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Comment by bufferoverflow | Hacker News Reader

He isn't even wearing a hard hat. That's an OSHA violation.

I watch the video about him installing the stairs, and I cringed half the time. The guy is very close to injuring or killing himself.

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He’s Canadian, so OSHA doesn’t apply. Even if he were in the US, it seems he’s an independent contractor and not an employer, so he would be exempt.

I don't know about Canada/US, but I think the equivalent OSHA / H&S stuff only applies to employees typically over here, what you get up to as a self employed person is your own lookout.

OSHA is ridiculous, nobody actually does everything it stipulates. It's a CYA set of regulations. Under perfect circumstances, with money and manpower and equipment, and time enough, you could follow all that garbage. But most of the time, you don't have any of that, and shit needs to get done, so you do what you can, as safely as you can, and accept a little risk.

I like that there is an attempt to provide construction workers with more safety. The only problem would be insufficient enforcement allowing some contractors to underbid for projects causing a shortage of money and manpower. The other alternative is a race to the bottom where desperate people choose between taking unnecessary risks to put food on the table or not work. This would only seem to benefit the wealthy.

One problem is people underestimate risk. Not wearing a hardhat is often viewed as a minor risk at best - your chances of being hit by falling debris when you're working alone is nearly zero. But a single blow to the temple can kill you, or worse, debilitate you for the rest of your life.

You can't get shit done when you can't remember how to work.

Is getting shit done worth the life or life quality (injuries) of your workers worthwhile? No, OSHA is not ridiculous, its about making an occupations safe for people. The people that share your attitude often have never worked in a place where your negligence can lead to anothers death. This isn't about the big bad government making your life hard, or CYA. Its about making sure your work mates get home to see their families every day.

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