According to NYC, food delivery people have a far more dangerous job than construction workers- even miners.
Now there are 2 ways to look at this- either the construction industry is so safe now that other industries have to catch up in protecting their workers or being a food delivery driver people need to be paid more.
I think it might be a blend of the 2. The construction industry has made exponential progress in worker safety in the last 10 years. I've always driven by construction site and bridge projects but I've noticed a huge uptick in the number of workers I've seen working on bridges wearing full-face respirators to mitigate the respiratory hazards. These are all good things, but some would ask at what cost?
It's an interesting discussion we find ourselves in. And I don't think these are problems to solve or a right or wrong way but rather a healthy tension we need to manage.
Let's discuss- construction is so safe now that workers’ rights and certain freedoms are being taken away. What do I mean by this? Well if you are forcing your bridge workers to wear full face respirators on their bridge project or be fired that’s quite a switch overnight. This dude has worked 25 years doing bridges and has never worn a mask but now you're going to hang his career over his head because he doesn't want to shave his beard and wear a mask? Why would an employer do something like this?
Money.
Money- everything comes down to money, always have and always will be. Companies are obligated to protect the workers by law, and if they are found to be negligent they will be fined. Big money. Massive money. Its cheaper for them to enforce a mandatory mask policy then think about some fines or lawsuits in the future.
With every law that is passed others peoples rights are taken away. Now that these masks are mandatory it takes the workers right away wether they use it or not. What kind of mentality does this establish in a worker that has been loyal for decades?
Resistance. Don't get me wrong, its our responsibility as trades professionals to work in a manner that doesn't endanger ourselves or others but who draws the line? And who gets to decide where the line is?
I had yet to establish a proper opinion on these issues but I do hope it starts to spark a healthy discussion around the industry.
See you in the pit!
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