Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

news.yahoo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–340 of 469 posts

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#331

Post by pseudosavant »

goalieca wrote: post #322

> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.

A scenario I have encountered many times is having someone doing work for me, they don't bring some basic safety gear like earplugs or masks. I have plenty of earplugs and masks though. Buy I can never get them to actually use them. They'd rather hear that jackhammer at full volume apparently?

As a musician, it especially kills me to watch people destroy their ears. These workers are often too young to appreciate good health.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#332

Post by drowsspa »

nickff wrote: post #326
goalieca wrote: post #322

> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

That is true, but companies do know their workers aren't using them.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#333

Post by alex_lav »

nickff wrote: post #326
goalieca wrote: post #322

> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

Yeah, it's really wild how many tradespeople prefer "safety squints" to legitimate eye protection. Nobody that ever lost an eye on a jobsite thought they were going to lose an eye that day, so I'm not sure why "I know that this will be fine" continues to beat out "I'll take 15 seconds to put on eye protection". And yet, jobsites all over the place skip this and many other very basic, extremely obvious safety precaution.

The next time you're driving around and you see someone getting work done on their roof, take note if the roofers are using anchors/ropes/harnesses. IME it's about 50-50.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#334

Post by tempsy »

bjnewman85 wrote: post #317

the incurable disease in the title is greed in the hearts of others that values the lives of these people less than the shiny things they make for rich people

quartz countertops are popular because they are cheaper than other types of countertops while looking expensive.

this is like the Shein of counters. wealthy people probably use natural stone.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#335

Post by toomuchtodo »

nickff wrote: post #326
goalieca wrote: post #322

> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

Employers must provide PPE. Workers must wear it or be let go. This is not hard.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#336

Post by parineum »

marcinzm wrote: post #329
nickff wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

I tell a worker that I expect them to do N amount of work per hour or be fired. They need the money to pay their families for basic life necessities. N is the amount they can do if working at peak efficiency for that hour. I picked that number by design. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable and causes excess sweating which makes them 5% less efficient. If they weak a mask they output 0.95*N and I will thus fire them. They…

In reality, the cost of hiring/firing an employee would offset any gain one might hope for in hiring an unsafe worker. Plus, this isn't the type of industry that's measuring productivity by percentage points.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#337

Post by alex_lav »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #335
nickff wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

Employers must provide PPE. Workers must wear it or be let go. This is not hard.

> Employers must provide PPE.

Firing skilled laborers harms both the employer and the employee.

> Workers must wear it or be let go.

Firing skilled laborers harms both the employer and the employee.

> This is not hard.

It seems very hard.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#338

Post by toomuchtodo »

alex_lav wrote: post #337
toomuchtodo wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Employers must provide PPE. Workers must wear it or be let go. This is not hard.

> Employers must provide PPE. Firing skilled laborers harms both the employer and the employee. > Workers must wear it or be let go. Firing skilled laborers harms both the employer and the employee. > This is not hard. It seems very hard.

Regulators and liability lawsuits it is then I suppose. Those will be harmful to businesses and workers as well, but powered by media reporting and the public sphere.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#340

Post by Timshel »

nickff wrote: post #326
goalieca wrote: post #322

> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.

Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.

I don't know, if you employ peoples to do a job with a such a risk to their lives, IMO it's your responsibility to ensure that protection is used not just provided.
Post reply on HN