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> Exactly, in fact I think that if you want to stay healthy then working as a construction worker is great: you get physical excercise, fresh air, low stress le

by lgieron 10y ago

> Exactly, in fact I think that if you want to stay healthy then working as a construction worker is great: you get physical excercise, fresh air, low stress level. Risk of injury is pretty low, and wages are pretty good. There's a pretty significant risk of DEATH (guys falling off from scaffolding, someone accidentally driving over you with an excavator etc.), you need to be on your toes a lot of the time or you'll hurt yourself, you work in heat, in cold, in dusty or moldy environments, in noise, with chemicals. On top of that, your boss is often an asshole (there's none of the white collar world politeness). Consider that construction work can pay pretty well even to people who hardly speak the country's language and have only moderate skills - I think it's largely because it's just shit.

riskable 10y ago
There's degrees of risk associated with the type of construction work you do. I know someone who used to be a pipe fitter. Unless he showed up drunk at the job site (which may have happened a few times, hah) I don't think he was ever at risk of being run over by a backhoe or having something dropped on his head. Roofers, on the other hand, have extremely high risk of severe injury and death. Those guys are nuts! If I was in charge of OSHA regulations for roofers I'd make sure that no one was allowed to get on to a roof without being attached to some kind of harness that would catch them if they fell. Or surround the home with airbags or something. It seems far too easy to slip, trip, or just plain ol' fall in that job. I've personally witnessed a young man (roofer) fall from a roof once (on to a big pile of bricks). I found out later that he wound up paralyzed. Electricians and plumbers are also relatively low risk depending on the work they do. You'd think working with high-voltage electricity would be higher risk than it is but with modern (insulated) tools and training it's quite safe.
- lgieron 10y ago
  On the other hand, I've recently seen a wall painter balance on a thin and wobbly piece of wood stretched over a stairway (if he falls, it's going to be about 4 meters down and onto concrete stairs). That was apparently necessary to reach some parts of the ceiling. I wouldn't be surprised if electricians or plumbers had to do to this kind of (to me) completely crazy shit from time to time.
randallsquared 10y ago
> On top of that, your boss is often an asshole (there's none of the white collar world politeness). Being an asshole has very little to do with crude language.
- lgieron 10y ago
  I actually didn't meant the language only. I think white collar workers (well developers at least) are pampered. Almost every boss I had paid at least some attention to my wellbeing on the job. I don't think that's true in blue collar world where, by nature of the job, you're just expected to "tough it out".

by lgieron 10y ago

riskable 10y ago

There's degrees of risk associated with the type of construction work you do. I know someone who used to be a pipe fitter. Unless he showed up drunk at the job site (which may have happened a few times, hah) I don't think he was ever at risk of being run over by a backhoe or having something dropped on his head. Roofers, on the other hand, have extremely high risk of severe injury and death. Those guys are nuts! If I was in charge of OSHA regulations for roofers I'd make sure that no one was allowed to get on to a roof without being attached to some kind of harness that would catch them if they fell. Or surround the home with airbags or something. It seems far too easy to slip, trip, or just plain ol' fall in that job. I've personally witnessed a young man (roofer) fall from a roof once (on to a big pile of bricks). I found out later that he wound up paralyzed. Electricians and plumbers are also relatively low risk depending on the work they do. You'd think working with high-voltage electricity would be higher risk than it is but with modern (insulated) tools and training it's quite safe.

lgieron 10y ago
On the other hand, I've recently seen a wall painter balance on a thin and wobbly piece of wood stretched over a stairway (if he falls, it's going to be about 4 meters down and onto concrete stairs). That was apparently necessary to reach some parts of the ceiling. I wouldn't be surprised if electricians or plumbers had to do to this kind of (to me) completely crazy shit from time to time.

randallsquared 10y ago

> On top of that, your boss is often an asshole (there's none of the white collar world politeness). Being an asshole has very little to do with crude language.

lgieron 10y ago
I actually didn't meant the language only. I think white collar workers (well developers at least) are pampered. Almost every boss I had paid at least some attention to my wellbeing on the job. I don't think that's true in blue collar world where, by nature of the job, you're just expected to "tough it out".