On Tue, 16 Jul 2019 12:32:04 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 11:21:09 AM UTC-4, Radey Shouman wrote:
Frank Krygowski writes:


Oh, I have no doubt it was mandatory for these paving guys to wear hard hats.
I also have no doubt it was a stupid requirement. Realistically, the guys
biggest chance of a head injury was when he was getting out of his truck; he
might have bumped his head on the upper edge of the roof.

There was nothing above his head. There would be nothing above his head except
perhaps some telephone lines during the entire operation.

Did you ever teach a lab class? If so, I'm guessing there a requirement
to wear eye protection at all times. What would you have said if a
student argued that, under the particular circumstances of the day, he
didn't actually need it? Frequently as an employee it just does not pay
(literally) to think for oneself.

One valuable aspect to mandatory hard hats is that it sets those that
are supposed to be on site apart from members of the public that have
just wandered in.

Yes, I taught many lab classes, including an intro to machine shop. Yes, the
rule was "eye protection at all times." But that was mostly because there was
_always_ something happening that justified eye protection. Typically there
would be five lathes running, one milling machine, occasionally a shaper,
one or another saws, etc.

On the first day of class I did an introduction, where I'd explain what each
machine did. For that, the students didn't have eye protection and it wasn't
needed.

Regarding the pickup truck driver on the paving operation, I fully understand
the convenience to the management or (more likely) the insurance company to say
"hard hats at all times." In particular, insurance companies get to impose those
sorts of requirements at no cost to themselves, so their rationale is probably
"What the hell, it _might_ help and it's no skin off our nose."

But to me, when that leads to head protection against phantom hazards, it's
still weird. And it's one of the drivers of "safety inflation."

- Frank Krygowski

When I was assigned to the SAC F-111B test program at Edwards AFB I
had to do a lot of my work in the base machine shop and one day I was
standing in the shop but not close to any operating machines and a
safety inspector came along and tells me that he is going to write me
up for not wearing safety glasses.

I looked at him and said, well than write yourself up to as you aren't
wearing safety glasses either.

He thought about that for a while and says, "I don't have to wear
safety glasses because I am a Safety Inspector". Which I thought was
pretty innovative :-)

But try imagining yourself as an insurance contract writer and writing
the guide rules for wearing a hard hat during an oil well drilling
project in a remote area. And remember that if you don't cover each
and every single instance where someone might be hurt you are going
to cost your company money and might even lose your job.

Now, I suggest, the arbitrary ruling "Everybody gotta wear a hard
hat" begins to make sense.
--
cheers,

John B.