This Online Group Is Dedicated To The Dumbest Work Safety Examples, Here Are 40 Of The Worst (New Pics)

The subreddit has nearly 755k members and has recently celebrated its 8th birthday. r/OSHA has been showing off the comedic side of work safety hazards since the beginning of August 2013, and we’re incredibly glad that they exist.

There’s nothing like a few of r/OSHA’s best photos to get the adrenaline pumping through your veins. (Though if you’re terrified of heights like I am, you might want to glance away at some key moments, dear Readers. I literally got chills from some of these photos.)

One of the subreddit’s moderators, reddtior -eDgAR-, previously spoke to my colleague about the online group. “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," the mod told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.

According to -eDgAR-, timing is incredibly important when it comes to whether or not a particular photo or post might go viral. “We 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,” they said.

The subreddit values original content very much, so if you have anything at all to submit, you should go for it! There are some rules that you should be aware of, however.

For example, you have to post funny scenes from your actual job, as well as its training or instructional videos. In other words, you can’t post any content that isn’t original. Which sounds absolutely fair! Keep in mind, though, that you can only post photos. Actual videos (or articles) are disallowed.

Serious work safety hazards are a daily part of life for structural inspectors. Unlike the people who get featured on r/OSHA, they’re very serious about staying safe. Earlier, I had a chat with a couple of structural inspectors from Alpha Structural, Inc., in California. Derek Marier shared with Bored Panda one of his “most nightmarish inspections” at a property in Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

"First off, because of soil conditions and high landslide risks, not much structural work can be performed there," Derek explained about the nightmarish property. “The home had a very interesting foundation system made up of screw jacks, steel beams, and cribbing (commonly used for temporarily lifting a structure while work is being done underneath).”

He continued: “The front portion of the deck and home was sinking and unfortunately, the homeowner can’t really do much about it. It could have toppled over at any given moment and that’s why the 'nightmarish' description fits well," Derek explained.

According to Derek, safety is absolutely vital for everyone working at Alpha Structural, Inc. “Crawl suits, masks, gloves, steel-toed boots, and many other forms of safety precautions are taken. The chance that a building is actually going to fall over when we do our work is slim to none. Any actual danger is sniffed out pretty quick and avoided. If our guys think it’s unsafe to inspect or work on a location, they’ll make a call based on their best judgment and sometimes they choose to not do it. That’s just our safety policy!"

Meanwhile, Ben Reinhart from Alpha Structural, Inc. shared his own experience with one of the most unsafe homes that he inspected. He visited this particular ‘gem’ back in 1992.

“We went to a 3-story hillside home located in Playa del Rey. The condition of the soil supporting the home was so bad that, during our assessment, we found that the home was cracking and actually moving. We are not alarmists in any sense but this was the first time we had to evacuate,” Ben shared with Bored Panda.

“Temporary shoring was put in the next morning to prevent the home from collapsing. The complexity of the repair required, getting a large rig on a steep hillside to excavate a 55’ deepened foundation, made this one of the worst, most challenging in our long history. Let’s just say if we were on a reality TV show, this episode would’ve been a season finale,” Ben said.

Ben also had some handy tips and tricks to help homeowners make sure that their homes are safe to live in. After all, you wouldn’t want to come to an unsafe home after a long, hard day working around safety hazards.

“Basic maintenance will keep your home strong for a long time to come. Our advice would be to clean out gutters, ensure you have downspouts that direct water away from your foundation and see that the hardscape (walkways, patios, etc.) and landscape grade away from the home. Most foundation problems are caused by water and poor drainage,” he said.

“If you look under your home, check to see that there is no earth-to-wood contact. Not only will moisture from the ground get to the wood and cause rot, it also allows for wood-destroying organisms to get to the framing of your home. Additionally, earthquake retrofitting is a cost-effective upgrade encouraged by not only engineering communities but also local and state officials.”