I'm figuring that I'm giving too many chances. Stig pointed out how quickly the guy was to show up on time, after being warned.
What do you all think, and how do you address:
How many times do you let someone make the SAME mistake, dangerous or not before training them the safer, better way (e.g. don't look down the bar while leaning over the plane of the bar, not wrapping a thumb on the wrap-handle, drop starting the saw, holding the pistol grip and trigger rather than roll starting it on a log or leg-lock/ ground start/ faux drop-start by holding the wrap handle)?
How many times do you let someone make that same mistake, after training them?
Should it be three infractions in a day, and they are sent home? Let them do it without correction?
How do you address people showing up unprepared, such as no lunch, no lunch money? Low blood sugar is a safety issue to me.
Does McDonald's let people do things their own way? Does a steel mill let people do things their own way? Does a day care, subject to state regulations let people do things their own way?
Some mistakes are expected from everyone. How much do you all figure, as a percentage of Gross Revenue, is acceptable for neglectful damage, like driving over a saw? A rigged piece shattering, ricocheting, and breaking a window happens sometimes. That's normal. What part of your budget goes into non-neglect repairs.
Personally, extremely little. No chainsaw cuts, no chaps cut, no falls from trees, two back strains over 8 years.
Locally, that I personally know of, I can count at least 4 major accidents from one company, who I have very little contact with. Same company left a MS 660 where I was working on trees over the house (didn't trust the other crew).
That's with little knowledge of what else they do. I learned they put a log through a wall, into a sleeping baby's nursery at an apartment building through negligence. That guy runs dirty as all get-out. Half of his Yelp review SUCK, and half are Great. Most people are amazed at any tree work, good or bad.
My rep it on doing things as described, generally as well or better than expected, professionally, without a bunch of yahoos running around, looking to find a set of teeth between them. The guy mentioned above had someone driving his truck the other day down I-5 next to me, looking like Tweaky McTweak with half a set of teeth, pretty much.
The guy that just left worked at that company for 5 years, while tweaking. He's been clean for over a year now. Being clean/ sober/ court-ordered to have a job/ and needing money were good things in his corner. I had no problem if he had to come in a little late, for a Urine Analysis, so long as it always came up clean. I worked around his court-appointed appointments, and personal things for his family. Probably too forgiving. Hoping for too much. He would have been a fine brush monkey, its just rare that I need a JUST a brush monkey. That being said, I feed the chipper, too, if there isn't something more pressing. Its not that ground-work is just for dummies.
Advice appreciated.
