Bridge Builders vs Road Pavers
Everyday during my commute, I pass through a construction zone. It’s a place where I’m very scared for the workers. They seem to have a different culture towards safety that involves walking precariously close to traffic. There is some machismo on display when they run across the highway to collect something from the other side.
Paving is not easy work. You have to deal with hot weather, hot asphalt, dirt and dust being blown at you, traffic flying by, and debris. It’s also a slog. You’re pretty much doing the same thing everyday for long stretches. If left without a strong safety culture, it seems pretty easy for the work to slip into problems.
In contrast, there was another experience during a drive when a crew was installing a new part of an overpass bridge. The whole scene was completely different than the paving scene.
A row of white cars was parked neatly on the side of the highway. The vehicles seem to be positioned in an organized way, equally spaced apart. There seem to be some seriousness given towards the whole process and there was some thought given towards safety. Lots of people with clipboards were standing around.
It’s funny how competence can show itself. Sometimes, it’s the little indicators that show an attitude towards something. In some instances, it might be natural selection that weeded out a lax attitude. Reckless bridge builders lead to wrecked bridges. The stakes are too high when you’re dealing with a bridge whereas with paving, well… you can always redo paving.
