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Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

texastribune.org

11–20 of 140 posts

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#11

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

At this point the argument “the market will solve the problem by its own” is tiring. The whole argument that if a company doesn’t offer X, then people won’t work for it and go to other companies only works when there are others that offer it and don’t cut on Y and Z because they offer X.

There are countless labor issues that historically “weren’t solved by the market” because they were the right thing to do until a law was established.

If we let things solved by the markets with no laws, all of labor will be replaced by children smoking cigarettes who don’t get paid.

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#12
post #6

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

Here where I live we don't have mandated by government bathroom breaks, yet my employer lets me go whenever I want.

I was just thinking that, that perhaps this looks click-bait-ish as a news item because of course workers are allowed to drink water.

Is it maybe the point that not every commonsense-ism needs legislation backing it, IF it is truly respected and honored universally as common sense.

Or is this a news item because there are tyrants who forbid workers from drinking water and taking bathroom breaks? If so, that's bizarre and sad.

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#13

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

> This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own.

There's countless examples that the market doesn't solve everything on its own. It's naive to think it will be different this time.

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#14
Sane places have extremely strong OSHA-equivalent agencies with literal criminal penalties for managers whose employees are injured on the job due to site conditions or lack of proper training and safety equipment. I can’t believe anyone advocates for less.

https://www.hrmonline.com.au/topics/health-wellbeing-and-saf...

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#15

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

Markets will solve issues and we can look at crypto at what happens when we let the invisible hand do it’s thing.

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#16
post #10

Quite a horrific solution to a concern about variance among local governments. Perhaps they truly believe the market will solve work concerns / deaths, despite past evidence that they get brushed aside.

More than that, the Real Market (Earth) may solve this issue for good, when Texas regularly hits Wet Bulb Temp due to Climate Change, people will start heading north. So no more Texas. This is crazy, I am sure the Lawyers are now looking closely to Case Law to e ready when the suite start flying.

This is pretty strong conjecture that is the exact opposite of what is currently happening.

If Texas is such a terrible place to live, why are so many people moving there?

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#17

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

You act as if this is a brave new experiment in deregulation but this is how it already is in many places. Dozens of workers have died from heat stroke in the past few years in Texas while working construction and many cities do not have water break rules (its just those to chose to enact them that are having those laws overturned). It is widely believed that the actual amount of people who die is much higher but due to the insurance reasons you mention those deaths are often categorized as not being related to worker mistreatment. Worth pointing out the people running crews are pretty far removed from their company’s insurance policies so your idea that’s on their mind when deciding whether or not to enforce water breaks seems shaky to me.

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#18

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

At this point the argument “the market will solve the problem by its own” is tiring. The whole argument that if a company doesn’t offer X, then people won’t work for it and go to other companies only works when there are others that offer it and don’t cut on Y and Z because they offer X. There are countless labor issues that historically “weren’t solved by the market” because they were the right thing to do until a l…

I've been asking: When the things that happen in a healthy free market aren't happening, what does that mean? (Maybe too abstract because I haven't got an answer from those I ask.)

Re: Texas rules requiring water breaks for construction workers will be nullified

#19

This would be interesting to see how it plays out and if the market solves this on its own. While a regulation and mandates usually requires an employer to keep extra records, cause confusion for a lot of smaller companies trying to comply based on each different governments rules, as well as generate more government costs to enforce, the Texas heat is nothing to mess with just as in many states in the south. I would…

How do you think the market was doing solving this problem before the rules were put in? What led to the rules being put in in the first place?
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