but also the lives of my family, friends, co-workers and an entire community. Too many of us think that if we make a poor choice in regards to our safety that it will only affect us. Let me help you and your employees dispel this myth.
“…a courageous story from the man who lived it! Poignant, personal and attention grabbing. Gary’s story and presentation will certainly touch the lives of everyone who’s listening. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of one self-less individual’s life.”
Bill Bremer PhD, CRIS
V.P. Director, Loss Prevention
“Gary Norland presented an amazing recount of an incident that left him deeply scared-not only physically, but emotionally. He survived this amazing event and is able to share his story with heartfelt emotion. He tells a story of how one mistake led to a near fatal incident… The story takes shape as Gary shows photographs of the injuries… The presentation is informative and descriptive and leaves everyone hanging on the edge of their seats. Our employees will forever remember the passion with which Gary described the incident… His presentation is one you will not forget.”
Lisa Gagnon
Enviromental, Health and Safety Manager
Clearwater Paper Corporation
Algonquin Power Company (Ontario, Canada)
Avista Utilities
Clearwater Paper
Cowlitz PUD
Edmonton Pipeline and Utility Conference 2013
Enbridge Energy
Gray’s Harbor PUD
Merck Pharmaceuticals
NASA (Edwards Air Force Base)
Nebraska Safety Conference 2012
Penn State University
PSEG
Public Utilities Conference 2012 (San Diego)
Puget Sound PUD
Seattle City Light
Washington State University
Washington State Governors Conference 2012