Big Brother is Watching

So I'm at work, and we have a meeting. During the meeting the Manager tells us that OSHA was at another station and were basically spying on the mechanics. They were there for 3 days watching the mechanics before they even made their presence known. The maintenance base and the mechanics were cited and will most likely be fined for various infractions most of which were things like not wearing a reflective safety vest or safety glasses out on the AOA (Airport Operations Area) basically any where outside of the office.

So first off, I think that what OSHA did or maybe the way they did it, spying on fellow mechanics, is pretty ridiculous. Make your presence known and do your thing if you are auditing safety procedures or whatever. I don't know how many of you out there have tried to do maintenance work in one of those orange reflective vests but they do tend to get in the way and get snagged on things. Part of the problem I have with the vests is that they are just one most item of clothing flapping around that can get caught up in a gear, wheel, pulley, or god forbid sucked into an engine along with me.

I understand the reason for groups like OSHA and the need for regulation but it seems lately that they have to justify their own existence and so they go about making up goofy rules that working people have trouble following. To add to this the mechanics in some cases are personally responsible for the fines that OSHA can levee. I try to wear my vest and glasses when I can but there are times that it is not feasible to do so. Those of you who know me know that I think that the government and these various rules and what not are just not necessary and we as a society would be better off with out them (ask me about my views on seat belt laws). Of course just because I don't like these rules does not allow me to ignore them and who among us can afford an $10,000 fine from OSHA for not wearing safety glasses.

What I'm saying is this, just because we know that OSHA, the FAA, and others have rules that often times border on ridiculous we as a professional group must still follow them. Lets face it the safety vest is ugly, gets in the way, and gets hot during the summer months but we still must wear it. The rules are the rules and a lot of the time they are stupid and make no sense but they have to be followed. The time for anarchy is not quite at hand-YET!