Welding Tips and Tricks

I am a welding instructor for the last 5 years and have been welding in the field since 1987. I have only been at this school for about a year ( I was at a community college before this gig) and could really use some help on how to deal with a freakin' moron center safety officer. He freely admits to not knowing anything about welding and then completely undermines me and shuts my shop down while we wrestle over some point he needs clarified. I consider myself extremely safety conscious (I don't want to get blown up!) but he looks at me like I'm lying to him and the shop is a ticking time bomb. Any efforts to familiarlize him with ANZI 49.1 and OSHA regulations are met with a "we'll see about that" and then I get a "suprise" safety audit. This man has exactly 14 months as a foreman with a construction company that his buddy owned and now he is here. My boss asks me not to quit and to remember that he, the safety officer, is going through some things. Like I care. This is a technical school and I don't see the same level of concern with the carpentry, cement, maintenance or any of the other departments. I really want to shut him up but know that any confrontation will result in more conflict. The welding shop has passed all inspections by local and state and I have an excellent safety record. What is his deal?

Some people turn into Barney Fife when they get a badge.
you should ask him to audit your shop to help you comply with ANZI 49.1 . make him get in the boat with you. how is he going to ding later on if he helped you get into compliance?

My guess is he wont want to dig into ANZI 49.1 in the first place and he will leave you alone.

In Texas we just invite them out for a cold beer and discuss his problems. If he ask why you have that large baseball bat leaning up against the tail gate, your response is, "It's for people who act like pricks and cause others problems".

just a thought

jim

In a perfect world, Jim.....

I have a small construction company and I'm as fustrated as you sound as well. It has been told to me from an OSHA rep that no one can exceed OSHA rules of regulation unless it is spelled out clearly on the contract or else the inforcement is brakeing the law. My company puts up light ga. trusses and I have a patented system that allows us to pre-assemble the trusses on the ground this eliminates 80% of fall protection and eleminates castropic failure you would think that someone from the government or insurance would reconize use for this but no they just try harder to find infractions to pentize us I feel your fustration.

how 'bout a blanket party

I agree with Admin on this one. If this guy is involved with passing you on the inspection, he will not want to make himself look stupid later, and pick at what he passed.