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AnnoyedHippo t1_ireehwc wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Bridge Painter dies after Semi- crashes into the bucket lift by [deleted]

It's unclear how many were on site, however every person there has what's called "Stop work authority". There's not a construction site or safety briefing in this country that doesn't cover that if you see something unsafe you have the authority to put a stop to it.

Everyone on that site is responsible.

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Wouldwoodchuck t1_irez7fq wrote

That is all good on paper but the reality may have been different. It often comes down to culture and if the workers truly believe that if they use their stop work authority, there won’t be negative repercussions.

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BannedSvenhoek86 t1_irf5voo wrote

Ya at my company they stress repeatedly that if you issue a stop work there will never be a negative consequence if you don't use it excessively. They beat it into us so we know even the apprentices have the ability to do it if they think it's unsafe.

On the other hand I've worked for some who never even mention a stop work authority and you just knew if you did it you were getting screamed at.

I'm guessing this company was one of the latter ones.

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Wouldwoodchuck t1_irf65p8 wrote

Yup, hopefully the old ways are fading… just not fast enough for this guy unfortunately. Glad you are at a better spot these days. Cheers

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bellatrix_gamma t1_irf1q1a wrote

Do we know what company this employee worked for?

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[deleted] OP t1_irff24l wrote

[deleted]

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GargantuanWitch t1_irfge8d wrote

Because it costs less to bid out work than it does to have it done by your own people?

I mean, this isn't anything new. Every municipality does this. It's written in the bylaws of practically every town in the area that this is how infra improvements/capital purchases are made.

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[deleted] OP t1_irfgnr2 wrote

[deleted]

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tinypauline t1_irgcukl wrote

Maybe you mean well, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Public sector projects in PA are required to pay workers prevailing wages, which are based on union rates. Capital construction projects need concentrations of specific trades for each phase of the project: equipment operators for excavation and earthwork, laborers for site cleanup, cement finishers & ironworkers for foundations, more ironworkers for steel erecting, painters, and so forth. A public agency can’t keep those workers busy full time, all year long. That’s why they hire contractors. This man’s death is a terrible tragedy, don’t use it for uninformed virtue signaling.

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GargantuanWitch t1_irfi7tq wrote

No, it has everything to do with "The people who live and pay taxes in the municipality get to choose where their money is spent, and not allow Mr. and Mrs. Councilperson to tell their nephew, who runs Townsville Public Works, to pave the road because he plows the snow in the wintertime, too."

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>I'm thinking it has more to do with allowing a company to hire people for less than the value of their labor, then skim the "extra" money for profits.

There isn't a conspiracy hidden in plain sight for every misconception you have about the way the world works. Stop looking for one.

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>All government contracts should be cancelled and all government functions completed in-house.

And all kids should have their homework done before they watch cartoons.

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gullible_guy t1_irh1lqc wrote

The problem here is, people continue to talk about things they know nothing about because they sit on this site daily and read things people know nothing about and have zero real world experience in any of this.

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tesla3by3 t1_irg1pea wrote

Governments issue contracts to private businesses to handle things that would not make sense to do in house.

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gullible_guy t1_irh1h5z wrote

God damn it you are not smart. Please stick to bagging groceries.

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gullible_guy t1_irh1fj6 wrote

You clearly have no idea how inefficient that actually would be.

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