Foot Meet Mouth
So every once in awhile as I do my job I get a real bad phone call.
A couple of weeks ago one of those calls came through. A 60-year-old man had fallen from a roof deck to the ground below. The paramedics were taking him from the scene. He'd landed on his rear end and while all appeared to be okay, he had a lot of pain in his rib area.
I got to the site within the hour. Knowing that the man had fallen about 14' told me a couple of things:
First, he was breaking the rules. There's a 6' rule for some sort of protection. He hadn't had any.
But secondly, and more importantly, I was going to have to be a bit of a bulldog with the guys who remained on the site because there was a chance that OSHA could eventually ask some questions.
And thirdly, I had to document all of it because in this day and age there's a good chance that a lawsuit can be filed.
So, off I went.
When I got to the site I was greeted by another man of about 60. He was eating his lunch. He was also visibly shaken by the ambulance taking his co-worker away.
So we talked about the safety that they should have been using and now definitely needed to put in place.
I asked about the guy.
"Broken ribs, for sure. Maybe a broken wrist."
"What kind of guy is he?" I asked.
"Regular guy," his buddy said.
"It's a tough question," I said, "but is he a drunk or a drug user? Will he be an asshole and sue you?"
The foreman looked perplexed.
"He definitely doesn't drink or smoke, or even curse."
I tried to play it off.
"What's he doing in construction?"
The guy laughed.
"We are very religious people," he said. "When you pulled up we were praying together. That's what is weird about this: we had prayed just before he went up on the roof."
I thought about it for a moment.
"Prayer doesn't solve gravity," I said.
He laughed.
"I don't suppose it does, but we also don't believe in litigation so I don't feel as if he'll sue the company."
Well.
That was a new one. I had planted my foot firmly in my mouth by using the 'asshole' phrase.
"Sometimes we need to give up control to God and hope he heals us properly."
I had contemplated the 'God-Control' questions plenty of times. This was a tricky one.
"I understand you," I said. "But you guys were in control here. He fell off the roof because that's what happens to objects when the firm footing is gone. God couldn't stop him once he started to go."
The man caught my point quickly.
"And when they start asking questions of you in regard to the rules you'll lose control of some of your money, and God won't stop that either."
The man laughed.
"I got ya'," he said.
We shook hands. He had hands rough from working and a real firm grip.
"Sorry about the 'asshole' comment," I said.
He waved me off.
"I'm religious," he said. "But I'm not stupid. There are plenty of assholes out there."
I turned to walk away.
"I didn't mean you!" he called after me.
We were both laughing by then.
A couple of weeks ago one of those calls came through. A 60-year-old man had fallen from a roof deck to the ground below. The paramedics were taking him from the scene. He'd landed on his rear end and while all appeared to be okay, he had a lot of pain in his rib area.
I got to the site within the hour. Knowing that the man had fallen about 14' told me a couple of things:
First, he was breaking the rules. There's a 6' rule for some sort of protection. He hadn't had any.
But secondly, and more importantly, I was going to have to be a bit of a bulldog with the guys who remained on the site because there was a chance that OSHA could eventually ask some questions.
And thirdly, I had to document all of it because in this day and age there's a good chance that a lawsuit can be filed.
So, off I went.
When I got to the site I was greeted by another man of about 60. He was eating his lunch. He was also visibly shaken by the ambulance taking his co-worker away.
So we talked about the safety that they should have been using and now definitely needed to put in place.
I asked about the guy.
"Broken ribs, for sure. Maybe a broken wrist."
"What kind of guy is he?" I asked.
"Regular guy," his buddy said.
"It's a tough question," I said, "but is he a drunk or a drug user? Will he be an asshole and sue you?"
The foreman looked perplexed.
"He definitely doesn't drink or smoke, or even curse."
I tried to play it off.
"What's he doing in construction?"
The guy laughed.
"We are very religious people," he said. "When you pulled up we were praying together. That's what is weird about this: we had prayed just before he went up on the roof."
I thought about it for a moment.
"Prayer doesn't solve gravity," I said.
He laughed.
"I don't suppose it does, but we also don't believe in litigation so I don't feel as if he'll sue the company."
Well.
That was a new one. I had planted my foot firmly in my mouth by using the 'asshole' phrase.
"Sometimes we need to give up control to God and hope he heals us properly."
I had contemplated the 'God-Control' questions plenty of times. This was a tricky one.
"I understand you," I said. "But you guys were in control here. He fell off the roof because that's what happens to objects when the firm footing is gone. God couldn't stop him once he started to go."
The man caught my point quickly.
"And when they start asking questions of you in regard to the rules you'll lose control of some of your money, and God won't stop that either."
The man laughed.
"I got ya'," he said.
We shook hands. He had hands rough from working and a real firm grip.
"Sorry about the 'asshole' comment," I said.
He waved me off.
"I'm religious," he said. "But I'm not stupid. There are plenty of assholes out there."
I turned to walk away.
"I didn't mean you!" he called after me.
We were both laughing by then.
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