Utility workers and safety

When you’re out and about and you come across people in company vehicles or people working, do you generally show more consideration, less consideration or do you really not think about it? I ask because I am a utility worker, I won’t say what company. I’m out in the streets all day. We get a whole lot of love, people wave at us, people are grateful that we are there for them but at the same time, it seems at times that people are not considerate of our need for safety. I was at an intersection in Los Angeles recently with one employee on one utility poly, one diagonally across the street on the other and me in the street directing traffic. People were driving by so fast, not slowing down, not seeming to care. My message basically is this, when you see your utility workers out there, show them some love and respect our need for for safety. We care about you and your service and ultimately all we want to do at the end of the day is get home to our families in one piece.

Comments

  • [Deleted User]WriterGF (deleted user)

    Where I live, there is usually a police car parked right next to where the utility people are working.

  • edited March 2022

    @Morpheus you say you were directing traffic ? We’re you wearing the required fluorescent vest ,hard hat and waving a flag ?
    It is a ticketable offense to ignore a flag man.

    Edit : my gripe is when we request a porta potty for a job site the public will take liberties a use it after hours unless it’s fenced in .

  • "My message basically is this, when you see your utility workers out there, show them some love and respect our need for for safety. We care about you and your service and ultimately all we want to do at the end of the day is get home to our families in one piece." ♥️

    Sorry to hear you or others are feeling unsafe doing your work cause of the inconsideration of others to slow down. I think some people are just hdjebiejs u63-+$+$:#;#7 didniskkndhdj and others could just be ignorant of how they are making y'all feel. Or think they are doing enough to keep you safe.

    I don't drive currently, though as far as being friendly and waving: I try to do that whenever possible. It's harder with our masks on and all that we are dealing with. I usually have a resting smiling face and when I didn't wear a mask it would show. Which often got others to smile back at me or wave at me, which I'd reciprocate. Though as far as initating a wave or a chat, it doesn't really come naturally to me unless I feel someone showing me really warm energy first. Though with the pandemic happening, I try to initiate a bit more knowing how much harder many possibly have it nowadays.

  • I likely annoy my fellow drivers with how cautious I am around flaggers, other exposed crew workers, bicyclists and pedestrians close to the line. Not just for safety, but for the courtesy of not pelting them with a pebble flung from my tires too.

    In every car my windows have been damaged by those. Can you imagine how much that would hurt hitting one's person?? And what other cascade of harm could follow from that kind of unexpected distraction??

    I'd rather be late than the one who tipped the first domino...

  • There are seven kinds of drivers:

    1) Those who didn't notice you were there at all: their driving autopilot followed (or not) your instructions

    2) Those who did notice there was a flag man, but are too stupid to register the flag man as human

    3) Those who do register that there is a human out there, but are too intellectually lazy to think that that means they should consider driving with extra consideration

    4) Those who know fine what they should do, but don't do it because they are in a bad mood and expressing it unhealthily

    5) Those who do recognise everything, but are such bad drivers that they can't actually do anything about it

    6) Those who do the right thing (magically, everybody who posts in this thread will be one of those)

    and

    7) The most dangerous category, those who transition from one category to another at the last moment. Sometimes twice.

  • edited March 2022

    - Post removed by me. Thx -

Sign In or Register to comment.