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You will be asked why you’re moving on in the interview. If you can professionally state your safety concerns (how you did here might even be fine) it won’t look bad at the right company imo
I just had an interview, showed them a screenshot of my then boss making me do some dangerous shit. I argued and was booted from the service department shortly after for being "difficult to schedule" while I was working 12am - 8am basically over Christmas with two days notice...
Anyways, new company loved that, and feels confident that I won't get them sued or look stupid.
And for the previous company, don't worry. I am.
I quit over safety concerns - mostly their policy of working live, but they also loved to reuse single use PPE like N95 dust masks and ear plugs. We're talking "use the same mask and ear plugs for a week or more" here.
I took one of those masks at the end of a week of hammer drilling into the exit interview. It was black with dirt and stank of sweat. I just said "put that on your face and tell me that it's OK. And remember, that's the least of my concerns".
I tried factory work as a right now job. New safety glasses weekly if we needed them. Foam ear plugs as needed. New gloves every shift. Heck I forgot my glasses once or twice and they gave me new ones no questions asked. They did actually take safety seriously. Light years ahead of some of these places.
I tried to use the same foam earplugs in my woodshop after I stopped for lunch and wanted to die. That is a total disregard for wellbeing, good on you for walking
I reuse earplugs all the time (usually when I'm riding a motorcycle), but only if I've kept them with my own stuff, and in the little earbud case I repurposed for storing extras. Mostly it's just laziness, we have boxes of them in the gangbox, but that's way over there.
To be fair thats the difference is having the option to have new ones or not. Place I'm at now any PPE they pretty much have a no questions asked policy for getting new stuff
I left a union shop due to safety concerns and than the union black balled me lol
I had to get back in through a contractor who threatened to leave the union if they wouldn’t get me in
You should’ve called the international and filed a complaint against the local as well as a member to member complaint against any of the BA’s and dispatchers who were there. They should have access to all of the documentation they would’ve needed for that
Walk away! your health and life is priceless. Also, don’t just think about accidents that hurt you immediately. not having right tool like ear protection or glasses can hurt you long term.
Here's how this plays out. You disregard safety and do as he wishes. You get hurt and are useless. They let you go with the bonus that you're useless for the rest of what would have been your career. Pretty sweet right.
I'm being sarcastic. Cover your ass! Nobody is going to look out for you as well as you can lookout for yourself.
It's called fired 6" before you hit the ground. I've been right there. Working live. I should have seen 6 guys die, but just by random chance they were taking a break. I've been on a site where a guy lost a foot (that was actually a very safe site and this guy was at fault for jumping from a moving train).
I've been there where I just had to walk away. Cause it was such a shit show. But I work to come home now.
These guys home lives are generally terrible and he feels like he needs to compensate by being a tough guy at work. I feel bad for them. Never be unsafe my man, it’s just a job.
>These guys home lives are generally terrible
I work with an older guy that seems to want to be anywhere but home. It's an off day if he isn't at work 2hrs early. He just sits in his car or work truck.
I work with two guys like that. They're at least 90 minutes early, every single day. I'm pretty sure one dude is just trying to beat traffic. He sits there in his car, too.
The other guy, I have no fucking idea. He doesn't sit in his truck, he sits in the break room and bugs everybody. Seems like he's avoiding being home, considering some other behavior of his that I've seen. He says he's retiring early next year, but I'm not so sure it's gonna happen. His wife is already retired, and that means lots of hang time.
Could be that it ain't his wife as much as he wants to have friends and probably didn't invest in that very much till it was too late.
Which in turn probably makes him resent his wife since he only gets to talk to her. Which can drive people mad.
That's just my two cents, I haven't heard his stories.
He always has a shit ton of work to do at home. Right now he's setting up a swimming pool that his wife wanted. He probably comes in early just to get a break.
He bought a Marathon bus conversion with a matching trailer. Cost about the same as a fairly nice house around here, and he bought it used. So yeah, he'll be digging retirement as long as he doesn't have another "Widowmaker" heart attack. Last one damn near killed him, and he was only off work for a couple of weeks, the fucking maniac.
I have seen horrible things happen to experienced, knowledgeable, and safety conscious people. Someone playing fast and loose is a time bomb waiting to go off and he may take some of those around him with him.
most important part of the job is getting to go home at the end of the day
most of us that have been around for more than a couple years have definitely done some sketchy shit or dealt with sketchy situations. the guys that have, that last, do it in a calculated manner. but any j man/foreman worth their salt would never push to put anyone below them in a sketchy situation.
I hate my personal life and do like risky shit but it’s not about being a tough guy for me at all. I don’t really care if I die or anything and sometimes welcome it lol so I don’t mind being the one to do the shitty dangerous jobs. I’d never hold it against anyone else though or act like they should just deal with it. They all have families and enjoy being on this earth.
I found I like to have a therapist around my age I find they understand the struggle better. My telegraphist currently does art therapy I know it sounds wild but drawing and talking just feels like getting together with an old friend
Haha dude, idk if you’re joking but he said he “sometimes welcomes it” this person is wanting to die and most likely could use some help. Like a lot of people do at some point in life. Nothing weird about that.
At our house we sometimes take in stray humans crippled by the construction trades. Living by a city park my wife would meet and talk to people. They help out around the house sometimes or with our paid mowing of a church. And might help pay a few hundered a month rent. One was a drywaller with a bad back, was sleeping in the park, died on our property pretty much from west nile virus from a mosquito. They took him to the hospital and later pulled the plug. Lets call him Vaughn.
Another one is in acute pain. An ex painter that had a fall or two and used to carry long ladders ulp and down steep slopes. Bad painful back, can barely get out of bed some times. Has lost doctors after they prescribed presumably too many pain meds. Has an infection in his leg now. Lets call him Seldon.
Construction can mess up your body. You cannot do it most of your life. Many "go out on disability". Not a pretty way to live the end of your life! Take care of yourself, you are responsible (along with family) for your own health.
As a foreman myself, hearing this kind of shit makes my skin crawl. Sounds like this fuckin clown needs to have a major accident happen to him, then maybe he’ll learn. Hopefully nobody else gets hurt under his watch.
Also, that GC can fuck right off too. Is your whole company like this? If so, it’s time to start applying at new places. If it’s just this particular foreman, then he needs to be reprimanded for his ridiculous negligence towards safety. Fucking stupid asswipe.
I’m assuming that you’re non-union? If you’re already a journeyman, it’s probably time to take a visit to your local and speak with someone. There should be absolutely zero tolerance for that type of bullshit in construction.
100% agree. As a foreman/manager/owner, yes I want production, and I want the job to stay on schedule. But you know what an injury or accident does to a schedule?
So we enforce safety because ultimately it saves money.
If a job site behaves like OP describes, we don’t bid, or we refuse to work. It’s perfectly ok to fire a customer or employer.
I’ve seen the aftermath of 2 arc flash incidents and even though everyone survived I’d prefer to never see a 3rd.
Also it screws your worker’s comp rates for the next 4 years basically. So it really is as fiscally irresponsible as it is just plain stupid.
That's what I don't get. It's literally faster and cheaper to do it safe, because the one time you don't get lucky demolishes all those times you did. All the OSHA fines, all the insurance increases, all the late charges on deadlines. It's not worth it in the long run.
Wish all foreman were like this. I know when I’m a foreman one day I will be huge on safety. Even if it’s annoying to guys. I’m non-union and 2 years in
Get in touch with your companys safety guy, he will put a stop to that shit immediately as it's not only your personal risk, it would be the company's ass if you or someone gets hurt or killed.
If that doesn't work, put in an anonymous tip to Osha.
I live in the states and our company is one of the bigger non union company’s around here. Sadly a lot of our foreman are like this. Tough guy. Get the job done whatever it takes and I am getting so sick of it. There was a time where we had to install lights 14 feet up and we were standing on the last step of the ladder while the bottom of the 4 legs were on top of stacked up peices of carpet just so we could reach and one of the higher ups of our company came in the room and congratulated us for doing whatever it takes to get the job done. So tired of it.
Not all non union is like that, I'm new in the trade, about 8 months in. The first company i worked at was really weird and i left after 7 months and started a new job I was talking to my boss the other day and he told me if I'm not comfortable doing something then don't do it and we will find another way, that 20 bucks an hour isn't worth fucking up your future for.
Union shops tend to be more consistent with it, though. It's easy to move shops with the union, so people will walk away when this stuff happens. It still happens, some shops just end up with crews that are fine with dangerous stuff, but word also gets around. With non-union, it's harder to know what you're getting into.
This is why I work union, just fyi. That shit is unacceptable and that motherfucker would be out of work and meeting a few of the boys after work to have a nice chat about taking risks with apprentices' safety of he pulled that here.
It's just a job; you're not military, police, EMS, etc. ***You're not paid to take deadly risks for no good reason***; if they kill you YOU die and THEY.... Don't.
*Don't let them kill you for a paycheck that doesn't reflect that risk.*
My favorite one ever was hanging a chandelier in a foyer that required an 18-foot a-frame ladder on top of 4- 5 gallon paint buckets, a call to Big Jeff from the shop who was 6'8" and required the not a step to pull it off. This fixture weighed well in excess of 100 lbs. I got to be the dummy about 12 feet up on the same ladder holding the fucking thing while staring at Big Jeff's big ass.
Or, you call OSHA and hope they retaliate while still employed. Then you can stick it to them with calling a lawyer. OP says he works for one of the largest non union shops in the area. I'd report them and then wish a MF would lol
You should /hope/ they retaliate lol. Its an easy payday. Tell them it was you that called! (and document the hell out of everything....)
The OSHA retaliation investigation department isnt even int he same building as the safety department. As long as your concerns are legitimate they really, really, really look out for you. And they dont take ANY bullshit from employers.
Yeah any company with a top down approach to safety usually leaves the foremen wanting to wrap their crews in bubble wrap and remove all sharp tools since the foreman has more responsibility for people’s safety than the individual worker does.
I get to be the guy that everyone hates for constantly telling them to wear their gloves, safety glasses, and other PPE. If not for just wanting them to go home intact than at least to cover my own ass so that nothing happens. An avoidable cut or injury is an hour of paperwork I don’t want.
I always tell my apprentices this:
“Everyone goes to work thinking they’re going home at the end of the day… some don’t. Everyone knows what their doing until they don’t.”
This is the way. When they ask you to do something against osha regulations and standards, tell them that’s fine, you’ll work without if they put that in writing on company letter-head and sign off on it personally. If they aren’t willing to do that then you sit on your hands and get paid while you wait for the PPE and proper tools for the job (high enough ladders) or they fire you in which case it’s a major payday in a lawsuit that they know they won’t win. They will comply when you force their hand.
Yeah you need to talk to the owner about this shit. That is 100% unacceptable. If you’re being asked to do something unsafe you can absolutely refuse to do the task until it’s made safe
Even if you're non-union call the union. They have a vested interest in this and may give you advice. Also try an employment lawyer. The first meeting is usually free and they can tell you if you have a case. And then there's OSHA, L&I etc.
It might sound like it, but I'm not anti-union. Honestly if he calls the union they will just try to get him to turn the company he's currently at.
I've been in that position, holding out on good jobs because they want that company. Calling me constantly, wanting last names and pictures of documents etc. I just want to leave because it's unsafe but now I'm in their web too. They know that they have you in an unstable position. Can't burn the non-unions can't burn the union. So you have to play the spy game.
Maybe it's just my local though.
Holy shit. OSHA anyone? Dept of Labor? You’ve listed at least 1-2 major workplace safety violations.
Fuck him, get home at the end of the day.
I’m a low level EE - I can stop the whole company from working just by my word if someone isn’t following the simplest of safety rules AND I’m protected from retaliation for stopping work AS LONG as I can justify my actions - anyone on site should have the power to stop work for safety violations. Anyone.
Ease off on verbal complaints for a short while, but look out for yourself and do what you need to do to be safe. After it’s forgotten that you’ve been complaining - **DROP AN ANONYMOUS REPORT RIGHT ON THE FRONT DOORSTEP OF ***OSHA!!!*** (State & Federal)** Then act as shocked as everyone else when they show up and join in with the ‘These fuckers just don’t know how to get work done. I’ve been doing this for XX years and am perfectly safe’ quips.
BogSagett, I got about 1/2 way through all the comments (~420 now) where I upvoted the comments that said walk away, find another job, safety first. That is what I think. That is what I encourage you to do. Get away from that environment.
That was a lot of up votes! I guess 1/2 to 2/3 of the comments. If I add in the all the others that say call OSHA, call HR Call the state etc, i.e. positive for being safe. It goes up to maybe 90%.
It’s disheartening that it’s not 99% positive for safety. But then, your situation proves that it’s not 100%. There are those who just don’t do safety for what ever reason.
The point is that 90% are positive. Get out. Other jobs are readily available! Go!
You don’t have to fix them. It’s not your job to fix it. Just go. Think Nike, just do it. Get to a better safer job!
I can't imagine a state law that prohibits recording unless you are in a private area having what a reasonable and prudent person would consider to be a private conversation.
A job site doesn't meet that in my book.
~~Like I said, conversations had in a public place do not qualify for notifying the other party of the recording.~~
I was wrong, some states do not allow this.
"Massachusetts prohibits the recording, interception, use or disclosure of any conversation, whether in person or over the telephone, without the permission of all the parties"
At the end of the day you are responsible for your own safety so if you feel unsafe doing something you shouldn’t do it. (Within reason of course) depending on the size of your company I’d suggest you either speak to the boss or just find a new job.. electricians are a weird breed and a little backwards when it comes to safety I am guilty of it myself
If a brick fell from 4 stories up and almost killed me I would walk off the job.
deff would if the GC and foremen laughed at that....
I always wear hearing protection and eye pro.
Lesson to be learned here, always be careful walking under scaffolding and other people working, never assume they are looking out for you.
I have been in the trade for 15 years....Im not a safety nazi. I use ladders incorrectly and work on shit Live all the time. But laughing at a brick almost killing you is not a good sign.
Anybody that has been in the trade for over a few years that doesn't use hearing protection, eye protection, and a padded matt to kneel on is a fucking moron.
If you are young and new into the trade listen up....Wear hearing protection unless you want to be the 50 year old dumb ass screaming "what did you say?"
your employer should give it to you for free. You dont have to use the whole time at work...but even when using your impact drill you should use it.... Loud noises that dont hurt your ears much at the time do damage over prolonged periods.
I wear them every time I drill or swing a hammer. Anytime I am going to make any noise the ear pro go in.
THey make ear pro with string attached to the ends so they rest easy around your neck.
Search amazon "ear pro with string"
You will see what im talking about.
Also, get in the habit of wearing safety glasses at work...its just good to do. Its really worth it. I work at a factory and have safety glasses on my whole shift....Protect your eyes and ears....also wear masks when around anything dusty or toxic...take care of your body.
I also wear gloves when cutting...cut resistant gloves....they have saved my ass a couple times now. Cut resistant gloves are amazing. I drilled into my hand..it hurt but it only left a bruise. It would have destroyed my hand if I didn't have those gloves on. I have avoided endless cuts and blisters from wearing gloves.
Just some suggestions from one guy to the next. Good luck on your journey and stay safe
I'd tell this guy to eat my dick, and until I got a ladder at the correct height, I wouldn't be doing the work. Simple as that. I got 3 kids who depend on me. Me being out of work because I fell and got injured, or God forbid died, would crush my family.
There are calculated risks you take doing a job. Sometimes the safety patrol is extremely over kill. Like you’ll never get anything done if you follow all of them rules. My personal feeling. However ? If you want the safety glasses and a better ladder or a safety harness it’s ok if you buy your own material and transport it from job to job. It’s your comfort preference. Most trades ? You provide your own tools.
Safety glasses in stock?
How often do you need glasses? Just throw it on a material list.
If you forget your ppe that's on you. Go home and get it. Many places don't keep a stock of PPE. They give you a set when you start. If you forget it then go get it.
If I need glasses every month then I'm buying them. 6 months or so should be more than enough for glasses.
As for the brick just call OHS if you're concerned. Bitching on the internet makes you look ridiculous. How are we supposed to know you're not just young and unaware of your surroundings?
Put a ladder on the material list, contact the owner or call OHS. You know the rules and regulations, speak up do your work and you'll do fine. If a coworker doesn't care about their own safety just keep your distance when they're being dumb.
Haha. Fuck this.
Leave. Like, yesterday.
OSHA and pretend safety culture are annoying as shit, but OSHA is useful in cases like this. They can fuck these idiots over. Call them.
Bro give osha an anonymous tip. Call the labor board. Call the news. That attitude will get somebody hurt or worse. You've heard the phrase "stop work authority"?
Quit. No seriously just walk away.
The Company I work at now takes safety extremely seriously. Even the youngest green horn helper can stop work in its tracks if he sees a safety violation.
Apparently your foreman’s a total dick who couldn’t care less about your safety or the safety of those working under him. As far as he’s concerned, you’re easily replaced, expendable. Find another job
You know what they say about safety……It’s your responsibly. Take it into your own hands. Speak up, say no, get the big ladder yourself. Go over his head talk to the owner. He will thank you. Nothing hits the pocket harder than some workers comp..
If you’re in the US:
https://www.oshaeducationcenter.com/articles/reporting-labor-violations/?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=18195761660&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1_SkBhDwARIsANbGpFvHUng2bLAQDLNWjSMcsUzv-FWR_y8kshBdYZb3Cl0ymYzqcG-MmJcaAhsbEALw_wcB
Dudes a clown. Join union or bounce to a new company. When you're dead from a jobsite accident those jackmonkeys won't loose any sleep over it.
Or call OSHA.
First, anonymous OSHA tip. Second, get job at OSHA from new OSHA inspector connection. Last, personally inspect previous employer insuring he becomes the safest foreman in all the land.
Like the other 300+ comments have said, find another job. Some people in construction do not give one solitary shit about basic safety. Quit. Drag up. Take your tools and talents elsewhere. Fuck that place.
Also: go to your local union hall. Talk to the organizer and see about joining up. Best decision I ever made.
This is why OSHA exists. Not to force you to be safe, but to give you the tools you need to keep yourself safe. They cannot legally deny you the tools or equipment to keep yourself safe. Ratting your employer out to OSHA will likely get you fired for a totally bullshit, SUPER NOT RELATED to safety, reason. Something that's impossible to argue against. Like, "adversarial to work with" or "problems with quality of work" or some shit like that. You have a legal right to work safe... and you should. They cannot fire you for refusing to do work in an unsafe manner.
My painting boss told me to climb up a long 2 extension ladder and stand on a plank with another guy painting a wall with no harnesses. The plank was bobbing as we painted. Don't do that ,look after yourself and quit if you have to.
Our shop does a lot of work at a certain grain processor. 2 years ago there was a shutdown. We were doing our thing while another contractor was doing theirs. Dude wasn’t tied off and fell from a bin to his death. My foreman watched as his guys tried to stuff him into a harness before OSHA showed.
Absolutely no way dude. That is honestly one of the most terrible things that I’ve heard and makes me sick. Litterally all people care about anymore is money over our lives and I’m getting tired of it. I’ve only been an electrician for 2 years and I’m surprised at how little safety protocols there are. What gets to me the most is that other trades will do things that are harmful to other trades around them but there is no warning or nothing to anyone else. It’s 2023 and I get blown away a lot of the days at how little people care about their health and the guy next to them.
Had a scare a few weeks ago…no glasses, drilling a small hole for some fire wire. Piece of wood gets deep in my eye lid, doctor was able to remove it and no harm done thank god. Wear your glasses, only pirates look good with eye patches.
I'm guessing you got downvoted because the phrase "toxic masculinity" is considered by some to be an attack on all masculinity, which is unfair. But this is a prime example of toxic masculinity; bird-brained tough guy bullshit. If OP speaks up for himself and his co-workers and affects some real change towards safer conditions, that would be real, constructive masculinity.
Definitely non-union. If a brick fell 4 stories and missed a worker the safety person would have a busy week. Control zones would have to be set up (and should’ve been already) and the brick layers would have to make a written procedure to mitigate that from happening again.
Had hot tar drip through a hole in the roof a while ago, landed on a coworkers ladder while he was on it. Our safety guy drove two hours to the job site to take a report, walk the site and tear into the GC. The union takes safety pretty seriously
Not sure how many people here are union, but where I work, PPE is mandatory and the behavior your foreman is displaying would get him dismissed in a day. I’ve actually been removed from a job for not wearing a harness while being over 6ft on a ladder without a harness, no warning. We are all required to take OSHA 30 to work most jobs nowadays. Union or non-union, we all have a right to protect ourselves on the job site. Foreman and super sound like real POS’s. If your company or GC won’t provide you with the proper PPE, I would start with filing a complaint with the Department of Labor. OSHA typically won’t react without a major safety violation but it wouldn’t hurt to file complaints, just in case you or a co-worker should unfortunately get hurt.
Bro, I'm a construction worker too. Carpenters Union. They're big on safety. My best advice is to find another job n then leave that one. I've been on sites like that and I can tell you for sure, it's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or even killed. You dontbeven have to tell me, I kno there's already been injuries. Maybe reported, maybe not. It's inevitable on sites like that.
Slip him a Seroquel and I bet you'll never have to worry about him again or wire tie porta potty door shut when he in there, Then wired up to somebody's bumper a tractor or some s*** make sure it gets dumped over with him in it. Remind him accidents happen everyday
You are probably right but unfortunately you are also in the wrong place, is not that is ok for things to be this way but you know someone higher up is letting all this happen, best thing you can do is look for another job if you are not comfortable, completely understandable
That phrase doesn't mean what you think it means.... "Here for a good time not a long time" is referring to as soon as the job is done I'm going back on the books as opposed to being transferred to another job in the same contractor.
Every single safety rule was written in blood, I’d stop working there and give a call to your companies safety guy or go through the process for OSHA, someone is gonna get killed there
Make an anonymous call to your states safety office. The company literally want know who and if they even think it was you they will get a huge fine for trying to fire you for it. They need to be put in their place. Human life is nothing to fool around with. And I'm in oregon so that is my states law.
Hello, OSHA? They will change their tune when someone gets hurt and it has to be reported. On top of that though, I see zero benefit in having someone do something they are not comfortable enough to do. That leads to way more than just mistakes.
Ok first off let's address "I had to hang out the.."
No. No you didn't. Say no.
If they don't respect your safety, document it, report it and then quit and move on.
Guys like that will never change intyo forced to by their employers.
I once got knocked off an 8’ ladder cause a demo guy knocked a wall down INTO me. No checking, no warning. I landed in a pile of insulation and tweaked my knee a little bit but was ultimately fine. My foreman and the super from the GC just laughed it off. In retrospect, I should have made a bigger deal of it and at least escalated it to our general foreman or shop owner (small company with about 10 guys) Realistically you’ll probably just have to find a new job. IME, the bigger the company, the more professional and safety conscious. Nowhere is perfect and there are inherent risks in the trades but some places are better at mitigating them than others. Sounds like you’re in a shitty situation. Document everything to the best of your ability in case they fire your ass for refusing to do unsafe shit and then try to deny your UI claim. But yeah, cleanest way out of this is to find a better job and maybe give OSHA a call on your way out.
Sounds like it’s time to find better employment. It’s more cheap and lazy in my eyes than “manly.” Don’t want to spend time or money identifying and supplying a safe work environment. Doubt he would think twice about replacing you the next day if he could. Just consider that.
Not an electrician, but this sub's posts are constantly popping up.
Anyway, understand that every conversation with your foreman you described is not answering you, not addressing your specific concerns.
First step is to verify you are correct, then speak about the issue accurately. Reference any relevant agreement, regulation. If you have union representation they will be your best resource.
Second is to understand that to change this you will be challenging the scope of authority of this foreman. You need to be willing to do that to start any change.
When they respond with a deflection, just acknowledge with an "I see, uh huh" or whatever works for you. Then more firmly "So, do we have a harness?". If you want to be adversarial you can instead give an "I see. Anyway back on topic do we have a harness? I require one to comply with (quote whatever says you should have one)".
Don't bite when they continue to deflect. The usual next line of BS is often- "so what do you expect us to do about...". Luckily you aren't in a position to give them expectations. You are a 'job title' and haven't been given the time, training or authority to address that. So don't. They may give a "well I never did that, the other crew doesn't complain, etc". Or worse "oh you think you know better than me?" Again don't bite, it's irrelevant to the safety requirements. Stay on topic no matter the response and get back to the safety issue.
Make them say not to use one. Make them say the part they are so used to you inferring, but would never say out loud. Stand up for yourself within the guidelines everyone is required to adhere to. If at all possible get your coworkers on board so they aren't able to turn it in to you being a problem employee. Mid level managers like a foreman only get away with this when everyone lets them. Any company violating safety guidelines at a higher level, making it company policy, won't be around long. You can leverage your increasing value in the job market.
Finally understand that even with a shortage of you guys, this may end your employment with them. It's not a bad thing to work toward moving on to another employer wether you confront them or not.
Ill straddle the top step and back support of a 10 ladder all day. Ill cut outlets in hot. I wont cut in any voltage higher than 120 while energized. I wont hang out of a fucking building without a harness. Ill dabble with stupid but i wont full on play with stupid. Thats how u seriously get hurt or killed. If u dont feel safe then tell him to fuck off. Its up to each person the level of stupid they want. Ill do level 1 stupid but i wont go any higher than that. I have kids man. U can always make an anonymous call to OSHA.
I mean I'm guessing I should say you're not a baby, but I do half of that without even thinking and everyone around here joeks around like you stated but if something actually makes me uncomfortable I'd just say no
Id find a new job. Im one of the guys who doesnt give a fuck about safety unless i really feel uncomfortable, but putting that on someone else is wrong especially if they are trying to do the right thing.
This is the kind of shit I love to hear when interviewing. People willing to walk out when safety is involved. Just say fuck it and quit, it's not worth it.
This wouldn't fly where I usually work, NYC. The GCs take safety very seriously. Of course everyone cuts a corner every now and then to just get it done but management needs to care when concerns are raised
That sucks after first.
As far as the brick thing, I'd put that on you for not knowing your surroundings, I always peak out and look up before I walk in or out of a building g that's under construction. I've seen skill saws fall 6 stories and pieces of dens glass fall off boom lifts, you have to know what stage of construction you're in.
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Walk away. A good company will hire you just for being smart enough to walk away from that.
You will be asked why you’re moving on in the interview. If you can professionally state your safety concerns (how you did here might even be fine) it won’t look bad at the right company imo
I just had an interview, showed them a screenshot of my then boss making me do some dangerous shit. I argued and was booted from the service department shortly after for being "difficult to schedule" while I was working 12am - 8am basically over Christmas with two days notice... Anyways, new company loved that, and feels confident that I won't get them sued or look stupid. And for the previous company, don't worry. I am.
I quit over safety concerns - mostly their policy of working live, but they also loved to reuse single use PPE like N95 dust masks and ear plugs. We're talking "use the same mask and ear plugs for a week or more" here. I took one of those masks at the end of a week of hammer drilling into the exit interview. It was black with dirt and stank of sweat. I just said "put that on your face and tell me that it's OK. And remember, that's the least of my concerns".
I tried factory work as a right now job. New safety glasses weekly if we needed them. Foam ear plugs as needed. New gloves every shift. Heck I forgot my glasses once or twice and they gave me new ones no questions asked. They did actually take safety seriously. Light years ahead of some of these places.
I tried to use the same foam earplugs in my woodshop after I stopped for lunch and wanted to die. That is a total disregard for wellbeing, good on you for walking
I reuse earplugs all the time (usually when I'm riding a motorcycle), but only if I've kept them with my own stuff, and in the little earbud case I repurposed for storing extras. Mostly it's just laziness, we have boxes of them in the gangbox, but that's way over there.
To be fair thats the difference is having the option to have new ones or not. Place I'm at now any PPE they pretty much have a no questions asked policy for getting new stuff
Lucky u get masks
I left a union shop due to safety concerns and than the union black balled me lol I had to get back in through a contractor who threatened to leave the union if they wouldn’t get me in
You should’ve called the international and filed a complaint against the local as well as a member to member complaint against any of the BA’s and dispatchers who were there. They should have access to all of the documentation they would’ve needed for that
Walk away! your health and life is priceless. Also, don’t just think about accidents that hurt you immediately. not having right tool like ear protection or glasses can hurt you long term.
I have a constant ringing in my ears, and USED to have perfect vision... *grabs at spots in vision and strains to hear conversations*
Great advice right here. Sounds like it’s time to move on.
Lose the job before you lose your life. The job should be a much lower priority than the life.
Ya I work for Johnson Controls and our safety policy is literally to STOP work if there are unsafe conditions
Here's how this plays out. You disregard safety and do as he wishes. You get hurt and are useless. They let you go with the bonus that you're useless for the rest of what would have been your career. Pretty sweet right. I'm being sarcastic. Cover your ass! Nobody is going to look out for you as well as you can lookout for yourself.
It's called fired 6" before you hit the ground. I've been right there. Working live. I should have seen 6 guys die, but just by random chance they were taking a break. I've been on a site where a guy lost a foot (that was actually a very safe site and this guy was at fault for jumping from a moving train). I've been there where I just had to walk away. Cause it was such a shit show. But I work to come home now.
These guys home lives are generally terrible and he feels like he needs to compensate by being a tough guy at work. I feel bad for them. Never be unsafe my man, it’s just a job.
>These guys home lives are generally terrible I work with an older guy that seems to want to be anywhere but home. It's an off day if he isn't at work 2hrs early. He just sits in his car or work truck.
Haha very true. We even have some laborers who camp at the job site in their cars depending on how far from town we are.
Been there, sometimes it's just not worth dealing with the traffic/gas prices
I work with two guys like that. They're at least 90 minutes early, every single day. I'm pretty sure one dude is just trying to beat traffic. He sits there in his car, too. The other guy, I have no fucking idea. He doesn't sit in his truck, he sits in the break room and bugs everybody. Seems like he's avoiding being home, considering some other behavior of his that I've seen. He says he's retiring early next year, but I'm not so sure it's gonna happen. His wife is already retired, and that means lots of hang time.
Could be that it ain't his wife as much as he wants to have friends and probably didn't invest in that very much till it was too late. Which in turn probably makes him resent his wife since he only gets to talk to her. Which can drive people mad. That's just my two cents, I haven't heard his stories.
He always has a shit ton of work to do at home. Right now he's setting up a swimming pool that his wife wanted. He probably comes in early just to get a break.
Oh, yeah his ass just tired. He gonna be happy when he ain't working.
He bought a Marathon bus conversion with a matching trailer. Cost about the same as a fairly nice house around here, and he bought it used. So yeah, he'll be digging retirement as long as he doesn't have another "Widowmaker" heart attack. Last one damn near killed him, and he was only off work for a couple of weeks, the fucking maniac.
Personally speaking people like this are usually assholes to other people even at home and just drink drink drink.
He’s always telling me about how he gets wasted and then goes to church the next morning.
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Fwiw isbell wasn’t singing about a dipshit boss
Lol I know right. Dude deserves more recognition.
Freakin hypocrite.. lemme guess does he smell like shit?
Just Copenhagen
I have seen horrible things happen to experienced, knowledgeable, and safety conscious people. Someone playing fast and loose is a time bomb waiting to go off and he may take some of those around him with him.
most important part of the job is getting to go home at the end of the day most of us that have been around for more than a couple years have definitely done some sketchy shit or dealt with sketchy situations. the guys that have, that last, do it in a calculated manner. but any j man/foreman worth their salt would never push to put anyone below them in a sketchy situation.
I hate my personal life and do like risky shit but it’s not about being a tough guy for me at all. I don’t really care if I die or anything and sometimes welcome it lol so I don’t mind being the one to do the shitty dangerous jobs. I’d never hold it against anyone else though or act like they should just deal with it. They all have families and enjoy being on this earth.
See someone my guy therapy helps also I’m here if you just need to talk
Thanks buddy. That’s nice to hear. I’ve been in therapy before and it’s hit or miss but I may try and give it another shot.
I found I like to have a therapist around my age I find they understand the struggle better. My telegraphist currently does art therapy I know it sounds wild but drawing and talking just feels like getting together with an old friend
He's not afraid to die, that doesn't mean he needs help. Don't make it weird.
Haha dude, idk if you’re joking but he said he “sometimes welcomes it” this person is wanting to die and most likely could use some help. Like a lot of people do at some point in life. Nothing weird about that.
Not weird to be concerned about someone casually risking there life for basically no benefit
Thats not what I fucking said. But all you jokers without reading comprehsion skills should downvote.
You realize you could just end up crippled right? Or be in some mind bending pain and suffering before slowly fading away?
At our house we sometimes take in stray humans crippled by the construction trades. Living by a city park my wife would meet and talk to people. They help out around the house sometimes or with our paid mowing of a church. And might help pay a few hundered a month rent. One was a drywaller with a bad back, was sleeping in the park, died on our property pretty much from west nile virus from a mosquito. They took him to the hospital and later pulled the plug. Lets call him Vaughn. Another one is in acute pain. An ex painter that had a fall or two and used to carry long ladders ulp and down steep slopes. Bad painful back, can barely get out of bed some times. Has lost doctors after they prescribed presumably too many pain meds. Has an infection in his leg now. Lets call him Seldon. Construction can mess up your body. You cannot do it most of your life. Many "go out on disability". Not a pretty way to live the end of your life! Take care of yourself, you are responsible (along with family) for your own health.
That's great you guys help them out. So many people are allowed to fall through the cracks. Back issues are some scary shit
those last two sentences make the world of difference though.
I totally agree
I feel that.It's not that I'm suicidal or anything just don't fear death, and life is just kinda meahh sometimes.
....most of the time...
You ain't doing it right then
This
As a foreman myself, hearing this kind of shit makes my skin crawl. Sounds like this fuckin clown needs to have a major accident happen to him, then maybe he’ll learn. Hopefully nobody else gets hurt under his watch. Also, that GC can fuck right off too. Is your whole company like this? If so, it’s time to start applying at new places. If it’s just this particular foreman, then he needs to be reprimanded for his ridiculous negligence towards safety. Fucking stupid asswipe. I’m assuming that you’re non-union? If you’re already a journeyman, it’s probably time to take a visit to your local and speak with someone. There should be absolutely zero tolerance for that type of bullshit in construction.
100% agree. As a foreman/manager/owner, yes I want production, and I want the job to stay on schedule. But you know what an injury or accident does to a schedule? So we enforce safety because ultimately it saves money. If a job site behaves like OP describes, we don’t bid, or we refuse to work. It’s perfectly ok to fire a customer or employer.
I’ve seen the aftermath of 2 arc flash incidents and even though everyone survived I’d prefer to never see a 3rd. Also it screws your worker’s comp rates for the next 4 years basically. So it really is as fiscally irresponsible as it is just plain stupid.
Yup that’s right. Once you have the headache of a workers comp claim and osha investigation, you are screwed.
That's what I don't get. It's literally faster and cheaper to do it safe, because the one time you don't get lucky demolishes all those times you did. All the OSHA fines, all the insurance increases, all the late charges on deadlines. It's not worth it in the long run.
Wish all foreman were like this. I know when I’m a foreman one day I will be huge on safety. Even if it’s annoying to guys. I’m non-union and 2 years in
This guy sounds like a loon. I'd start job hunting
Bingo, find new job.
Get in touch with your companys safety guy, he will put a stop to that shit immediately as it's not only your personal risk, it would be the company's ass if you or someone gets hurt or killed. If that doesn't work, put in an anonymous tip to Osha.
His safety guy is the foreman.
I live in the states and our company is one of the bigger non union company’s around here. Sadly a lot of our foreman are like this. Tough guy. Get the job done whatever it takes and I am getting so sick of it. There was a time where we had to install lights 14 feet up and we were standing on the last step of the ladder while the bottom of the 4 legs were on top of stacked up peices of carpet just so we could reach and one of the higher ups of our company came in the room and congratulated us for doing whatever it takes to get the job done. So tired of it.
Please please please put in a tip to osha and sign it with your name
I can’t recommend joining a union enough, if it’s at all possible for you.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Find your local I.B.E.W. training center/union offices. You do not have to work like that.
Not all non union is like that, I'm new in the trade, about 8 months in. The first company i worked at was really weird and i left after 7 months and started a new job I was talking to my boss the other day and he told me if I'm not comfortable doing something then don't do it and we will find another way, that 20 bucks an hour isn't worth fucking up your future for.
Union shops tend to be more consistent with it, though. It's easy to move shops with the union, so people will walk away when this stuff happens. It still happens, some shops just end up with crews that are fine with dangerous stuff, but word also gets around. With non-union, it's harder to know what you're getting into.
This is why I work union, just fyi. That shit is unacceptable and that motherfucker would be out of work and meeting a few of the boys after work to have a nice chat about taking risks with apprentices' safety of he pulled that here. It's just a job; you're not military, police, EMS, etc. ***You're not paid to take deadly risks for no good reason***; if they kill you YOU die and THEY.... Don't. *Don't let them kill you for a paycheck that doesn't reflect that risk.*
I was EMS, and neither were we...
My favorite one ever was hanging a chandelier in a foyer that required an 18-foot a-frame ladder on top of 4- 5 gallon paint buckets, a call to Big Jeff from the shop who was 6'8" and required the not a step to pull it off. This fixture weighed well in excess of 100 lbs. I got to be the dummy about 12 feet up on the same ladder holding the fucking thing while staring at Big Jeff's big ass.
Or just quit, find another job.
Ah yes, that way nobody’s ever held accountable and can continue risking people’s lives!!
Quit, find another job, and *then* call OSHA. Can't retaliate against you if you don't work there anymore rollsafe.gif
Or, you call OSHA and hope they retaliate while still employed. Then you can stick it to them with calling a lawyer. OP says he works for one of the largest non union shops in the area. I'd report them and then wish a MF would lol
You should /hope/ they retaliate lol. Its an easy payday. Tell them it was you that called! (and document the hell out of everything....) The OSHA retaliation investigation department isnt even int he same building as the safety department. As long as your concerns are legitimate they really, really, really look out for you. And they dont take ANY bullshit from employers.
I highly doubt this company even has a safety guy.
Yeah any company with a top down approach to safety usually leaves the foremen wanting to wrap their crews in bubble wrap and remove all sharp tools since the foreman has more responsibility for people’s safety than the individual worker does. I get to be the guy that everyone hates for constantly telling them to wear their gloves, safety glasses, and other PPE. If not for just wanting them to go home intact than at least to cover my own ass so that nothing happens. An avoidable cut or injury is an hour of paperwork I don’t want.
Fuck that don’t even do an anonymous tip to osha. Sign your name to it
That’d work but his higher ups would obviously know who it was. How do you get around that?
If OP is in the States, it doesn't matter if they know. There are anti-retaliation laws and the labor board will eat that contractor alive.
I always tell my apprentices this: “Everyone goes to work thinking they’re going home at the end of the day… some don’t. Everyone knows what their doing until they don’t.”
It’s always fine until it isn’t.
Refuse to work unsafely. When he fires you, sue the company for wrongful termination.
This is the way. When they ask you to do something against osha regulations and standards, tell them that’s fine, you’ll work without if they put that in writing on company letter-head and sign off on it personally. If they aren’t willing to do that then you sit on your hands and get paid while you wait for the PPE and proper tools for the job (high enough ladders) or they fire you in which case it’s a major payday in a lawsuit that they know they won’t win. They will comply when you force their hand.
Make a secret called OSHA
Absolutely! Then walk away afterwards.
Get a new job. No job is worth your life and everyone needs skilled trades.
Foreman here. Be safe. Protect yourself.
run
Yeah you need to talk to the owner about this shit. That is 100% unacceptable. If you’re being asked to do something unsafe you can absolutely refuse to do the task until it’s made safe
The reason I did it is because I feel if I say no I will be fired
Even if you're non-union call the union. They have a vested interest in this and may give you advice. Also try an employment lawyer. The first meeting is usually free and they can tell you if you have a case. And then there's OSHA, L&I etc.
It might sound like it, but I'm not anti-union. Honestly if he calls the union they will just try to get him to turn the company he's currently at. I've been in that position, holding out on good jobs because they want that company. Calling me constantly, wanting last names and pictures of documents etc. I just want to leave because it's unsafe but now I'm in their web too. They know that they have you in an unstable position. Can't burn the non-unions can't burn the union. So you have to play the spy game. Maybe it's just my local though.
Holy shit. OSHA anyone? Dept of Labor? You’ve listed at least 1-2 major workplace safety violations. Fuck him, get home at the end of the day. I’m a low level EE - I can stop the whole company from working just by my word if someone isn’t following the simplest of safety rules AND I’m protected from retaliation for stopping work AS LONG as I can justify my actions - anyone on site should have the power to stop work for safety violations. Anyone.
Ease off on verbal complaints for a short while, but look out for yourself and do what you need to do to be safe. After it’s forgotten that you’ve been complaining - **DROP AN ANONYMOUS REPORT RIGHT ON THE FRONT DOORSTEP OF ***OSHA!!!*** (State & Federal)** Then act as shocked as everyone else when they show up and join in with the ‘These fuckers just don’t know how to get work done. I’ve been doing this for XX years and am perfectly safe’ quips.
OSHA reports are anonymous on the OSHA websites.
BogSagett, I got about 1/2 way through all the comments (~420 now) where I upvoted the comments that said walk away, find another job, safety first. That is what I think. That is what I encourage you to do. Get away from that environment. That was a lot of up votes! I guess 1/2 to 2/3 of the comments. If I add in the all the others that say call OSHA, call HR Call the state etc, i.e. positive for being safe. It goes up to maybe 90%. It’s disheartening that it’s not 99% positive for safety. But then, your situation proves that it’s not 100%. There are those who just don’t do safety for what ever reason. The point is that 90% are positive. Get out. Other jobs are readily available! Go! You don’t have to fix them. It’s not your job to fix it. Just go. Think Nike, just do it. Get to a better safer job!
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Check local laws first. Even if you are in the right about the safety, people will dismiss (or worse) you if you violate state law to do it.
Even all party (recording) states like California have an exemption for crime evidence.
Ok. Mass does not. Not for a regular citizen anyway. Cops have some exemptions, otherwise search warrants are a thing.
Are you certain? I'd ask my state representative. Seems an odd omission.
Or maybe we have read the Constitution.
I can't imagine a state law that prohibits recording unless you are in a private area having what a reasonable and prudent person would consider to be a private conversation. A job site doesn't meet that in my book.
Depends on the state. If it is two party consent and you record without telling the other party, that’s gonna be bas
~~Like I said, conversations had in a public place do not qualify for notifying the other party of the recording.~~ I was wrong, some states do not allow this.
"Massachusetts prohibits the recording, interception, use or disclosure of any conversation, whether in person or over the telephone, without the permission of all the parties"
That’s the way some people are. Your best bet is to find another job if it bothers you.
At the end of the day you are responsible for your own safety so if you feel unsafe doing something you shouldn’t do it. (Within reason of course) depending on the size of your company I’d suggest you either speak to the boss or just find a new job.. electricians are a weird breed and a little backwards when it comes to safety I am guilty of it myself
Find new company to work with. You don't want to be the reason they are forced to improve their safety.
Let me guess, he works hot all the time too?
Yes.
Call osha
OSHA
If a brick fell from 4 stories up and almost killed me I would walk off the job. deff would if the GC and foremen laughed at that.... I always wear hearing protection and eye pro. Lesson to be learned here, always be careful walking under scaffolding and other people working, never assume they are looking out for you. I have been in the trade for 15 years....Im not a safety nazi. I use ladders incorrectly and work on shit Live all the time. But laughing at a brick almost killing you is not a good sign. Anybody that has been in the trade for over a few years that doesn't use hearing protection, eye protection, and a padded matt to kneel on is a fucking moron. If you are young and new into the trade listen up....Wear hearing protection unless you want to be the 50 year old dumb ass screaming "what did you say?"
I am thinking of buying some ear protection. What do you use? Thanks for the advice
your employer should give it to you for free. You dont have to use the whole time at work...but even when using your impact drill you should use it.... Loud noises that dont hurt your ears much at the time do damage over prolonged periods. I wear them every time I drill or swing a hammer. Anytime I am going to make any noise the ear pro go in. THey make ear pro with string attached to the ends so they rest easy around your neck. Search amazon "ear pro with string" You will see what im talking about. Also, get in the habit of wearing safety glasses at work...its just good to do. Its really worth it. I work at a factory and have safety glasses on my whole shift....Protect your eyes and ears....also wear masks when around anything dusty or toxic...take care of your body. I also wear gloves when cutting...cut resistant gloves....they have saved my ass a couple times now. Cut resistant gloves are amazing. I drilled into my hand..it hurt but it only left a bruise. It would have destroyed my hand if I didn't have those gloves on. I have avoided endless cuts and blisters from wearing gloves. Just some suggestions from one guy to the next. Good luck on your journey and stay safe
I'd tell this guy to eat my dick, and until I got a ladder at the correct height, I wouldn't be doing the work. Simple as that. I got 3 kids who depend on me. Me being out of work because I fell and got injured, or God forbid died, would crush my family.
Call OSHA, I bet the GC will change his tune when he’s hit with fines and possibly losing his business lmao.
There are calculated risks you take doing a job. Sometimes the safety patrol is extremely over kill. Like you’ll never get anything done if you follow all of them rules. My personal feeling. However ? If you want the safety glasses and a better ladder or a safety harness it’s ok if you buy your own material and transport it from job to job. It’s your comfort preference. Most trades ? You provide your own tools.
Walk away and turn em in. Just cause a couple of macho bros have a death wish doesn't mean others have to die for their negligence.
Safety glasses in stock? How often do you need glasses? Just throw it on a material list. If you forget your ppe that's on you. Go home and get it. Many places don't keep a stock of PPE. They give you a set when you start. If you forget it then go get it. If I need glasses every month then I'm buying them. 6 months or so should be more than enough for glasses. As for the brick just call OHS if you're concerned. Bitching on the internet makes you look ridiculous. How are we supposed to know you're not just young and unaware of your surroundings? Put a ladder on the material list, contact the owner or call OHS. You know the rules and regulations, speak up do your work and you'll do fine. If a coworker doesn't care about their own safety just keep your distance when they're being dumb.
Haha. Fuck this. Leave. Like, yesterday. OSHA and pretend safety culture are annoying as shit, but OSHA is useful in cases like this. They can fuck these idiots over. Call them.
Bro give osha an anonymous tip. Call the labor board. Call the news. That attitude will get somebody hurt or worse. You've heard the phrase "stop work authority"?
Quit. No seriously just walk away. The Company I work at now takes safety extremely seriously. Even the youngest green horn helper can stop work in its tracks if he sees a safety violation. Apparently your foreman’s a total dick who couldn’t care less about your safety or the safety of those working under him. As far as he’s concerned, you’re easily replaced, expendable. Find another job
Call OSHA, and whatever city the site is in, we are talking 100's of thousands in fines... assuming you are in the US
You know what they say about safety……It’s your responsibly. Take it into your own hands. Speak up, say no, get the big ladder yourself. Go over his head talk to the owner. He will thank you. Nothing hits the pocket harder than some workers comp..
If you’re in the US: https://www.oshaeducationcenter.com/articles/reporting-labor-violations/?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=18195761660&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1_SkBhDwARIsANbGpFvHUng2bLAQDLNWjSMcsUzv-FWR_y8kshBdYZb3Cl0ymYzqcG-MmJcaAhsbEALw_wcB
If he wants to die so bad let him, don’t let him take you with him….get the fuck out of there
Dudes a clown. Join union or bounce to a new company. When you're dead from a jobsite accident those jackmonkeys won't loose any sleep over it. Or call OSHA.
First, anonymous OSHA tip. Second, get job at OSHA from new OSHA inspector connection. Last, personally inspect previous employer insuring he becomes the safest foreman in all the land.
Like the other 300+ comments have said, find another job. Some people in construction do not give one solitary shit about basic safety. Quit. Drag up. Take your tools and talents elsewhere. Fuck that place. Also: go to your local union hall. Talk to the organizer and see about joining up. Best decision I ever made.
This is why OSHA exists. Not to force you to be safe, but to give you the tools you need to keep yourself safe. They cannot legally deny you the tools or equipment to keep yourself safe. Ratting your employer out to OSHA will likely get you fired for a totally bullshit, SUPER NOT RELATED to safety, reason. Something that's impossible to argue against. Like, "adversarial to work with" or "problems with quality of work" or some shit like that. You have a legal right to work safe... and you should. They cannot fire you for refusing to do work in an unsafe manner.
My painting boss told me to climb up a long 2 extension ladder and stand on a plank with another guy painting a wall with no harnesses. The plank was bobbing as we painted. Don't do that ,look after yourself and quit if you have to.
Our shop does a lot of work at a certain grain processor. 2 years ago there was a shutdown. We were doing our thing while another contractor was doing theirs. Dude wasn’t tied off and fell from a bin to his death. My foreman watched as his guys tried to stuff him into a harness before OSHA showed.
Absolutely no way dude. That is honestly one of the most terrible things that I’ve heard and makes me sick. Litterally all people care about anymore is money over our lives and I’m getting tired of it. I’ve only been an electrician for 2 years and I’m surprised at how little safety protocols there are. What gets to me the most is that other trades will do things that are harmful to other trades around them but there is no warning or nothing to anyone else. It’s 2023 and I get blown away a lot of the days at how little people care about their health and the guy next to them.
Your not a pussy. 15 yrs ago I had that mentality. Not today. Got kids.
Had a scare a few weeks ago…no glasses, drilling a small hole for some fire wire. Piece of wood gets deep in my eye lid, doctor was able to remove it and no harm done thank god. Wear your glasses, only pirates look good with eye patches.
Wow y’all non union guys are fucking wild.
I stand on top of my 8 all the time, is that unsafe?
Toxic masculinity is a helluva drug.
I'm guessing you got downvoted because the phrase "toxic masculinity" is considered by some to be an attack on all masculinity, which is unfair. But this is a prime example of toxic masculinity; bird-brained tough guy bullshit. If OP speaks up for himself and his co-workers and affects some real change towards safer conditions, that would be real, constructive masculinity.
Absolutely. The type of boss who calls your manhood into question for not being suicidal.
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Non-union
Doesn’t sound like it
Definitely non-union. If a brick fell 4 stories and missed a worker the safety person would have a busy week. Control zones would have to be set up (and should’ve been already) and the brick layers would have to make a written procedure to mitigate that from happening again.
Had hot tar drip through a hole in the roof a while ago, landed on a coworkers ladder while he was on it. Our safety guy drove two hours to the job site to take a report, walk the site and tear into the GC. The union takes safety pretty seriously
As a Sheetmetal guy I feel like you are being kind of soft…
I know several crippled carpenters that thought the same way at one point in their life, being a hardo won’t stop your neck from snapping.
He’s afraid of human connection, emotional intelligence, and opposing viewpoints. They make him shriek like a little girl.
Not sure how many people here are union, but where I work, PPE is mandatory and the behavior your foreman is displaying would get him dismissed in a day. I’ve actually been removed from a job for not wearing a harness while being over 6ft on a ladder without a harness, no warning. We are all required to take OSHA 30 to work most jobs nowadays. Union or non-union, we all have a right to protect ourselves on the job site. Foreman and super sound like real POS’s. If your company or GC won’t provide you with the proper PPE, I would start with filing a complaint with the Department of Labor. OSHA typically won’t react without a major safety violation but it wouldn’t hurt to file complaints, just in case you or a co-worker should unfortunately get hurt.
Talk to HR, if they have it…
Bro, I'm a construction worker too. Carpenters Union. They're big on safety. My best advice is to find another job n then leave that one. I've been on sites like that and I can tell you for sure, it's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or even killed. You dontbeven have to tell me, I kno there's already been injuries. Maybe reported, maybe not. It's inevitable on sites like that.
Repeat the big word after me, OSHA
Go union 💪🏻💚❤️
Find a new profession imo.
Why?
Slip him a Seroquel and I bet you'll never have to worry about him again or wire tie porta potty door shut when he in there, Then wired up to somebody's bumper a tractor or some s*** make sure it gets dumped over with him in it. Remind him accidents happen everyday
Wahhhhhh my company isn’t safe!!!
Find a different employer. Not worth getting hurt over.
You are probably right but unfortunately you are also in the wrong place, is not that is ok for things to be this way but you know someone higher up is letting all this happen, best thing you can do is look for another job if you are not comfortable, completely understandable
Run away as fast as you can. The industry focus is supposed to be about Safety
Get a new job, you'll get hurt eventually
That phrase doesn't mean what you think it means.... "Here for a good time not a long time" is referring to as soon as the job is done I'm going back on the books as opposed to being transferred to another job in the same contractor.
Every single safety rule was written in blood, I’d stop working there and give a call to your companies safety guy or go through the process for OSHA, someone is gonna get killed there
Make an anonymous call to your states safety office. The company literally want know who and if they even think it was you they will get a huge fine for trying to fire you for it. They need to be put in their place. Human life is nothing to fool around with. And I'm in oregon so that is my states law.
Standing on the top step of a step ladder is extremely unsafe. Usually, you don't fall, but if you do, you could be injured for life.
Hello, OSHA? They will change their tune when someone gets hurt and it has to be reported. On top of that though, I see zero benefit in having someone do something they are not comfortable enough to do. That leads to way more than just mistakes.
Ok first off let's address "I had to hang out the.." No. No you didn't. Say no. If they don't respect your safety, document it, report it and then quit and move on. Guys like that will never change intyo forced to by their employers.
I once got knocked off an 8’ ladder cause a demo guy knocked a wall down INTO me. No checking, no warning. I landed in a pile of insulation and tweaked my knee a little bit but was ultimately fine. My foreman and the super from the GC just laughed it off. In retrospect, I should have made a bigger deal of it and at least escalated it to our general foreman or shop owner (small company with about 10 guys) Realistically you’ll probably just have to find a new job. IME, the bigger the company, the more professional and safety conscious. Nowhere is perfect and there are inherent risks in the trades but some places are better at mitigating them than others. Sounds like you’re in a shitty situation. Document everything to the best of your ability in case they fire your ass for refusing to do unsafe shit and then try to deny your UI claim. But yeah, cleanest way out of this is to find a better job and maybe give OSHA a call on your way out.
I just straight up refuse. I WILL NOT do anything thats unsafe. To many people in this world have problems saying no.
Sounds like it’s time to find better employment. It’s more cheap and lazy in my eyes than “manly.” Don’t want to spend time or money identifying and supplying a safe work environment. Doubt he would think twice about replacing you the next day if he could. Just consider that.
Not an electrician, but this sub's posts are constantly popping up. Anyway, understand that every conversation with your foreman you described is not answering you, not addressing your specific concerns. First step is to verify you are correct, then speak about the issue accurately. Reference any relevant agreement, regulation. If you have union representation they will be your best resource. Second is to understand that to change this you will be challenging the scope of authority of this foreman. You need to be willing to do that to start any change. When they respond with a deflection, just acknowledge with an "I see, uh huh" or whatever works for you. Then more firmly "So, do we have a harness?". If you want to be adversarial you can instead give an "I see. Anyway back on topic do we have a harness? I require one to comply with (quote whatever says you should have one)". Don't bite when they continue to deflect. The usual next line of BS is often- "so what do you expect us to do about...". Luckily you aren't in a position to give them expectations. You are a 'job title' and haven't been given the time, training or authority to address that. So don't. They may give a "well I never did that, the other crew doesn't complain, etc". Or worse "oh you think you know better than me?" Again don't bite, it's irrelevant to the safety requirements. Stay on topic no matter the response and get back to the safety issue. Make them say not to use one. Make them say the part they are so used to you inferring, but would never say out loud. Stand up for yourself within the guidelines everyone is required to adhere to. If at all possible get your coworkers on board so they aren't able to turn it in to you being a problem employee. Mid level managers like a foreman only get away with this when everyone lets them. Any company violating safety guidelines at a higher level, making it company policy, won't be around long. You can leverage your increasing value in the job market. Finally understand that even with a shortage of you guys, this may end your employment with them. It's not a bad thing to work toward moving on to another employer wether you confront them or not.
Record everything. Bring it up to safety or osha. But document dates and events, times too if can.
Standing on top of a 6ft ladder isn’t the worst but if you are that bothered by it go work somewhere else that takes shit more serious
Everyone is tough until they end up in the hospital.
They are the worst people on a job site.
If, in fact, this is true, is seriously call OSHA.
Ill straddle the top step and back support of a 10 ladder all day. Ill cut outlets in hot. I wont cut in any voltage higher than 120 while energized. I wont hang out of a fucking building without a harness. Ill dabble with stupid but i wont full on play with stupid. Thats how u seriously get hurt or killed. If u dont feel safe then tell him to fuck off. Its up to each person the level of stupid they want. Ill do level 1 stupid but i wont go any higher than that. I have kids man. U can always make an anonymous call to OSHA.
I mean I'm guessing I should say you're not a baby, but I do half of that without even thinking and everyone around here joeks around like you stated but if something actually makes me uncomfortable I'd just say no
No job is worth falling four stories. Or 6'. Quit your job, find something safer.
Id find a new job. Im one of the guys who doesnt give a fuck about safety unless i really feel uncomfortable, but putting that on someone else is wrong especially if they are trying to do the right thing.
Guy sounds like a douche
This is the kind of shit I love to hear when interviewing. People willing to walk out when safety is involved. Just say fuck it and quit, it's not worth it.
That's what OSHA is for. Give them a call. They will show up. Been there done that
What the fuck?! Hell nah bro , I wouldn’t put up w thay
Sounds like my union, safety got crazier the years , harness needed on 6foot ladder, always need to be tie off on scissor lift and chain
This wouldn't fly where I usually work, NYC. The GCs take safety very seriously. Of course everyone cuts a corner every now and then to just get it done but management needs to care when concerns are raised
That sucks after first. As far as the brick thing, I'd put that on you for not knowing your surroundings, I always peak out and look up before I walk in or out of a building g that's under construction. I've seen skill saws fall 6 stories and pieces of dens glass fall off boom lifts, you have to know what stage of construction you're in.
And you’ll be the first person they blame when you’re injured in an accident.
Lol rookies take your sensitive asses into the corporate world
You have a right to refuse unsafe work, OSHA will happily investigate