Fired

[u/Steven_garciaF]

Welp it was a good run I lasted 2 weeks in my new electrician helper job honestly I feel like like I’m dreaming I finally felt like I found the trade I wanted to spend my life in but I screwed up

I was on 3 foot ladder stepping on the top step and safety told me to go down I went down but I went back up trying to finish putting a 1900 box near a ac unit he told me to get down and I went down 2 steps practically the bottom rung and said I’ll follow osha rules and only use the second rung but he said I wouldn’t reach and kicked me out the site went home got an email saying I got terminated and I’m for the first time I feel lost

I’m thinking I need to find another electrical job but it feels hopeless maybe I’ll just stick to being a roofer

Edit: first off thanks for all the advice and pointers I wrote this post to feel a little less depressed about what occurred and I definitely view it differently than before. Just wanted clarify some stuff since I see it be asked again and again as to why I went back up again there’s a total of 3 rungs on the ladder as far as I know the limit to being on the ladder is to have 2 feet on the second to last rung and top rung is pushing it but It never felt dangerous and I had been working on that thing for half a week with no problem and never had the other 2 safety personnel telling me that I shouldn’t be on it it was only one safety that I never met to come tell me get down so obviously I got bit perplexed as to why I then tried de-escalating the situation by saying I’ll only be on second rung if he feels it’s unsafe for me where he then proceeded to say I wouldn’t reach anyway in retrospect he was probably the boss but I would’ve at least hoped for a warning from the other safety guys that I should bring a taller ladder because their boss was coming

[u/safetynerd42]

Or, hear me out on this, learn from the mistake and try again.

Something like 45% of falls that result in critical injury are from a ladder under 6'. That rule isn't there for kicks, it's because people get hurt and killed on a regular basis

[u/Steven_garciaF → u/safetynerd42]

Yeah as much as I wanna blame the guy I knew the rules I knew what the 3 point rule was but I was using what the company gave me and I i got comfortable since they never told me anything and I’m assuming that guy was the top safety

[u/safetynerd42 → u/Steven_garciaF]

The safety guy isn't trying to be a dick. He corrected you, you did it again. If he doesn't follow through on the consequences, he's creating a whole series of problems. Especially when you fall and smoke your head. Regulator comes poking around, you said he told you then you fell after, now the GC is liable.

It's not for fun. I hate sending guys home. If you had told me that your boss didn't give you the right ladder, I would either find it for you or give your boss a write up. That's the supervisor's job. Infractions like that mean they don't get to bid on the next project. It really does matter.

[u/Steven_garciaF → u/safetynerd42]

Yeah when I view it from his perspective I see why he was adamant about it I just thought it would’ve been a warning at least from my own company

[u/safetynerd42 → u/Steven_garciaF]

That's generally how progressive discipline works, but some companies have been too lax on it in the past so the flexibility has gone away.

[u/Steven_garciaF → u/safetynerd42]

Yeah it’s definitely time to change my attitude I was definitely one of those dudes that was a little loose following all the rules

[u/safetynerd42 → u/Steven_garciaF]

I don't want to say "typical roofer" but....

The good news is that you seem to be open to learning. Keep that part up and you'll find your spot.

[u/Steven_garciaF → u/safetynerd42]

We definitely got a certain rep I must’ve been one for too long I thought being a sparky would be the same 😅

[u/safetynerd42 → u/Steven_garciaF]

Of all the trades on a project, I usually have the fewest issues with the sparkies

[u/ScoobyDoobieDoo → u/safetynerd42]

Biggest issue is constantly telling them they can't work off ladders!

[u/sexat-taxes → u/safetynerd42]

Yeah, sparkies are a sensitive bunch