Your worst ever worker (stories!)

[skyhuck]

I never had any training, I watched others and pretty much taught myself. I've only ever payed for an assessment. How stupid does some one need to be to not know what a huge free falling limb would do to a building?

[Joe Newton]

A newly qualified guy should be slow, not a moron, IMO.

depends, newly qualified to 39? Sent out on a rigging job over high value targets?

You may have been a fast learner with common sense but that's a needle in a haystack of aspiring climbers.

You'd take a newly ticketed climber on as a trainee, not a lead climber.

[Mick Dempsey]

 

3 minutes ago, skyhuck said:

I never had any training, I watched others and pretty much taught myself. I've only ever payed for an assessment. How stupid does some one need to be to not know what a huge free falling limb would do to a building?

Someone under pressure to do a job beyond his (up to that point) abilities and experience.

 

I've had a few guys exaggerate their capabilities, no big deal, I don’t blame them, I did the same.

 

My job is to assess their real level and allocate what I feel they can do at that time.

 

If, on the first job, there is a major incident, the fault would be mine not theirs.

[Chris Day]

Im with Mick, it's right job for the right dude or dudette. First day I watch people like a hawk, even book them in as an extra so if they just need telling to stand and watch for a bit and drag brash it's not an issue.

 

However as much as I agree the climber sets the pace, he's part of a team and if someone can help they should and likewise the climber should try and help the groundies. I even tell complete beginners to shout stop if they see something they assume is dangerous, only once have I had a muppet shouting stop every five minutes. 

[josharb87]

It could have quite easily been a branch that could have been cut n dropped for all we know, the climber could have screwed his cuts up, not cut fast enough etc.

 

Im all for chucking a new climber in on a standard job (doesn't sound too tricky to me) seeing what they're made of. how else are they going to develop if only doing easy stuff? When subbing i've worked with newbies, got them straight up big trees with me (pruning) and thought they had potential, only to see them then regress over the months/years due to never being pushed.

[Joe Newton]

It could have quite easily been a branch that could have been cut n dropped for all we know, the climber could have screwed his cuts up, not cut fast enough etc.
 
Im all for chucking a new climber in on a standard job (doesn't sound too tricky to me) seeing what they're made of. how else are they going to develop if only doing easy stuff? When subbing i've worked with newbies, got them straight up big trees with me (pruning) and thought they had potential, only to see them then regress over the months/years due to never being pushed.

but would you chuck a fresh outta college climber into a biggish takedown without any supervision?

That branch didn't sound like an easy hand held...

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

11 hours ago, MattyF said:

I worked with this tit who was usually so stoned he would have the chipper on for a good few minutes before realising the chip truck had driven away to unload , walking in to drop zones with huge spliff hanging out his mouth was his speciality, I recall one day knocking out a good section of ash timber with an 046 to see him walk in under the tree .. it still sends shiver down my spine as this lump sailed inches passed his back and dug in to soft ground upright behind him and he still didn’t even notice..

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but wasn't it inevitable that having a liability like that on the site was going to result in a drama at some point?  Looking at it with a 2017 perspective, where would the blame lay or how would it be apportioned today if a known bubblehead had got injured in the workspace?  There'd be more than 1 ass in a sling.

[Chris Day]

I agree Kevin a known liability on site is straight to jail if something goes awry and HSE get involved. Once got asked by a severely autistic kid for a job, now equality and all that I racked my brain for a way to find him some work. I couldn't, it was heart breaking as he was very passionate in his request but he'd have killed himself or someone else in very short order. Probably would have done so working bloody hard though! 

[MattyF]

He got sacked after a week or so Kevin , twice I made him just go and sit in the van , unfortunately he felt he could not function with out being stoned , gave him a chance ...

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

13 minutes ago, MattyF said:

He got sacked after a week Kevin , twice I made him just go and sit in the van , unfortunately he felt he could not function with out being stoned , gave him a chance ...

Fair play, why does life have to be so bloody challenging at times...