Construction Health and safety regulations is designed to prevent the site workers from being injured or killed. However, as we all know construction workers can often be very good at making those regulations work to their advantage in other ways. Taking the rules in a literal sense, in some cases, enables these workers to get away with doing less work during the day than they should be doing.

The following amusing story highlights one particular instance of this:

An asbestos removal company was working on a site in America, removing hazardous asbestos from a school building that was due to be demolished. Having carried out an asbestos survey the company had identified large quantities of harmful asbestos that needed to be removed prior to demolition – asbestos fibres can cause lung disease if inhaled.

Now for the amusing bit......

A couple of particularly lazy construction workers, who were particularly well known for trying to skive work wherever possible had been sent up some scaffolding to begin removing the asbestos from piping located high up the side of the school. In most states of America it is law that all construction workers must be anchored to the scaffolding they’re working on to prevent them from falling.
As instructed the two men had climbed up the scaffolding, anchored themselves to the structure and began removing the piping. A hour or so later, during break time, the Site Foreman had walked past to check on the tow men’s progress. As expected he found them sitting down atop the scaffolding taking a well-earned break. This was nothing unusual so the Foreman left to continue his rounds. However, when the Foreman returned for a second checkup 4 hours later he found the two men in exactly the same position.  The two men had in fact anchored themselves to the scaffolding, sat down and promptly gone to sleep – the anchor straps the men had used propped them up in a sitting position so it appeared as though they were taking a scheduled break

Both men were fired on the spot but prior to leaving they were asked why they had committed such an obvious act of insubordination. They replied that they thought as long as they were anchored to the scaffolding they were doing what they were told and they would be able to stay on the job.

Sometimes the law is best left to the lawyers.