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It’s no secret that health and safety precautions are crucial at work. However, often employers and their employees tend to overlook it, showing complete disregard for personal safety. We’re talking about worn tires, unsecured loads on vehicles, clutter blocking fire exits, incorrect placement of ladders; the list goes on. There’s a place on the Internet that brings attention to such hazards with a touch of humor.

The subreddit r/OSHA is named after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and their community description reminds you: “Safety first!”. More than 762K members are sharing photos of people who are walking on thin ice and pushing their luck while doing everyday tasks at work.

Bored Panda collected some of the best images from this online group that will make you laugh and roll your eyes. After you’re done enjoying this, make sure to have a look through our previous posts about the legendary subreddit right here, here, and here.

r/OSHA has been showing off the ridiculous side of work safety hazards since its creation in 2013. Whether it’s putting a cardboard cover on an electrical panel or locking the emergency switch so no one could use it, the images members post really show what flirting with danger looks like. 

The subreddit borrowed its name from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration which is a part of the United States Department of Labor. It was created to ensure safe working environments by setting standards and providing training and assistance according to them. 

As stated on their website, it’s a small agency with almost two thousand inspectors responsible for the safety of 130 million workers. Although there’s quite a number of serious work injuries happening every year, they are down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.8 in 2019.

But even though this subreddit is sharing lighthearted photos that are not supposed to be considered too seriously, they do represent a larger problem. There are countless ways of getting yourself injured at work and the National Safety Council found that there are seven common safety hazards that are spotted over and over again. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise that working at height is at the top of the list. Issues related to scaffolding and ladders are among the most frequently cited violations. It seems that the problem behind such hazards is simply a lack of understanding. Workers might not wear the fall protection gear properly or might not know about it at all. It’s the duty of the employer to identify locations where fall protection is a must and provide the workers with proper training. 

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#3

Gonna Have To Bring A Ruler To The Bathroom

Gonna Have To Bring A Ruler To The Bathroom

aondneaa Report

#4

Height Aside, How The Hell Are The Ladders Connected?

Height Aside, How The Hell Are The Ladders Connected?

KotAufmBrot Report

Another common issue is poor housekeeping. Imagine there’s a pile of things blocking the emergency exits or crumbling ceilings and leaking water that no one takes care of; all of this can contribute to slips and falls. Things like that just invite trouble and increase the risk for injury. 

Not to mention other threat factors like allergens, biological agents, and chemicals. According to Rachel Harrington, an NSC senior consultant, when an organization purchases and uses chemicals, it needs to have a control system and know why they were ordered and when to use them.

#5

Managment Says Its Fine/Not An Issue...

Managment Says Its Fine/Not An Issue...

atomikcabbage Report

#6

I Had To Follow This Guy After He Did A Collection From The Warehouse

I Had To Follow This Guy After He Did A Collection From The Warehouse

TummyPuppy Report

As far as your health and safety goes, not only does the employer have to protect and educate you about the possible dangers, but workers also play a part in keeping the workplace secure. Effective housekeeping can help manage or eliminate potential workplace hazards. There are quite a few tips on how to maintain housekeeping at work in order to put a stop to tragic incidents.

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#7

My Local Uni Intentionally Drilled A Hook Into The Wall To Lock An Emergency Switch

My Local Uni Intentionally Drilled A Hook Into The Wall To Lock An Emergency Switch

Thathitmann Report

#8

No Issues With This Pier

No Issues With This Pier

kittykalista Report

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The most important thing would be preventing slips, trips, and falls by making sure that the flooring is intact, spills are cleaned and blind spots are covered with warning signs or mirrors. Also, there’s always the issue with fire hazards. Employees should make sure that flammable materials do not end up in the work area or should always be kept in designated locations. 

#11

We Refused To Go Up With Out A Basket So The Boss Made His Son Do It

We Refused To Go Up With Out A Basket So The Boss Made His Son Do It

rienholt Report

Even such a simple thing as dust can be a safety risk and can pose a serious explosion hazard. "You want to use wet methods or have high-efficiency vacuum systems," said Steve Ahrenholz, a senior industrial hygienist at NIOSH. "You don’t want to use just a shop vac or dry-sweep it—definitely not using compressed air to blow it. [Then] you’re just re-suspending the dust and distributing it all over."

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#13

Corporate Says Tires Are Too Expensive And All Of Our Delivery Vans Are Just Fine

Corporate Says Tires Are Too Expensive And All Of Our Delivery Vans Are Just Fine

Yggdrasil5218 Report

#15

This Hammer Was Repaired In My Work Today

This Hammer Was Repaired In My Work Today

ndstrctbl Report

Efficient housekeeping is an ongoing process, not a hit-and-miss occasional cleanup. The most important thing is that workers should be motivated to participate in maintaining the workplace. "Every worker does have a role. If they see that something is becoming a problem, they need to report it," Ahrenholz said. When you notice the safety risks that are most common to your environment, you should also put them in writing. Creating rules and policies makes it formal and precise. That way, workers are aware of the protocols and can follow the procedures consistently.

#16

Call To Locate The Underground Power Lines? Nah You Don’t Need To Do That…

Call To Locate The Underground Power Lines? Nah You Don’t Need To Do That…

dacsmema Report

#17

How Many Men Does It Take To Screw In A Lightbulb?

How Many Men Does It Take To Screw In A Lightbulb?

neotokyo2099 Report

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Previously, Bored Panda had reached out to one of the moderators of r/OSHA who said that the community is meant to be lighthearted, where you come for a laugh at how ridiculous some people can be: "It's not meant to be a place for serious discussions about safety, although oftentimes comments can actually get into great analysis about the issues shown in posts, which is great," -eDgAR- explained.

#19

This Is Down The Road From Me

This Is Down The Road From Me

ToxicTrash7 Report

Unlike other subreddits, they "don't get a crazy amount of posts like other subreddits and have seen days with only a handful of posts. If you're one of the lucky first, chances are you'll get to the top." The moderator added that they love original content and are growing as a community, so if you have anything to submit, don’t be shy and share some hilarious pictures with r/OSHA members!

#23

Me And My Coworker Where Trying To Decide Which One Of Us Was Gonna Plug This Back In After It Became Unplugged

Me And My Coworker Where Trying To Decide Which One Of Us Was Gonna Plug This Back In After It Became Unplugged

zeek1999 Report

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ajb_1 avatar
aj B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unless either of you has a hazardous material certification I think the answer should be management.

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#26

How To Be Really Creative And Stupid At The Same Time

How To Be Really Creative And Stupid At The Same Time

diegocamp Report

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jeep4u2 avatar
Jon Clingenpeel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand the rubber band (don’t agree with it though) but what’s with the rock?

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#27

Shed Held Up By A Forklift While Insulating The Floor. Nothin To See Here Folks

Shed Held Up By A Forklift While Insulating The Floor. Nothin To See Here Folks

Jeffreyr18 Report

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CR Harvey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone is under there!? And driver is on phone!? Yeah, perfectly safe.

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#29

Friendly Reminder That Height Restrictions Are Not A Suggestion

Friendly Reminder That Height Restrictions Are Not A Suggestion

IamConer Report

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aninec avatar
Anine C
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have a 12 ft high railway bridge near our house and despite flashing signs, we see torn box trucks and campers at least once a month. People are idiots.

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#32

In Egypt, Workers Use Construction Lifters As Elevators

In Egypt, Workers Use Construction Lifters As Elevators

tooslow Report

#33

Someone F**ked Up

Someone F**ked Up

B7U12EYE Report

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pigasus1
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was a maintenance mechanic in a factory/warehouse. The dimwitted fork truck drivers they hired would run a fork through the steel superstructure of the warehouse every week. Every. Week!

halocodmw2 avatar
Ryan Badgley
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Makes me feel sad of all those Amazon employees that were told to stay or be fired during those tornadoes these big box stores warehouses are not designed for natural disasters and easily destroy able look what happened to the roof with just one pillar damaged.

chriszaydel avatar
Chris Zaydel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The support should be bolted to the floor. You can see the one closest is sitting on some sort of pad.

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#34

Kazakhstani Workers Handling Yellowcake Uranium

Kazakhstani Workers Handling Yellowcake Uranium

westernmail Report

#35

How To Make Sure No One Gets Electrocuted

How To Make Sure No One Gets Electrocuted

Screwthisup Report

Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.