We always do it that way…
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007I came home from work the other day, and saw contractors working on my new garage. They were just about finished putting up cinder block walls. It was about 95F, and I was thinking that I’m glad they were doing this, and not me!
They came to a corner, and needed to put in a partial block. The lead mason had his worker cut him a block of just the right size. The worker was wearing sneakers, shorts, and a ball cap (nothing else). He perched a fresh block on a pile of rubble and held it steady with his foot. He then picked up the electric-powered rotary masonry saw, squinted his eyes, and turned his head slightly to the side (I guess to protect his eyes). Starting the saw, he started cutting the cinder block.
I couldn’t stand it. “Hey!! Hold on a minute!” I asked the mason (the guy in charge) if that was the best method to cut a cinder block. “Don’t you guys have eye and hearing protection? What about long pants and boots? Can’t we set up a clear area for cutting?
He shrugged and said, “That’s how I’ve always done it. I haven’t cut myself in a long time. He’ll learn pretty quick the right way and the wrong way to cut block. It’s too hot to wear that stuff, anyway.”
I told them that they would have to stop until they got adequate safety gear. It so happens they had everything they needed in their truck (except for long pants). I cleared out an area for cutting off to the side. They finished the job, and that’s the last I saw of them.
– I wonder how much extra time it really took to do the job right. Just clearing the cutting area actually speeded the process up.
– I wonder how much time, wages, and production was lost by injuries to this guy’s crew.
– I noticed that the mason walked with a limp. I wonder how many toes he has…
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