Safety is always a high priority. But the job’s gotta get done. And it has to be profitable.
Mike Rowe has some interesting insights on the subject. Google ‘mike rowe safety’ for his unique take on the topic.
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This is a GOOD thread, Alex!
Hope some other weigh in on it.
The video (if Y’all watch it all) puts it into perspective…
Arthur Smith had his job to do, and he [B]got it done[/B].
We have our jobs to do, and we need to [B]get it done[/B].
We do things to get our work done, and we do what it takes (read:take risks)
BUT, from figuring out how WE GET IT DONE, we can learn and provide advice on a better way, for the next time.
- which in turn, can become a ‘Standard.’
Oddly enough, it takes someone [B]climbing to the second floor[/B].
To install a lightbulb, to illuminate [B]the first floor[/B] entrance way.
- to keep people from walking into a wall/door and injuring themselves.
We all know who’s at the most risk.
The person who is fragile enough in life, to walk into as brick wall.
- Incidentally, that same ‘walking into walls,’ fragile person, is heading to work, at OSHA.
- making rules… to keep us “safe.”
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I think the points I found most interesting, are about how counterproductive the mandatory safety meetings can become over time. Mike and his crew started having accidents after hearing hundreds of safety meetings, because the thinking and responsibility were being put onto someone else’s shoulders. The OSHA rules are important, but there comes a point that the way they’re regurgitated does more harm than good, by giving the workers the feeling that they’re no longer the ones ultimately responsible for their own safety- That’s the responsibility of “the safety department”, or whomever.
And the mantra of “safety first” also gives a false security blanket, in causing the workers to feel like that’s the higher-up’s ultimate objective; to keep them safe. It’s not. The ultimate objective is to get the job done, while avoiding getting sued.
That’s what I got out of what Mike was saying, anyway.
And I’m glad that my wife sees the fallacy in the the “safety first” slogan. As much as she tends to worry about my safety on the job (and would love it if I never had to climb a ladder or do anything involving risk), she acknowledges that there are certain risks inherent in our line of work. So she tells me “safety always :)”, as I head out the door.
“Land Lovers” sitting on a pier, never been out past the shoreline…
Telling a sailor how to set his sails in the Atlantic Ocean.
Who then proceeds to take the sailors return experience/ tales to advise others.
“complacent an reckless” my ass.:rolleyes:
At one point, somebody got zapped by touching an electrical outlet.
To which someone 100 miles away created a rule to stay away from outlets.
Finally someone realized that if you put tape over the outlet, you won’t get zapped.
But rule maker still runs away in absolute panic, white as a ghost…
At the very SIGHT of any outlet he sees.
(Until someone tells him otherwise)
So when a paying customer wants to childproof their home,
he only knows his own rules,
and declares “all children will be electrocuted if they are near an outlet.”
It’s depressing to see so many fragile little people in this world…
You aren’t allowed to make any buildings more than 1 floor…
It will collapse on itself.
Oh, wait, you figured out how to do TWO floors?
You are “complacent and Reckless!”:rolleyes:
I love what you said there. The longer I work in this industry the more I question whether it is worth me taking certain risks I take at work that I take. Especially after seeing and hearing about a lot of people who have been hurt or killed. I find peace in that, I love my life and my family, and it is window cleaning that got me where I am, so without taking the risks I take at work, I would not have the family I have.
And if you really put things into perspective, is it not taking more of a risk driving your car on the highway with a bunch of teenage texting lunatics than it is to be working in heights on ladders/scaffold/rigging that you inspected and set up?
I do hate a lot of the legalistic rules (especially at companies who have unionized workers), but what I hate more is the corporate middle-management ego trip where you can tell they are giddy to blow the whistle at you for violating a meaningless safety rule at their company. My crew was stopped at an unnamed company headquarters, because their safety goggles (they were also wearing hardhats and yellow vests) didn’t have protective top and side flares to prevent chemicals (soap) from dropping in their eyes. Instead of just telling us, some douche called his boss, who called his boss, who called the janitorial company’s boss, who called me, to tell me that we had to go get the proper eye protection. This was all while we were working on the ground using extension poles. Ridiculous!
“I’m a janitor with a ladder, I can’t change that lightbulb.”
“Only an electrician is qualified to change that lightbulb.”
“But the electrician is not allowed to climb past the second step.”
“Only a janitor can do that.”
“So, unfortunately, you will have to work in the dark.”
“But the rules say you are not allowed to work in the dark.”
“Looks like your services are no longer needed here.”
“But I can’t fire you, only a manager can do that.”
"But he spilled his coffee, and is wating on a plumber to fix his ‘liquid seepage’ issue.
Nice.
But the current process/proceedure states that all ideas must come from R/D
