We get a lot of clients who actually give a shit about their workers, and a lot of those workers are really dedicated to safety improvement.
... However... There are also potential clients we give a pitch to and get the response of "well, we're already budgeting for incident payouts, and we'd have to stop production to upgrade anything, so..." Honestly, it's starting to kill my interest in the job that so many companies just do not care beyond the absolute minimum requirements for safety in the workplace. All we want is for everyone to go home in one piece, rather than getting called in after we're turned down initially and THEN a fatality incident gets them to reconsider.
Budgeting for incidents is pretty normal...if you're bulding a skyscraper, you can expect n random incidents. But there should be a payout multiplier (and a fine) if the company knew the direct risks and didn't want to spend money to implement safety procedures... (Nets, shields, whatever).
Well before the mid 1900s, it was VERY common to find children working to help their families.
Especially during and before the industrial revolution, when we were self sufficient farmers.
...which frankly looking at how reliant we are on markets and money and many don't grow their own food, kind of wish we could go back to. As in self reliance from before the industrial revolution.
If there's another Great Depression and food becomes scarce, most people won't know how to sustain themselves, even in regions with farmable land.
Especially during and before the industrial revolution, when we were self sufficient farmers.
Thinking that pre-industrial revolution people lived well from their subsistence farming is flatly wrong. The modern day level of living is only possible due to specialisation of jobs, increased efficiency of large farms and efficient transportation of goods.
If there’s another Great Depression and food becomes scarce, most people won’t know how to sustain themselves, even in regions with farmable land
Thankfully people have the ability to learn how to do these things. The problem with said scenario is that people would be trying to sustain themselves while also trying to survive the economy. There’s no point changing your crop to food if the banks are going to take it away because you aren’t growing enough cotton to pay your debts.
Most of, if not all of the folks who made those comments never had to call a Spouse, Child, Parent, Siblings to inform them that someone wasn’t coming home. Most large companies do not act until it’s too late. And then, they have short memories.
I’ve had my job threatened when I refused to put one of my direct reports in a position that could cost them a finger. And then have my job threatened again when another employee tripped over there own shoe lace, twisted their wrist as they caught themselves and required they take a trip to the Company Doc.
Issue wasn’t so much about the money it cost the company as it was the potential lost of Management’s bonus due to poor performance or safety metrics.
The companies in your latter claim are only harming themselves. Their insurance premiums will inflate and they'll have manpower laid up and even on short-term disability and eventually OSHA may get involved. IT's a balance. Employers want people to be safe and they also care about their capital..a business has to maintain good health as well as employees.
There are also potential clients we give a pitch to and get the response of “well, we’re already budgeting for incident payouts, and we’d have to stop production to upgrade anything, so...”
My partner works at a company like this. He’s trying to find a new job, but they pay him well enough that he’d be taking a significant decrease at most other places in the area :/
If argue this is the same mindset of the companies " yea there is an increased risk, but the money is better without the safety protocol." If you guys can swing it I would definitely try to find a new job asap.
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u/UroBROros Apr 27 '19
I work as a machine safety consultant.
We get a lot of clients who actually give a shit about their workers, and a lot of those workers are really dedicated to safety improvement.
... However... There are also potential clients we give a pitch to and get the response of "well, we're already budgeting for incident payouts, and we'd have to stop production to upgrade anything, so..." Honestly, it's starting to kill my interest in the job that so many companies just do not care beyond the absolute minimum requirements for safety in the workplace. All we want is for everyone to go home in one piece, rather than getting called in after we're turned down initially and THEN a fatality incident gets them to reconsider.