Poida wrote:It's something you get used to but these days productivity comes second place to safety in this industry.
Legally yes. In practice - not necessarily.
I cursed my domestic electrical meter changer - I said how I could no longer grow drugs on the premises with these new electronic meters.
He laughed and replied he knew I wasn't growing. (See you can apply some intelligence to old meters!)
We got into a general chat centered around OH&S after I said "hey - it's not that I'm much for talking or rambling, but if you need to concentrate on your work....".
He said he welcomed the chat. That was the major problem with his job - the lack of stimulation (#1). They used to work in pairs, but no longer - productivity reasons.
"But what about one for each side of the street?"
No - not even that (#2).
And they were still being pressured to do more installs (#3).
I was impressed by the OH&S breaches above.
Whilst #3 may involve workplace bullying, it may well lead to an accident.
The refusal to even allow a 2nd worker in the same street (#2) will be very interesting if someone is electrocuted or otherwise injured.
And #1 is one for the OH&S "Hygiene Factors" as well as safety, and productivity.
But I was very impressed by his safety. I thought I overdid it by checking voltages etc AFTER pulling fuses etc, and then a final "back of hand" test.
But he did similar. He mentioned electrocution after pulling a main fuse.
Why - UPS and battery inverter systems (with mains bypass)?
No - apparently some people bypass/short the main fuse (thinking that bypasses the meter?).
Anyhow, I couldn't help ponder the reduced productivity from his employers attitudes - as if the increased accident risk wasn't bad enough!
Not that I keep abreast with new laws or medial reports etc - I left all that in 2005.
But despite some reasonable worker gains since then, it still seems as if Aussie workers still suffer bad OH&S stats, and even worse
unofficial work fallout - from unpaid overtime to work related stress.
Certainly I hear the importance of workplace bullying & OH&S, yet see it constantly abused. (My own retrenchment in 2005 being witness to that LOL!)
Yeah - that construction industry is a real pain. Managers & profits can't do as they wish.
Get a real job Poida!
Oh - rats! I forgot to mention web & forum liabilities.....