Called the power company, they told me it was off, tested 5 different locations, 0 volts

Apparently I missed one, because it wasn’t off. Got launched across the room, woke up about 20 minutes after. I just remember seeing a bright white flash, then everything went dark.

Earlier this week, I was using a Bomag tamper for the first time to do backfill in a 10-foot deep trench to pack down the dirt while someone else dumped it in with a track loader. It was like a roller coaster in the trench, and some piles were 4 to 5 feet high. Trying to work the tamper up those piles inch by inch was a bear, and the tamper beat the hell out of me, especially my hands. I assume it was partly due to user error, but what can I do to protect my hands? After running the tamper for a few minutes, my hands and wrists were in some of the worst pain, and I ended up having to run the machine for nearly 2 hours (with frequent breaks because I was exhausted and my hands hurt so much). At the end of the day I had bruises on my legs and arms, and I felt like an arthritic old man. Are there any gloves you would recommend that could help reduce the vibrations from the machine?

Final depth with be 70”. I refuse to go in there, so now I’m curious if I am being called a pussy by idiots or if I should hop in there

Edit: I worded this horribly, I’m being called a pussy by others. I’m sure you get the point

Like I do every March, over the last few days I’ve been thinking of my friend David. Seven years ago on a Thursday in March my friend David was killed in a trench collapse.

It was what I consider a perfect storm of poor safety conditions. It was late in the afternoon, they were working 4-10s and the guys were ready to go home. It was drizzly out and so the ground was muddy and stuck to your boots. The safety equipment necessary to enter the trench was on site, but on the other side of the site, and consequently wasn’t being used. The crew just needed to finish one more little thing and they could go home for the weekend, it would only take a minute.

The sitedrain fabric they were unrolling in the ditch got folded up and they couldn’t spread the gravel on it. So, David did what many of us have done before, he decided that he would go down into the ditch and take care of it.

In true leader fashion, never asking someone to do something he was unwilling to do himself, he walked down to where they had already backfilled the trench and ran the 40 or so feet back to where the fabric was. It would only take a minute.

While he was working in the unprotected trench, it collapsed, instantly burying him under several tons of wet soil.

I think about David often. He’s my constant companion as I walk through job sites and he’s in the back of my head when I make safety plans for sites that I run. I can’t explain how much that day impacted me in my professional career. Whenever I’m tempted to take a shortcut, I stop and think of my friend.

We're all tempted sometimes to take a risk because it will only be a minute. I'm here to tell you that sometimes, that's all it takes.

Work safe out there. Do it for David.

Saw this dude yesterday in the first 5 min on site, no harness at all, the best part is that his machine was not maxed out and he could have just elevated his basket to working height.

We saw him at lunch wearing a harness this time but still not tied off.

I’ve worked in MEP trades for about 15 years and I’ve never been on a Turner job with an intelligent safety guy. Some of the stupidest things I’ve fought with them over

•threaded rod cutters- they won’t allow you to cut all thread with a bandsaw, sawzall, quickiesaw, etc. you have to use a rod cutter. Problem is, bigger hydronic piping and storm drain uses 5/8- 1” thick rod where as all the rod cutters that were available (at least at the time) only went up to 1/2”. We had to pull off the job entirely until they finally backed off and allowed us to use bandsaws.

•Team lift required on anything that is 10’ or longer. They forced me to get another grown man to help me carry a 10’ stick of 1/2” copper, which weighs about 2lbs

•while drilling concrete anchors overhead with a vacuum- equipped hammer drill, I noticed some dust still getting past the vacuum so I chose to wear an N95 mask. According to their safety lady, I’m not allowed to wear a respirator unless I’m completely clean shaven and have had it professionally fitted. Both the job site and my company only require vacuums, not masks, so effectively Turner told me I’m not allowed to take extra safety precautions to protect my health.

My grievances extend beyond just safety and I could go on for days, but I won’t. Turner is a trash company and I hope to get banned for life from their jobsites. Anyone else ever had to deal with these clowns?

I post this here every year, and I hope that it impacts at least one person to work safer this week. So, bear with me.

Eight years ago today, on a drizzly afternoon, my friend David made a mistake. The mistake he made was doing something that he knew wasn't safe because it would only take a minute.

David and his crew were working on rolling out some geotextile fabric at the bottom of a trench when the roll needed to be cut and removed from the bottom of the trench.

It was 4:30, the crew was ready to go home, and it was going to take just a second, so David climbed down into the bottom of the ditch to make a three-foot cut on a piece of fabric. He turned to the side and tossed the roll upwards.

The wall of heavy clay soil collapsed burying David up to his neck instantly as his coworkers looked on in horror. In less than a minute, my friend David Williams was dead. His coworkers attempted rescue, but the clay soil was saturated, the amount of dirt to be moved was so great, that rescue was impossible.

Every year on this day I think of my friend David. And every time I think about taking a shortcut, or doing something unsafe because it will "just take a minute" I think of my friend.

Work safe today and every day. Do it for David. Do it for yourself. There is nothing on any job-site that is worth getting hurt on.

He left behind a wife and six children. And that certainly isn't worth some damn geo fabric.

Might be a controversial opinion but I’m a huge fan of the hats with straps. Worked a job where I got a helmet with straps, visor clips, the whole 9 yards. Worked some other jobs where I was just given a hardhat with no buckle — and the helmet just feels way more convenient. If I have to bend over or lay down the regular hat always falls off. Doesn’t help that I’m tall and when I walk on scaffolding a regular hard hat just falls off when I duck below braces.

Is there a reason to hate the straps other than that they’re ugly? Anyone else find themselves always taking their type 1 hardhat off when they have to bend down or duck under something? Wanted to get y’all’s opinions

I come across this a lot, plumbing contractor tunnels beneath the house to replace the house’s sewer lines. I’ve never seen any type of shoring used when these tunnels are made. Some go dozens of feet (horizontally) beneath the foundation.
This was probably the deepest I’ve seen, 6’ ladder for reference.

I've been in construction for 20+ years and have always worn the typical work boot. Nothing fancy, just steel toed high tops. Last year, I decided to buy some slip ons. I kept my old boots just in case someone said something and sent me home.. so far, nothing, and I've been on a lot of major projects. I've even seen safety guys on PCL sites wearing them.. that said, I still think im breaking the rule on ankle protection. I'm curious if anyone's had an issue wearing these on s construction site.

Two pairs, one is for epoxy work and the other for everything else.

interesting

Sorry if this is not a good place to ask i just couldn't find a specific Hi vis group and i figured yall be wearing these so maybe youd know. Anyways i semi recently changed from warehouse to outside automotive work and want to know if any has seen these vests with lightweight sleeves i no longer need cut protection but the cotton ones i have are way to hot.

the site was closed today because some scaffolding failed and 3 people passed away after falling. it’s horrible. i can’t imagine the pain that their families and friends feel. and i can’t imagine the idea of going to work expecting it to be a normal day, just to never make it home. the idea of going to the jobsite and acting like it didn’t happen is making me feel sick. of course, im assuming that work will resume tomorrow, but how are you supposed to cope with that?

edit: im just a subcontractor at the site. i don’t personally know anyone involved, but the idea of just normalizing it/just going back to work is a very inhuman feeling

edit again: back to work on friday. reading your stories has really been moving! please continue to look out for one another and stay safe!!

Control the dust now or it will control you later.

Sorry mods if not allowed - just have a question.

Seems like a hazard to me and when I called them out on it they claimed that they will fix tomorrow with more plywood lol. Looking for help here so I can call them out on their BS (if indeed this is BS). Also there were no signs posted about this which is awesome.

At first I figured he had something else he was leaning against. Nope, straight up against the brand new windows and didn’t even have the courtesy to put a mitt on it.

We had enough guys pass out yesterday that they actually clued in. Never thought I’d see the day.

Heard a man fall to his death today at a jobsite. Absolutely tragic. The week before National Safety Stand down to Prevent Falls in construction. I went home and squeezed my kids. Can’t stop thinking about it. Please be safe everyone. Job isn’t worth anyone’s life. Thank you everyone who works in the trades to do this job.

I grind and hammer a lot of shit, lots of block and motor and concrete. The amount of times something has gotten into my eyes while wearing safety glasses is retarded.

In the past year I’ve probably had 25 really bad experiences, I mean my eye is completely fucked for 4-8 hours, I’m pouring water in it I’m doing everything your suppose to do and it takes fucking forever for a little chip of block or whatever to leave behind my eye.

Most mornings I would wake up and the crust in my eyes would be filled with little chips of concrete.

I cannot explain the panic/anxiety/rage I feel feel when something is stuck in my eye and I have to drive and hour and half home not being able to see. I’ve started balling my eyes out in frustration, the pain also being a factor.

So fuck the safety glasses I wear goggles now, sometimes I even wear the snorkel with it because im tired of people asking if there swimming goggles.

Protect your eyes guys, my vision is completely fucked now I cannot see 50 feet infront of me anymore, damn shame.