Safety verse Speed

[sohner]

When the boss gives you the task of removing a tree should they also have authority to demand that you fall it to save time or give you the option of climbing it to reduce the potential risk of injuries or property damages.
Recently I was put in this position of compromise. I choose to conform to the request of the boss to fell the remaining portions of the tree in question. The boss came around the corner and demanded that I fall the remaining section of the tree that I was removing. It was my choice to climb the tree because of the surrounding conditions. To much on the line to take the risk of falling. IMO.
The boss made it quite clear that I was wrong to take the safe approach. I argued the issue for a moment then realized I was not the boss. I told the boss to grab a saw and get started falling. Which he did.
Personally when someone makes demands on me to perform outside my comfort zone and is willing to compromise safety for speed , I resist. When I was told I was wrong I wanted to first walk off the job and on my way out deck my boss. I finished out the day and later the boss bought me dinner. The incident was briefly discussed but not resolved.
I'm afraid that our working relationship is in question for the future.
IMO it was climber call. The boss to me showed little respect for the fact that I have close to forty years of experience working with tree removals. Not to mention that I gave him his start in the business.
Haste makes waste and speed can kill.

 

[BostonBull]

if your not comfortable doing what a superior asks/tells you, convey that. If they still insist have them do it. When youre the foreman its your call, but when he makes other demands that you arent comfortable with theres two choices, continue your way that you are comfortable with, or have him do it his way. Theres a difference though in being uncomfortable to do something, and KNOWING something will be damaged to increase productivity. Have to survey the differences. Tree through fence so you dont have to climb it....no good. Fences are sometimes irreplaceable without looking like a sore thumb, costly and time consuming to install. Bomb pieces onto pansies so you dont have to rig, worth it. A flat of pansies costs under $10, and take 5-10 minutes to put in.

that being said...........

You never know the limits of what you can do, until you push those limits to the very edge. Sometimes things get broken, but most times, its a rush and you walk away with a new found "limit". This is how you get to be better at what you do. Whether its climbing a tree, or riding a bike, etc. Think of your early climbing days, when the foreman told you that its OK to let go of that limb and swing the 10' across to the next point, I bet you felt uncomfortable doing such a maneuver.....is a 30' swing now out of the question? I doubt it.