Tuesday, December 14, 2010

OSHA Disapproves

This is HB's story, but he's given me permission to post it here. Earlier, he witnessed the following scene:

A painter was asked to repaint a sign on a signpost about 20 feet high. A ladder of sufficient length was available, but when the painter tried to use it, the sign proved too flimsy to effectively support the weight of the ladder and the painter. 

With a job in front of him, and no other resources, the painter commandeered a nearby forklift. He had another worker place an empty pallet on the forklift, and then he, the painter, stood on the pallet. The other worker then lifted the pallet and painter into the air to a sufficient height for the painter to successfully paint the sign. 

The pallet was not secured to the forklift by any means, nor was the painter secured to the pallet or the forklift. Whenever the painter needed new supplies, or to use the restroom, he had to holler for someone to come operate the forklift to let him down and then lift him back up again. 

Exciting jerry-rigs like this no longer happen in the States, but luckily, in the BVI, there aren't any OSHA-like regulatory agencies to prevent such creative ventures. 

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