[log in to unmask] wrote:
> a hooded sweatshirt of a green and white speckled pattern, kind of
> like those LL Bean reindoor sweaters for women, plus coveralls, plus a
> white do rag covering much of his face - full Local Law 11 purdah, I
> guess.
c-
Hooded sweatshirts and the rag are fairly standard gear to keep mortar
dust away from crawling into one's backside & lungs. Mortar dust
containing silica can cause silicosis which is somewhat comparable to
black lung with coal dust. If you spend your time covered with mortar
dust it has a certain feel to it that takes getting used to. Though a
dust mask would make sense someone has to pay for them and the mechanics
have to want to use them. Likewise what you may find is that when their
shift ends they leave the dusty clothes behind, clean up and look quite
sprightly and crisp on the street... but that seems to be a cultural
thing to clean up and put on spiffy clothes. Taking mortar dust home to
the kids is not a good thing to do.
I remember a job where the guys working on the opposite building were on
rigs and were standing on upturned plastic buckets and small step ladders.
What nationality do they appear to be? I say that re: lunch cause
certain nationalities are not known to drink several beers for lunch and
others are. Hispanics are pretty straight hard workers and their errors
are more to language isolation and work practice ignorance. There are
the wodka drinkers and the smokers and I don't mean tobac. There are
also the Pakistanis who chew weird stuff that I prefer not to go into
any details as to effects. As an employer... considering here an
employer that gives a crap... it is difficult to ascertain if there is
substance abuse on the worksite. Usually the abusers mask their activity
just enough to make it nearly impossible to catch them out, and to fire
them outright can create a problem that does not go away any time soon.
Of the two scaffolds which one seems to be dropping the brick on the
scaffold platform and leaving it there... thus loading it up not only w/
their weight but the weight of the brick? It is 'scaffold', though if
you want to get specific it is a two-point suspended scaffold, otherwise
known in the English language trade as a flying rig or as you say a
stage or platform. There are different manufacturers & designs for these
rig systems and that alone could accomodate the difference in sag. There
is what is called a Spider Rig that is short sections (4' possibly) that
are connected together to form a longer platform held together w/ wire
cable tension... an interesting system that can be shortened or expanded
as needed but requires a bit more intelligence to use. It can slouch all
day nearly. Then there is the straight aluminum platform that most folks
use.because it is easier to understand, cheaper to buy, sold more often
etc. If that is deflecting as much as you indicate then expect soon to
see a fall near you.
According to the law in NYC and despite their fashion accessories anyone
working on a rig has to have had a bit of training (one or two days from
a certified trainer, which usually means the seller of rigs) and hold a
card that certifies them to fly. It does not necessarily mean that they
know what they are doing. Despite attempts at regulation there are more
people hanging off of buildings than anyone can catch up with to check
on. My perception is that the system is set up so that if a person falls
off a rig, or drops something, or there is a complaint then the card is
supposed to help track back to identify who was the final responsibility
in the chain, which would be the holder of a special rigger license. The
individual with the license is responsible for the integrity of the
equipment, that it be used properly and not in a dangerous manner, and
for the integrity of the rigging system for which there are pretty clear
rules as how to rig. All that said, the rigging department for the city,
within Cranes & Derricks, is terribly overloaded. If you do a
cantilevered suspended scaffold (no hooks but beams with counter
weights) then you need to get a permit from the rigging department. The
last time that I went for such a permit it took us several months to get
a permit for one drop... and you may note that the drop was needed for a
project to go ahead that Nicholson & Galloway is now on. If one hangs
from hooks then one does not need to file for a permit, though that may
change.
As to clothing. I agree that N & G gives a sense of confidence when the
workforce wears identifiable and professional looking clothing and gear.
At Apple (where several key components had come from N & G at one time
or another) we were big on hats, t-shirts, sweat shirts and coats w/ the
company logo. I think that it is admirable that there are customers
willing to pay a cost for the work that translates into a livable wage
for the mechanic, union or otherwise. Consider that if we want to see
safe work practice then it is the customers who may need to be regulated
to pay more to employers who are regulated to do more to assure the
safety of the workforce. As it is customers who do not understand the
difference between replacing a lintel in an intelligent manner from a
stupid manner are apt to only consider the difference in cost and to go
for the cheaper offer. More than likely what you are seeing is workers
who shop at the Salvation Army for their work gear. If they went to
Walmart they could get knock-off Carharts though why spend the money to
buy new? I bought a belt at Walmart, it looked fairly sturdy, but within
a week the buckle fell off and I realized that it was designed in such a
manner that I would not be able to fix it. Yes, it was cheap... it was
cheap garbage.
Back to rigs and the folks who fly them -- I had an interesting
conversation several years ago w/ the head of OSHA for the NY area. I
had to defend for a bucket of chemicals that was brought onto a targeted
worksite without a label and he must not have had too much to do that
day. I forget the details. Regardless, I did talk with him about
suspended scaffolding and what he told me is that they have no capacity
to oversee safe rigging practice because for 1) they do not have enough
staff in the field, for 2) the quality of the staff is low in
intelligence compared to the industry because nobody actually wants to
work for OSHA if they can help it and 3) the staff does not understand
rigging and would not be able to tell a safe rig from one not safe.
But stuff happens: one of the most memorable incidents for me was
hearing that one of our mechanics hanging on a rig on the side of
Sloan-Kettering was taking a piss off the rig. He had no clue but he did
have need. He was also diabetic and one day on a rig went into some sort
of shock and tried to jump off. His partner was much smaller than him
and had to wrestle the guy to submission. After that we no longer let
the fellow fly. It was a tough call as years earlier someone on the
street came at my partner with a knife and this fellow stepped into the
way and disarmed the assailant.
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