Penalized for NOT Climbing a Tree

Employers need to allow their people to walk away from jobs that they are uncomfortable with. The bullshit adage " their isn't a tree I won't climb" is ridiculous, stupid, and a recipe for disaster. As professionals we are entrusted to make the right decisions for ourselves, crews, employers, and clients. In that order. There are always other options, cranes, mini lifts etc. The right to refuse gives the employee a chance to verbalized his concerns and for the company to come up with a solution. Sometimes the solution is that the employee needs to be reassured that the situation is safe, and encouraged to proceed, sometimes the solution is to bring a specialized piece of equipment, or have wires dropped or a specialized rigging scenario. My .02$
 
Here's what OSHA has to say about it. It's pretty specific about the actions you have to take.

The problem with it is how it may blackball you in the local market. Until we get beyond the macho BS of whose got the bigger balls then it'll be ok to put employees lives on the line.
 
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treehumper said:
Here's what OSHA has to say about it. It's pretty specific about the actions you have to take.

The problem with it is how it may blackball you in the local market. Until we get beyond the macho BS of whose got the bigger balls then it'll be ok to put employees lives on the line.
Click to expand...

And there you have it. Thanks Treehumper.
 
If they do see it as being safe then they'll need to communicate their assessment to the employee and allow for a discussion of the concern to either overcome it or reevaluate. End of the day, the employee has the right, as described in the OSHA link, to refuse the work as long as the criteria is met.
 
You'd think. Basically part time because of my fire department schedule. 3 to 4 days a week. Gotta be on the road at 3 to pick my son up from school. No wiggle room on my hours. I'm not so sure that fits into many bosses schedule. The guys I work with now are 730am and a lot of the time they are not getting off until 8 or 830 pm. I'm not willing to make that sacrifice of time with my son. I worked those long hours before my wife died and it was a major source of stress on our marriage and family. I was never there as a Dad, friend, husband. Now it's just Jack and I and I am not willing to be as selfish as I was with Sydni. I shoulda made that change a long time ago but life is full of shoulda coulda woulda. So here's the deal. I'll work my tail off for 7 hours 3 to 4 days a week but that's it. I'm gonna at 3 job done or not. Most employers would laugh me out the door. I'd basically be making conditions of employment as an employee. Blah Blah Blah. He works with my schedule and pays well. Most of the time it's bs free but far from what I consider optimal employment.
 
I quit a job once because I didnt want to cut a limb off of a primary. I told them 'they could not compel me to do it, end of story. They were wasting their words.".

I made it very clear that I would simply quit before compromising my personal limits, and I did!
 
Steve Connally said:
You'd think. Basically part time because of my fire department schedule. 3 to 4 days a week. Gotta be on the road at 3 to pick my son up from school. No wiggle room on my hours. I'm not so sure that fits into many bosses schedule. The guys I work with now are 730am and a lot of the time they are not getting off until 8 or 830 pm. I'm not willing to make that sacrifice of time with my son. I worked those long hours before my wife died and it was a major source of stress on our marriage and family. I was never there as a Dad, friend, husband. Now it's just Jack and I and I am not willing to be as selfish as I was with Sydni. I shoulda made that change a long time ago but life is full of shoulda coulda woulda. So here's the deal. I'll work my tail off for 7 hours 3 to 4 days a week but that's it. I'm gonna at 3 job done or not. Most employers would laugh me out the door. I'd basically be making conditions of employment as an employee. Blah Blah Blah. He works with my schedule and pays well. Most of the time it's bs free but far from what I consider optimal employment.
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I would look at a bigger company that needs someone to get smaller jobs done. As an employer it's the 3 pm that makes things difficult not the 3-4 days a week. There is always someone else out there. Keep looking. Cheers.
 
Steve Connally said:
You'd think. Basically part time because of my fire department schedule. 3 to 4 days a week. Gotta be on the road at 3 to pick my son up from school. No wiggle room on my hours. I'm not so sure that fits into many bosses schedule. The guys I work with now are 730am and a lot of the time they are not getting off until 8 or 830 pm. I'm not willing to make that sacrifice of time with my son. I worked those long hours before my wife died and it was a major source of stress on our marriage and family. I was never there as a Dad, friend, husband. Now it's just Jack and I and I am not willing to be as selfish as I was with Sydni. I shoulda made that change a long time ago but life is full of shoulda coulda woulda. So here's the deal. I'll work my tail off for 7 hours 3 to 4 days a week but that's it. I'm gonna at 3 job done or not. Most employers would laugh me out the door. I'd basically be making conditions of employment as an employee. Blah Blah Blah. He works with my schedule and pays well. Most of the time it's bs free but far from what I consider optimal employment.
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Make this work for as long as you have to, but when something better comes(and it will) take the opportunity. Stay open to change, and it will find you eventually. Positive mental attitude. As self helpy as it sounds, you gotta have that PMA.
 
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bonner1040 said:
I quit a job once because I didnt want to cut a limb off of a primary. I told them 'they could not compel me to do it, end of story. They were wasting their words.".

I made it very clear that I would simply quit before compromising my personal limits, and I did!
Click to expand...
Touching a primary?? A hot one?
 
Wow Steve, Hope you find something else, you are definitely doing the right thing for sure, family is way more important....have you thought of going on your own? Somebody else might of wrote that didn't read every post.
 
Sounds like you made the right call. There is a way to do every tree. Sometimes you just have to come back a different time with a different plan/equipment. At the end of the day you are paid to be a professional, even if your employer is not.
 
I did my own thing for 5 years. Successfully. The issue was employees. Just couldn't have my stuff on the road when I was at the fire station. Really put a crunch on my profit margin. Plus all the things that go into running a biz were taking a toll on my marriage. I have thought about maybe buying a flat bed mounted bucket and just subbing climbing and bucket work but then again I can't guarantee the 3pm quit time with that.
 
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