Is this asbestos?

[Flow-Rider]

It's a weird mix in automotive trades these days. In my (narrow) experience generally the dealerships want greatly improved (as long as it doesn't cost too, too much like completely new buildings or massive raised work platforms), but a lot of the techs are young and can't be told. You'll see 'em in the workshop using a 5" grinder without glasses/faceshield/earmuffs and if you suggest maybe they'd want to put those things on, they're like "Nah mate, she's right..." then just engage the "safety squints" as grinder dust/sparks and material debris spray them in the face. Same with the pressure washer in the wash bay. Degreasing soap and dirt flying everywhere, just squint the eyes and send it. Then there's watching them awkwardly balance a stack of tooling/component/spacers/tooling into the press and load it up with 50t with their faces 20cm away from it. "Boys - shielding screen!" - "Nah she's right, we need to see what we're doing" (I kind of get this one, but I'd rather fuck up some bloke's steering knuckle than launch it through my skull). Literally can't tell them.

It's tough when you've got young blokes that don't want to look weak in front of their mates, but it always feels like they're seconds from disaster if all the holes in the Swiss cheese align. Worst thing is I've been there, done it, and been exactly the same. Genuinely not sure what the solution is. Used to be able to get the message across a bit more 15+ years ago when you could show videos of people getting turned to goop by various machines or mishaps, but thesedays all that's banned because it's 'workplace harassment' or gives'em PTSD or some shit. I get some folk would find it distressing, but probably less so than trying it for yourself. Used to be a great/horrific image at the entry of a machine shop I used to pass through at work where a person's scalp had been ripped off, torn to ribbons and streched through a multi-head drill when their (long) hair had been caught in the machine. Wasn't a pretty sight but was a great reminder just how much power those machines surrounding you as you walked through had and I still think of it to this day when using any kind of floor-mounted machining stuff nowadays. I don't have long hair, but loose clothing or jewellery would do the same or worse.

Once one cockhead does it, the rest feel obliged to do it. I've seen some decent stuff happen in my life time, a guy was superglueing the grip of a steering wheel with a syringe and the needle part blew off and glued his eye shut, we had a 3 phase pedestal drill that wasn't bolted down, a guy had his cuffs undone on a workshirt and it wrapped around the drill bit and brought them both to the ground, luckily that whole sleeve ripped off the guys shirt or it would have been a lot worse. Idiots leaving trucks in gear with the cab up and then starting the truck with the cab up in gear, and exploding press plates taking a guy's front teeth out.

When I went to trade shcool we had the captain danger videos, they actually had the footage of the end result of a guy leaning over pumping up a split rim without a tyre cage, it showed the blown rim and a man's impression in a tin roof where he was crushed from the force. Nothing got me ready for working in mining construction though, I wittnessed 4 near near misses and there were 2 deaths on site while I was working there, a sparky was working byhimself on a pontoon with a generator on it, somehow fell into the water and suffered a heart attack then drowned , then the other one was a road train driving through site with floodwater and got washed away by the water to their death.

 

[ozzybmx]

Nothing got me ready for working in mining construction

Surely you have a good safety culture in Mining ?

The Energy, Gas, Mining sectors safety attitude is about the best around.

 

[beeb]

Surely you have a good safety culture in Mining ?

The Energy, Gas, Mining sectors safety attitude is about the best around.

...but only because they went through times when they definitely weren't.

 

[ozzybmx]

...but only because they went through times when they definitely weren't.

Of course, every safety lesson was learned the hard way. Now its insurance/shareholder run and in every managers bonus.

Can still be a bit like that when cost is concerned, they then ask the worker carrying out the task to stop if they think its unsafe. Which some egos would never do.

 

[Flow-Rider]

Surely you have a good safety culture in Mining ?

The Energy, Gas, Mining sectors safety attitude is about the best around.

Maaate, when mining companies need something running that's losing millions by the hour, things happen behind closed doors that shouldn't and then you get a lot of newbies that don't understand the dangers. The sites aren't classed as mining sites until they produce product too, when under construction. Some sites are really strict with safety and then others aren't, but you can't stop Darwinism in a lot of cases, and blokes working hard in tough environments for 12hr shifts. Even with the safety procedures they have in place, there are still gaps for things to go wrong. I've seen people get lost on haul roads with cars, call the wrong position on the radio, and almost end up under a dump truck, things can happen so quick.

 

[Flow-Rider]

Used to have to hand in a minimum of five of these a day on one site. Every now and again the safety officer would come to a job and check that they were filled out right, you used to get 3 strikes for wrongdoing and then possibility of job loss.

 

[ozzybmx]

Used to have to hand in a minimum of five of these a day on one site. Every now and again the safety officer would come to a job and check that they were filled out right, you used to get 3 strikes for wrongdoing and then possibility of job loss.

Take Five ! We are the same, Real time RA to be attached to the permit, take five on job start and after every break.

Not wearing of the minimum PPE will get you strife, even things like having sleeves rolled up or wearing tinted glasses inside.

We have a good safety culture in my place and the Energy sector as a whole.

 

[Flow-Rider]

Take Five ! We are the same, Real time RA to be attached to the permit, take five on job start and after every break.

Not wearing of the minimum PPE will get you strife, even things like having sleeves rolled up or wearing tinted glasses inside.

We have a good safety culture in my place and the Energy sector as a whole.

Secretly did a few take fives of going to the dunny when I was short. It's funny when someone spots the safety officer coming, everyone just scatters and starts writing out take 5s.

The electrical industry started off with a strong union in Australia and seems to be at a higher standard than many others. Some construction sites can be strict, but then you get the opposite where every shortcut has been taken. The automotive world is just a mess, car hoists that only get serviced when they stop, a chunk of timber between the inner guards holding a v8 in the engine bay, while you do a sump pan gasket underneath.

 

[slowmick]

I used to work for a large multinational that had an atrocious OHS record in some parts of it's business. The shareholders and the insurance companies didn't take kindly to this and gave them 12 months to show improvement. To get buy in from senior management that things would improve and edict came down that in the case of serious incident or fatality the country leader would have to present to the board everything they had done to prevent the indecent. If the board felt they had failed in their duties they had to make their own way home. Suddenly there was an interest in safety at all levels through the company as the country leader pretty much said if I am going, I am taking you with me.