Of course, in Canada, there are Compensation mandated safety requirements which interfere with productive work as well. Sometimes the inspectors are a bit flexible though.
A few years back, I was working with a bridge construction company who were building a bridge (no surprise there!) near my home. My task on this particular day was to load rebar on to a skiff, haul it out to the bridge piers and pass it up to the ironworkers. Over the course of three days, I loaded hauled and passed up about six tons of steel. It was hot (mid-nineties) and I was in the sun. The inspector came by and admonished me for not wearing a lifejacket. I pointed out that falling in and drowning didn't sound that unattractive to me. On top of that, I pointed out, if I wore the life jacket, I would likely overheat, pass out, and fall in the water and drown anyway. He laughed and said I should at least have it on the boat.
In the machine shop, I installed guards on some of the lathes after having to have my beak stitched after being lashed by a stringy chip. Also, it was nice not to have hot chips going down my shirt.
Re global warming: Most Canadians are not too concerned about global warming. In fact, threatening a Canadian with the prospect of a warmer climate is like threatening a pit bull with a pork chop!! Regards, Bill.
