18 replies to this topic

[Dalton.T.R]

The stupidity of the human race never ceases to amaze me. Today we lost one of our best operators due to a lack of intelligence by our manager. This operator had over 30 years experience driving and operating heavy equipment, including semi-trucks. He knew all the short cuts to getting a job done faster and more efficiently. He could load a truck in under a minute (depending on what he was operating) he kept the equipment in top condition. He could rip a piece of equipment apart and put it back together again and have it run just like it got out of the factory, and the details about this guy go on and on.

 

Despite all of these bonuses, he was fired today. A genius of a man decided to take his dog for a walk next to our location where we have well over 20 units of heavy equipment working on a project. The dog gets loos from the owner and runs into the site, heading right for the man I mentioned earlier.

 

He was running one of our new bulldozers that had arrived on the location and didn't see the dog in front of him. Visibility is very limited in these machines, and it's not really an option to stop these kinds of vehicles until you've moved the material to its destination.

 

Unfortunately, the dog didn't move and was crushed by the bulldozer. 

 

Now, here's where things really start to make sense. Instead of getting mad at the guy who let his dog loos in a construction zone with a lot of activity around, the manager gets mad at the best operator we have and fires him. Really? I mean...really? Yeah, let's blame the guy who couldn't SEE the dog, who was focusing on his JOB, and couldn't stop the dozer once he saw what was happening. Let's never mind the idiot who let his pet loos in the last place and animal should be.

 

So...by firing him, the job isn't going to get finished as fast as it would have, we've lost the most experienced man in the field, and this will ultimately hurt the company in the long run. Well done, Mr. Manager, well done.

 

If this is the kind of intelligence that comes with a college degree, then I don't want a college degree. I don't want anything to DO with college if that's the case!

 

 

I don't want to sound racist here, but it's getting to the point I just don't give two sh*ts about it. The man with the dog was black. Had he been White, I bet the moron with the dog would have been the one who got in trouble. This racial stuff is hurting the country. It's time people got over it and stopped being scared of being called a 'racist'. If someone hides behind that to keep them out of trouble, they're weak and a coward. Nothing more.

[Kyuudaime]

I really doubt it had anything to do with the color of him. Don't you guys use ground guides?

[Dalton.T.R]

I really doubt it had anything to do with the color of him. Don't you guys use ground guides?

My knowledge of what actually happened is fairly limited. I heard some guys talking about it on the radio in the excavator I was running.

 

In today's political America, anything is possible. We're a country who's population relies on its damn cell phones to provide basic information. Most kids, teens, and probably young adults can't figure out how something works without looking it up on their phones, or watching a youtube video. It's pathetic how dumb technology has made us.

 

I don't know how the dog got on the site. The area is fenced off, and you have to check in with a gate guard. Maybe there's a hole in the fence somewhere and the dog crawled under it. 

[Darth Krypt]

A degree doesn't mean shiz. Some people I did group projects with during my undergraduate years were so incompetent I wonder how that person will handle being in the working world. Its weird because a degree only proves your academic knowledge but managers nowadays needs a degree as a qualification.

 

I've always thought that managers/supervisors should always be promoted from down up. These people needs to have experience in the field rather than some paper qualification. Even with a degree, it doesn't mean you have management skills or what it takes to be a leader. Judging by your story, the guy who got fired should be the manager if he wants to.

[Dalton.T.R]

This is something I ranted about the other day. Once again, the polls show less and less people graduating from college are finding a job.

 

This is why I keep saying this. college is a scam. The only thing you're going to get out of college is debt, training for a job that doesn't exist, and being stuck working for minimum wage at a grocery store because of this thing called a 'college degree'. The demand for careers that require a college degree is remote...remote enough it practically doesn't exist. Meanwhile, there are thousands of jobs out there that do NOT require a college degree and will be easier to get in the long run. They require skill more than knowledge at the end of the day. Mechanics, truck drivers, electricians, plumbers, equipment operators, nurses, dental hygienist, carpenters...the list goes on..and on...and on for careers in high demand that don't require a college degree.

The government can't afford to continue to fund these kids who are going into debt. These kids will never be able to pay their college debt off if given twenty different life-times, and people are being told these days you HAVE to go to college to have a successful life. BULL kitten! 

There are schools that are commonly over looked. Vo-tech schools. Free, self-paced learning, and the teachers go over everything you need to know in a short time. You'll learn more things that will come in handy in life in a couple of months from a vo-tech school than you will a decade in college. Why? The teachers teach you about what you actually need to know. Not a bunch of useless BS you'll use on a single test and never bother with it again in your entire life. 

There is a HUGE number of people who went after working as a mechanic, a plumber, electrician, operator, etc and made their friends who went to college look like the tiny people, while they were making $125.00+ by the hour! Look 'em up on Youtube! They're all over the place!

The problem these days is poor leadership from the parents. Kids are being told to go to college because you'll get a crappy Blue Collar job if you don't. News flash. Putting it in simple terms, college offers White collar job training. The demand for white collar jobs is nowhere even close to the demand for Blue collar...it practically doesn't exist. 

Okay, what happens if no one learns how cars work, how to wire a house, how to pave a road, how to farm, how to ranch, or operate heavy machinery such as construction/mining equipment or semi-trucks? Say all the generations of all the people who know about this stuff retire or get so old they can't work anymore? 

What then? Who are you going to take your car to when something goes wrong? Who are you going to call when your house needs someone to look at something? Who are you going to look for when your roads need to be re-paved? What are you going to do when your stores run out of food?

Mike Rowe makes a perfect point about all of this. I'd recommend watching one of his interviews. He's been on Glen Beck, FOX news, Good Morning America...pretty much everywhere. They're not hard to find. Just look for them on Youtube or something.

 

http://redalertpolit...e-without-jobs/

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I didn't say everything I would like to have, but I think it's good enough. College may as well be one of the reasons the U.S is in so much debt right now. You can read a book all you want, but until you have some hands on experience, you're still a rookie.

[Jenskott]

On one hand, like someone who owns a pet, I am sorry for both the dead dog and its owner. that person must be in a terrible pain now.

 

On the other hand, I am sorry about your co-worker. I do not know that person, but I am pretty sure of if he would have seen the dog and would have got the chance to avoid running it down, he would have done so.

 

I wonder what on the Earth the owner was thinking to let his pet loose near your workplace. He should know that place was unsafe. And now he has lost his pet, an experienced and honest worker has lost his job and your company have lost an asset due to an accident caused by carelessness.

 

Regarding your words about how several generations have been fed with a lie -"you need go to college. Go to college and your future will be guaranteed"-, I will not lie. I have considered it often. I also agree it is frustrating how nowadays people depends on their super-advanced (for the next week) gadgets for everything. Do you not know something? Forget opening a thesaurus, go to wikipedia. Do you not know how cooking a dish, sewing or fixing your car? Forget asking your parents, look it up in youtube.

[Lid]

There are a few things I'll give my thoughts on. 

 

In regards to being fired, I think it's a way for the company to save face, and most of the time this happens. When there are problems or issues, someone needs to be held accountable, usually it's the person who made the "mistake." It was a bad mistake but the matter of accountability was probably the reason for the termination.

 

I get the frustration, though, with the person walking his dog so close to the equipment. Whenever I'm doing a story about a public works project, the city director usually asks me to put a reminder in my article to request that people stay clear of the work zone. 

 

No onto the case about college. In my opinion, college is good for some and not as good for others. I think it really depends on what a person's future is. 

 

I have friends who went to work straight out of high school and got experience and are happy where they are at. Myself I had wanted to be a reporter since early high school, so I went to a four year university.

 

I think it's all about encouraging people to do what they enjoy and what they are good at, and trying to find the best path to pursue it. If one loves cars and automotives, then by all means go to a trade school or a technical college. If someone enjoys what some would consider a "white collar job" and thinks that would be the best career, then attend a university with a good program. 

[KeikoxYusuke]

I feel worse for the dog and the owner then the guy who got fired....:( it's hard to feel that bad over that, when that poor animal...:(

And I have seen that before, I can only imagine what the owner is feeling. My thoughts go out to him.

Sorry for the complete lack of feelings for the fired guy...^^;;

[Dalton.T.R]

I feel worse for the dog and the owner then the guy who got fired....:( it's hard to feel that bad over that, when that poor animal...:(

And I have seen that before, I can only imagine what the owner is feeling. My thoughts go out to him.

Sorry for the complete lack of feelings for the fired guy...^^;;

Well, you'd think that even an animal would have the sense to get out of the way.

 

Gee. This is a big watchamacallit pushing a lot of dirt and rocks. It might crush me if I don't move out of the way.

 

I know a dog's just an animal, but still...

[Lid]

Well, you'd think that even an animal would have the sense to get out of the way.

 

Gee. This is a big watchamacallit pushing a lot of dirt and rocks. It might crush me if I don't move out of the way.

 

I know a dog's just an animal, but still...

 

If that was the case and animals thought that way, no deer, squiral, etc. would be hit on a highway.

[KeikoxYusuke]

Well, you'd think that even an animal would have the sense to get out of the way.
 
Gee. This is a big watchamacallit pushing a lot of dirt and rocks. It might crush me if I don't move out of the way.
 
I know a dog's just an animal, but still...

really? Blaming the dog? That's cold,

Sorry, but I think the manager made the right call. Accident or not, it ended it death. He can get another job, and hopefully nothing dies this time.

How fast was that thing moving anyway? I don't know if the dog could have gotten away, not to mention, we all don't react the fear the same way, I would have frozen in place too. It's how I handle fear.
Some people are able to get up and run right away...others are ready to fight...it's just not my way if dealing...and chances are, the poor doggy is the same as myself when it comes to fear.

I relate well to deer...they are known for freezing in place.

[Dalton.T.R]

really? Blaming the dog? That's cold,

Sorry, but I think the manager made the right call. Accident or not, it ended it death. He can get another job, and hopefully nothing dies this time.

How fast was that thing moving anyway? I don't know if the dog could have gotten away, not to mention, we all don't react the fear the same way, I would have frozen in place too. It's how I handle fear.
Some people are able to get up and run right away...others are ready to fight...it's just not my way if dealing...and chances are, the poor doggy is the same as myself when it comes to fear.

I relate well to deer...they are known for freezing in place.

Every animal freezes in place, and I don't blame the dog at all. But coming from a farm and ranch myself, we had a number of different dogs. None of them liked our machinery (tractors, semi-trucks, flatbed trucks, etc) they'd normally run away and hide somewhere when we turned those machines on, or had them in the shop for maintenance. 

 

How fast was the dozer going? I wasn't there myself, but having run a dozer before, I'd say it's safe to say around five miles per hour. These vehicles aren't built for speed. They're built for moving a lot of material from point A to point B. Even with the blade lifted they don't go very fast at all.

 

Get another job? Not likely in his age. The guy was in his elderly years. He probably had around six more years 'till retirement. I don't believe the manager made the right call at all. It was the dog owner's fault at the end of the day for not keeping a better hold on his leash. One of the other workers is betting money the manager is going to be fired now for firing our best man on the job. I really wouldn't be surprised because our manager's kind of a kitten anyway, and he has been in trouble before. 

 

Story is, before I was even working there, this guy ignored the absolute most important rule when approaching a piece of equipment that's in use: Make DIRECT eye contact with the operator. He was approaching one of the excavators from the right side, which is the blind spot, and nearly got his head taken off when the operator swung to the right.

 

Naturally, our manager got mad at the operator and threatened to fire him. Later on that same night, the operator called the main HQ and told someone in the higher ranks what happened. Two days later the manager had a little visit from his own boss.

 

I can also tell you it's safe to say our manager has NEVER operated a piece of equipment in his life. He has knowledge from the books. Not from experience. Which is a load of BS if you ask me. Experience by working with your hands will give you more knowledge than a million books ever will.

 

Also, how was the guy supposed to know? If the dog's in your blind spot then what are you going to do? Visibility is extremely limited in some of these bigger piece of equipment. I don't think he should have been fired at all. It was an accident.

Edited by Night Hawk, 11 May 2014 - 04:27 AM.

[Dalton.T.R]

Here's an example of what the guy who was fired was operating at the time

 

D10 Bulldozer

 

 

Here's an example of the excavator the guy the manager got mad at was operating

 

Excavator

 

 

Visibility is next to non-existent in these vehicles.

Edited by Night Hawk, 11 May 2014 - 04:37 AM.

[TyranntX]

We used to believe that the world was flat, that space didn't exist, that the atom was as small as an object can go, that Dinosaurs were dragons, that science was evil, that gays and lesbians were incarnations of demons, that man could not harness the power of flight, and that the earth was 9000 years old.

 

We now believe that just because you CAN do something justifies it that was SHOULD do it, that if something/some one is different that its evil, that the teletubies support homosexuality, that we are alone in the universe, that SS ans NH are still alive, that digimon and poke'mon are the same thing, that evolution is a myth, that its okay to shoot some one you don't agree with, lemmings commit suicide, that the end of the world is always near, and that all fossils are fake.

 

This does not suprize me in the slightest. and its all ready been prooven over 100 times that due to are low intelect we are doomed as a species.

[KeikoxYusuke]

We used to believe that the world was flat, that space didn't exist, that the atom was as small as an object can go, that Dinosaurs were dragons, that science was evil, that gays and lesbians were incarnations of demons, that man could not harness the power of flight, and that the earth was 9000 years old.
 
We now believe that just because you CAN do something justifies it that was SHOULD do it, that if something/some one is different that its evil, that the teletubies support homosexuality, that we are alone in the universe, that SS ans NH are still alive, that digimon and poke'mon are the same thing, that evolution is a myth, that its okay to shoot some one you don't agree with, lemmings commit suicide, that the end of the world is always near, and that all fossils are fake.
 
This does not suprize me in the slightest. and its all ready been prooven over 100 times that due to are low intelect we are doomed as a species.

we are not a dumb species! We rule the earth, taking over every bit of land, we have the brain power to argue about nothing at all and make it sound like something. We can trick people, we can comfort people, I don't see how that has anything to do with what that guy did to the dog...I can go on, the sort of things we have done as a species is amazing...but that's off topic so...moving on..



Ps, that thing looks huge, still don't feel bad for the guy that got fired. And now I'm having disturbing pictures in my mind over what happened to that dog.

You guys are acting like getting fired is worse then a dogs untimely death... I really I'm started to dislike this thread.

I think I'm just going to take my leave and not look back. It's starting to disgust me.

[Dalton.T.R]

They're more than huge, I can assure you. The dozer in the picture is a D10. It's half the size of a small house. It can be very hard to stop, it's hard to turn, and it's hard to get the material moving again if the vehicle stops. Its own momentum is what moves it...kind of like a train to put it simply. 

 

It is tragic what happened to the dog, I'm honestly amazed some of these machines didn't scare him away considering how loud their engines are. But think of it this way. Have you ever driven one of these before? Have you ever driven a truck? Have you ever stopped and watched what goes on at a construction/mining site? Because I guarantee you, you'll have a different prospective if you did. These vehicles do not turn on a dime. These vehicles do not stop the second you hit the brakes like a car does. And you cannot see what's right next to you, especially if it's something small like a dog.

 

We're being selfish because of what happened to a dog? What if that man has a heart attack or something tragic happens to him and he can't pay the hospital? What if his wife has a stroke? what if one of his grandchildren gets in an accident of some kind, and the parents don't have the money to pay for the hospital bill themselves?

[Lid]

Ps, that thing looks huge, still don't feel bad for the guy that got fired. And now I'm having disturbing pictures in my mind over what happened to that dog.

You guys are acting like getting fired is worse then a dogs untimely death... I really I'm started to dislike this thread.

I think I'm just going to take my leave and not look back. It's starting to disgust me.

 

 

Getting fired can be a stressful time for a person, especially for a situation like this. Why not have sympathy for both?

 

Keep in mind that this was an ACCIDENT and it didn't lead to a good outcome for anybody.

 

I'm sure the operator feels terrible for what happened to the dog, and on top of that he is out of a job. As someone who has done the job search, it really can be difficult sometimes to find new employment. All while that's going on the person has to deal with the regular bills, and that's not counting health issues, or even a family to support.

 

I understand being upset that an animal lost its life, but accidents happen. I'm guessing this wasn't due to negligence or done on purpose.

[Dalton.T.R]

 

 

Getting fired can be a stressful time for a person, especially for a situation like this. Why not have sympathy for both?

 

Keep in mind that this was an ACCIDENT and it didn't lead to a good outcome for anybody.

 

I'm sure the operator feels terrible for what happened to the dog, and on top of that he is out of a job. As someone who has done the job search, it really can be difficult sometimes to find new employment. All while that's going on the person has to deal with the regular bills, and that's not counting health issues, or even a family to support.

 

I understand being upset that an animal lost its life, but accidents happen. I'm guessing this wasn't due to negligence or done on purpose.

I doubt it. I didn't know the guy personally, but he apparently loved animals. He had three dags. Two Yellow Labs and one Golden Retriever.

 

Like I said, if you can't see something because it's in a blind spot, and no one's around to tell you there's something nearby....what can you do? 

Edited by Night Hawk, 11 May 2014 - 05:19 PM.

[KeikoxYusuke]

....I said I was going to leave but...both your comments where quite moving...I think I agree with the thought of feeling bad for both.

I must have been in a bad mood before, I'm sorry...I'll try to be more considerate next time. :)