Construction Safety
1. CEO of a residential roofing business: “This fall protectionstandard is ridiculous. I can’t afford to buy lifelines for all ofmy employees. Besides, they work faster without lifelines.†OSHAinspector: “The lifelines won’t cost you nearly as much as aninjured employee who falls off a roof and breaks his neck.†What isyour opinion of OSHA’s fall protection standard? Should residentialcontractors be exempted?
2. You are a recent college graduate, and this is your firstreal job. You are the assistant director of safety for RaysterConstruction, Inc. (RCI). Your job today is to conduct preoperationinspections of the company’s two cranes that are being used toconstruct a bridge across a small bay. As you begin your firstinspection, the crane operator—who has worked for RCI for 25years—brushes past you and starts the crane’s engine. He says, “Getout of the way, kid. This crane is just fine. It doesn’t needinspecting. You are holding up my work.†This crane operator has anexcellent safety record, as does RCI in general. How should youhandle this situation?
