No, I haven't abandoned the blog, I've been very busy, those newbies can't train themselves. Actually, I'm not sure I can train them either. The kids right out of school think they know everything and can't seem to comprehend that they're actually pretty stupid. Those who came from consultation or private industry spend half their time complaining about the amount of documentation needed for each case.
Anyway, I received an e-mail from Ronald (he told me I could use his name) suggesting a new thread and asking me what CSHOs thought about TV shows like the History Channel's Jobsite, and all of the S&H violations we can all see. This gave me an idea, let's have a S&H contest, let's pick one of those shows and see who can find the most violations. First, we need to pick a show. Jobsite looks like it was just a two episode show, so that doesn't work. America's Dirtiest Jobs might work, but let's hear your suggestions first. Once we have the show I'll pick an episode airing date.
Now back to the question, what do I think when I see those shows? One word, not so elegantly, sums up my thought: Dumbasses!
Compliance Officers watch television too, do you really think we don't see these things? I know the agency has sent a letter to one of the home improvement shows pointing out their S&H violations and I've heard that we sent a letter to Oregon OSHA asking them to investigate the loggers on Ax Men. There's a quote that floats around: "Asking me to overlook a simple safety violation would be asking me to compromise my entire attitude towards the value of your life." I wish I knew who the author was so I could give them credit, but to paraphrase, I wish I could go do an inspection.
Being a Compliance Officer means never really turning it off. I know plenty of CSHOs who have been on vacation, noticed an problem (usually a trench or bad scaffold/fall protection), and started an inspection. And yes, I've done it.
I've said it before but it's worth repeating, most CSHOs do the job because it's what we believe. Trust me the pay, nice as it is, does not compensate for the stress and time away from the family.
