Extremely Dumb Decisions That Workers Made on Job Sites

There are rules and regulations in the workplace for a reason. There is specific equipment for certain tasks so that they're performed as safely as possible. These are people who do not have said equipment, did not want to go get said equipment and decided to cut corners and do it their own way. Not only are these dangerous for the people doing the work, but it's also dangerous for innocent bystanders.

They Thought They Had a Tall Ladder

These two guys were no match to this monster shrub. Unfortunately, their tallest ladder wasn’t cutting it. Good thing they brought their other, smaller ladder. It won’t exactly get him to the top of the shrubs, but it’ll do until he falls and breaks his arm. 

Just Supervising 

There are a few things wrong with this one. That river’s current probably isn’t very rough so the ladder could be fine, but one wrong gush of water could send this guy flying. Then, there’s the guy just chilling in the crane. That’s probably safer than being on the ladder, but that has to be against some sort of protocol, right?

Scaffolding Adjacent

It’s impressive that they managed to create this scaffolding out of bamboo, but doesn’t that pose some risks? It’s also being completely held together with string and rope. They also don’t have anything to stand on that’s sturdy… They’re just climbing on the scaffolding.

Is That How You Do It? 

Anyone outside of construction has probably wondered how to use a ladder on a staircase… Is this it? Honestly, two clamps and a piece of plywood doesn’t really look stable, but it must have been good enough for the worker. Good luck! 

Construction is a serious job. There are a lot of things that could go wrong on a job site and it's important to follow the rules and regulations in order to keep everyone involved safe. With that being said, a lot of people like to cut corners or get "creative" when it comes to getting things done. 

Weird Brag on Facebook

The Navy probably won’t be pleased to see this horrific fire hazard on company time. When traveling abroad, it’s always a good idea to bring different port adapters in order to charge your electronics… Using two nail clippers and stabbing them into the electrical sockets isn’t a smart move whatsoever. 

Someone Has To Sweep the Lights

Apparently, the cherry picker wasn’t available so this guy had to improvise. The worst part is that someone definitely had to help him with getting up there, the forklift wasn’t going to work itself. Is it really worth risking your life to sweep the top of the warehouse lights? 

Rules Don’t Apply To Me

This guy has obviously been on the force for a while. He seems to think that flammable gas isn’t going to affect him so he thinks that he can smoke as many cigarettes as he wants to. Blowing up surely isn’t a problem. 

Helping Hands 

None of the people in this photo look confident about what they’re doing. Plus, the guy in the window is doing a whole lot more work than the guy on the balcony… If the guy in the striped sweater falls, the guy on the window will definitely be falling with him. 

Seemingly Harmless…

This looks like it’s kind of normal, albeit a little out of place, but that’s not the case. When someone tries to run any sort of cord across the stairs, someone else will be in for a pretty bad trip down the stairs. 

That Would be Quite the Fall

They’re at least four or five stories up in the air, and those guys will definitely not be strong enough to pull their coworker up. Honestly, none of that structure looks sturdy enough for someone to be climbing all over it… How did he even get down there? 

No Safety Goggles? No Problem! 

With no safety goggles at his disposal, this guy found the next best thing. This plastic bucket fits his head perfectly! In a way, it’s almost better than goggles. As long as there aren’t any sparks that could potentially melt the plastic into his eyes, this is probably fine. 

Time to Relax

Sometimes, the job site can get stressful. This guy figured that the best way to combat that stress is having an onsight hot tub... Well, as a DIY, of course. He's basically baking himself in the bin of the tractor. Yikes.

Forgot The Tall Ladder

Of course, this painter forgot his tallest ladder when working in a tall staircase. That’s okay, though! Good thing he has three other ladders to stack on top of each other. Let’s hope his balance is on point because that would be a nasty fall. 

Someone Didn’t Get the Memo

What came first, the fire exit or the cinder block blocking the fire exit? It’s a little unbelievable that someone would actually block the emergency exit, but at the same time, dumber things have happened. Let’s just hope that this store either figured it out or never has an emergency. 

This Is Never Coming Off

It looks like this lightswitch definitely looks like hurt somebody… It also looks like its a total electrical hazard. Someone decided that they wanted this to be an extremely secure lightswitch, apparently. 

He’s Got It Handled

Assuming that he’s not a professional painter, at least he’s trying to cut in after painting the wall. Every DIY homeowner has been in a similar situation. They want to paint the walls, but they don’t have a ladder. So, they have to get creative! This is absolutely not the way to do it. 

Extremely Safe, Don’t Worry About It

How would someone fix this? It looks like you’re going to get electrocuted or horrifically the second you try and take it off. That electrical tape is also burnt to smithereens… Something definitely went wrong there. 

A New Way to Jackhammer

Sometimes, you have to get creative. This guy took the liberty of using a jackhammer in a pretty difficult spot but went at it from a different angle… Literally. I’m not sure how productive this guy was by using his feet, but at least he tried. Everyone should steer clear of him while he’s doing this, though. 

Maybe Don’t Try This

The second one ladder starts to slip, they’ll all fall down. I’m not sure who’s going to get it worse… Will it be the guy on the top of the roof who is counting on those ladders to keep him up or the guy at the bottom of the roof who will feel the brunt of two ladders and an entire man falling on top of him? Either way, someone is in for a pretty gnarly bruise. 

It’s Safe Enough 

Honestly, how else should they go about this? It doesn’t look very safe and definitely isn’t foolproof, but it’s a tricky situation. They’re working with a mud/clay flooring that’s held up by some wiring. The jackhammer might be a bit overkill, but still. 

Aren't There Elevators For Window Washing?

There's literally an entire industry for window washing equipment... Apparently, this guy thought that the only way to get this window clean was to hang out of it and dangle 30+ stories above the ground. To each their own!

That’s Not The Best Place

I’m sure this is just how the electrical wiring and plumbing ended up in this building, but there had to be another way! Can you imagine rushing to the eyewash station after an accidental chemical spill and electrocuting yourself? This would never pass inspection. 

Sorry, Blind People 

This is a very long and extensive sign with paragraphs of braille on it. Right above the sign, there is open and live wiring. This is probably a worst-case scenario type of deal. One wrong move for a blind person trying to read the sign could be detrimental… 

Just Hold It Steady

Looks like these guys ran into the roadblock of having a short ladder. Good thing they have a paint bucket, though! As long as the guy on the bottom keeps it steady, nothing could go wrong... Right? 

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

In the laws of physics, yeah this probably works out fine. In the laws of literally anything else, this is not a good look. These guys are probably not professionals and just wanted to fix their AC unit themselves (which is also not a good idea) so OSHA isn’t really missing out on anything huge… 

He Just Wanted Some Peace

This guy was definitely having a long day at work and took his full advantage of his break. He was just hanging out and taking a breather. As long as those AC units hold up, what’s the problem? 

This is Some Magic 

This dude somehow managed to balance one leg of a ladder on a piece of wood that’s balancing on a metal pole. Once again, a really long ladder would have done the trick, but that’s not as fun. I hope he got down okay…

Who Needs a Car Jack? 

If you’re strong and have pieces of wood, a car jack is a bit overkill. Sure, the wood might split and the car could fall on top of him, but whatever. At least no one will mess with him now that he’s shown he has absolutely nothing to lose. 

Time to Trim the Hedges 

Listen, when you have a crane at your disposal, why wouldn’t you use it to your advantage? This is a much easier way to get a clean cut at the top of your hedges. Is it safe? No, definitely not. The crane operator needs to have a steady hand in order to make sure the lawnmower doesn’t crash to the ground and they get a clean cut. 

Taking a Trust Fall to a Different Level

Someone must have dropped $100 down that hole… Why else would anyone volunteer to be held like that by two guys? One wrong move and he could fall to his death. A ladder would probably be pretty helpful in this situation. 

Forklift Inception

This is either 200 IQ or 0 IQ. Using a forklift to lift another forklift can be humorous to look at, but this probably wasn't the best way to go at it. I think OSHA would probably throw a fit if they saw this going on!

A Weird Elevator

Instead of investing in a traditional pulley system to haul items up to the top of the build, they designated 15 workers to do it. These guys are stories up in the air and tied together, completely relying on one another to not fall. If one falls, they all go down… 

What’s Safety? 

Cleaning that side of the chimney is probably super difficult, but there has to be a better way than this. There’s no way that the ladder is sturdy enough to deal with any sort of misdistribution of weight. If he falls, that’s on him.

Ways to Lose a Leg

The worst part about this photo is that he has a shovel to push the sticks into the wood chipper… So, why is he using his leg? One wrong move and he’s going to be in a lot of pain. 

That Looks Painful

Once again, a lack of tall ladders strikes again. These guys are doing their best, but most of the work is on the middle guy’s shoulders… Literally. He’s going to wake up with the weirdest bruises in the morning. 

Suffocation Warning

In a shocking turn of events, the plastic bucket is actually a step up from this. This guy is also using something that is sparking… Do you know what won’t protect your face from blazing hot sparks? A plastic bag. 

Staircases Are Hard

No one seems to have figured out how to use a ladder on a staircase. Hopefully, the person taking the photo is also spotting this guy, because it could go wrong pretty quickly… 

Good For Charging Your Phone

If you’re on the pot for a while, you can easily charge your phone. On the other hand, one wrong splash of toilet water can really ruin your day. I would list this as a fire and electrical hazard for sure. There are better spots to put an outlet. 

Easy HVAC DIY

If you don’t have the proper tube for your new HVAC system but have a ton of buckets, then this is the hack for you! As long as you can cut out the bottom of the buckets, it’s an easy fix. Is this cost-effective? Who knows!

Approved Decks Are for Nerds

A few palettes and bricks make a pretty good deck! Until a brick topples over and you walk outside to enjoy the nice day and you fall over on your first step and your neighbors see you writing around on the ground. Hopefully, that won’t happen, though! 

Ceiling Fan

It’s hard to get a decent amount of airflow in cramped places. Good thing this handyman knows the solution! As long as you can easily cut out a huge chunk of your ceiling, you can hang whatever fan you want! It’s probably secure enough.

Casual Whipped Cream Caulk

Many people don’t know that some drafts in your home are caused by holes in your electrical outlets! It looks like this person wanted to combat that and to save some money. Instead, they created a total electrical hazard. That’s not the right type of caulk! It looks like whipped cream.

How Ironic

His company probably won’t like the fact that he’s not taking their sign very seriously! It would be just as ironic if he hurt himself putting up that sign since he wasn’t taking the correct precautions.

Don’t Bump Into This

I will say, it’s pretty impressive that someone managed to balance that pallette of bricks on such an unsteady stack of bricks.  If this fell on someone, it would surely kill them. It’s definitely not a good idea to do this!

Isn’t This Bad For The Car?

Not only is this kind of stupid, but it looks like it’s going to damage the rims of the car. If that chair failed at all, that car is going to slam onto the ground and ruin that entire side. I wonder what was so important that they had to make this bizarre setup? 

I Got This

Who needs a professional when you have someone who is willing to climb out of their apartment window and fix the air conditioner? I doubt that this unit has the ability to hold his body weight, but time will tell. 

Putting In Work

Hey, at least he doesn’t have to go to the gym. This is yet another scenario where a proper ladder would have been useful, but if you have a good friend, that works just the same! Well, as long as he’s strong enough to hold up another man’s body weight…

Are There Any Safety Procedures At All?

He has no safety gear on. He doesn’t even have shoes on! Working with live wires isn’t a joke and this guy could easily get electrocuted. Hopefully, he made it out okay. This is a good idea of what not to do! 

This is Probably Against Protocol

Once again, the unreachable manhole strikes. It’s also a horrible idea for him to be holding his coworker by his jeans. He’s not even holding him by his ankles! That’s really stupid and dangerous.

Surely, This Is Foolproof

He seems to be secured by the rope, but is he really? The weight of the guy on the window would easily rip the rope from his coworker’s hands.. Say he does lose his balance and falls, is his coworker prepared to have horrific rope burn from saving him? 

This is Unnecessary

The best part is that the guy who is about to be sawed in half isn’t wearing protective headphones. He’s the one who probably needs it the most, right? Also, I feel like they have stands that they could use instead of his back…

Metal Ladder Against Live Wires

Let’s unpack this, shall we? Somehow, these guys have managed to lift the ladder up with their friend on it. It looks like they’re trying to get it to lean on the electrical wires so he can fix or work on the wires. The physics in this photo is a bit weird.

This Could Work, Right?

It’s unclear if he’s welding this together or what, but it seems like this is a great way to catch your face on fire. It’s not a secret that newspaper is super flammable. Once one ember reaches that paper, it’s over. Maybe invest in a mask!

A New Type of Hardhat

Plastic hardhats are so out of style and bad for the environment. Instead, you should opt for a slab of environmentally friendly material. This guy is the face of the future.

Unfortunately, This Isn’t a Joke

For some reason, this guy thought it would be smarter to put a piece of plastic over his face instead of a legitimate mask would suffice. He’s either going to melt the plastic onto his face or suffocate. Pick your poison!

It’s a Living

These guys look pretty casual as they dangle between live and death. I’m guessing he probably has to change the light in this store sign… I’d love to see the photo of him trying to install a new lightbulb while being upside down. 

Who Thought This Was Smart?

The worst part about this is that both of these people signed off on this being a good idea. If they’re living in an apartment building, they should just get the landlord to hire an electrician. Instead, they decided to risk both of their lives to try and fix it. How far can you get when you can barely reach the unit?

It Probably Won’t Blow Up

Those cans look like they have a compressed gas of some sort inside… So, is it really a smart idea to let these sparks heat them up? Was no one else thinking that he could easily blow up the entire room? 

Sunny Day

This day must have been a hot one. These workers are taking in some shade underneath their tractor. This seems super safe, smart, and totally worth it to get those sun ways off of your skin. No flaws here!

They Have Your Back

Being dropped into a manhole sounds like a horrible way to die. If their arms get tired their coworker is pretty much toast. Also, aren’t ladders supposed to be inside of manholes in order to avoid this? What happened there? 

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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.