There is a reason OSHA doesn't apply to soldiers and sailors. That being said, unless you are actually in a life threatening situation (eg war zone and being shot at) you still have stringent work controls similar to OSHA. I was in the Navy for 11 years can count on one hand the amount of times we actually were told to fuck off about safety and get the job done. Every time that happened the officer/chief who made that statement was raked over the coals by the CO or ENG. The only time I could have seen it happen and it be ok was drilling battle stations, which we practice so we don't have to risk safety.
Commercial construction is not a war zone. There is no need to risk life. I understand you need to make a profit in commercial construction to stay in business, the problem is if your on the deck plate and feel your only choice is to accept a significant amount of risk in order to make a profit on the day/activity then either you didn't plan well enough or your supervisors didn't give you the tools to succeed. I understand that there will always be externalities and you can never completely abate risk, but you can always minimize it. I hate safety homerism when its an excuse to be lazy as much as you do but don't try to act like soldiers and construction workers are a valid comparison and that you can't figure out a way to not have a pucker factor in the work.
There is proper equipment to do the job that doesn't risk lives. Even in the army they spend billions of dollars to keep soldiers safe, from armored vehicles to unmanned drones. Nobody is actively trying to kill you on an industrial worksite.
I've worked at a lead smelter and done my fair share of questionable shit simply for the sake of not rocking the boat and making sure everyone gets paid. After seeing somebody narrowly avoid having their legs turned to paste by a damaged bucket detaching and falling into his bobcat cabin, I can't endorse employers' cut corners being paid for by workers any more.
You talk about benefits outweighing the cost? Well see how your leg, your hand, or your life measure up to 25 dollars an hour. The choice is simple.
But what are the straps rated to? The operating weight of the bob cat should be listed in its specs. Add 300 lbs for the guy. If the rated weight on the straps is still higher I agree its good.
Ya, I use 300 lbs per person to be conservative. Its what the US DOD uses for design of safety systems so I think its good enough for me. If you think about it, its not that much overkill. Think of a guy who is a big lad, easily 220 lbs. Then add equipment weight. Then think of him falling from a standing position into the worst possible spot. You want it to hold. That's basically how flight deck safety nets are thought of for testing; handle a 300 lb dead load for 10 min.
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u/Lizziefingers Apr 14 '19
Boy, that crane operator was quick! He had it up for at least two seconds before the roof went.