The situation on site has reached a critical juncture, and the branch manager is on edge.
The plant construction site where I work as a full-time safety officer is about to enter a critical phase. The number of electrical and instrumentation workers looks set to exceed 150. Since I started working at this site, this is the largest workforce I’ve seen, and there are now more areas that require my attention.
Sure enough, during recent joint safety patrols and the safety patrols held before our monthly health and safety meetings, the number of issues identified and requiring correction has increased, and the manager at my company is constantly on edge.
At times like this, you’d better be prepared for all the complaints you can’t share with anyone else to end up with the safety officer.In fact, that’s how things have turned out here as well.
No matter how on edge I might be, there are things you should and shouldn’t say. I usually manage to keep my emotions in check over minor issues, but there was one time when I really felt like I was about to snap.
The Director's Outburst
At the construction site, there are about nine subcontractors—including the company I work for—working under the general contractor. While each company has a safety officer, in cases where the officer isn’t a full-time employee, there are often gaps in safety oversight.
One day, taking advantage of the fact that there were no supervisors or traffic controllers around, a worker from another company opened the barriers on both sides of the safety passageway, andHe was transporting materials with a forklift while crossing the safety passageway.The safety passageway is the main passageway, and workers are constantly passing through it.
The forklift operator is so focused on transporting materials that he’s trying to get across by any means necessary. He has absolutely no intention of yielding to the other workers and is crossing the safety passage with single-minded determination.There was no traffic control whatsoever, and it was an extremely dangerous situation.
I happened to notice this, and even though it was another company’s job, I was wearing a safety vest myself, so I couldn’t just look the other way. I told the forklift operator, “I’ll direct pedestrian traffic and give you signals!” and for about five minutes, I stopped pedestrians there and signaled to the forklift.
Just then, the director of my company happened to walk by. When he asked, “What are you doing?” and I explained the situation, he started yelling, “Mind your own business! If you get involved in other companies’ affairs, I won’t pay you!”
I couldn't help but speak up, saying, "Even so, it's only four or five minutes! I'm doing this because I thought it was dangerous!" He just muttered, "You're always sticking your nose into things!" and walked away.
The director’s attitude naturally rubbed off on the other staff members, and they began treating me with extreme rudeness and arrogance.
What Started as Just a Way to Let Off Steam Led to an Unexpected Turn of Events
To be honest, it made me angry, but I’ve been through this countless times before. It happens not just on this job site, but at other general contractors as well, and I know I’d never get anything done if I got upset every single time, so I just try to keep my emotions in check.
However, I realize that if I bottle up those feelings too much inside myself, they might explode at the slightest provocation, so it’s important to make sure I let off some steam.
In this case, to let off some steam, I sent an email to my contact at the staffing agency. I explained the situation, vented a little, and thought that would be enough to let off some steam, but things took an unexpected turn.
After hearing my story, the person in charge said, “That’s a terrible case of workplace harassment!” and contacted the director’s superior directly to lodge a complaint.
After hearing the story from the person in charge, the director’s superior apparently thought, “That’s terrible!” and called me directly.
When I explained the situation again, he said, “I’ve had a stern talk with him, and he’s promised it won’t happen again, so could you please keep this between us?”
I had absolutely no intention of making a big deal out of it, so I agreed and hung up the phone, but that wasn't the end of the story.
A few days later, the director called me in. He looked angry and snapped, “Don’t go tattling to the higher-ups when you can’t even do anything yourself!”
Ever since then, it’s been one nagging comment after another… People have been saying all sorts of things, but letting such trivial matters upset me would only be a loss for me, so I’m just going about my work calmly and matter-of-factly.
My Thoughts on “Power Harassment”
This is what’s happening in the workplace, but I’m probably still better off than most. There are probably many people out there who are suffering from workplace harassment so severe they can’t even bring themselves to talk about it.
I wonder if workplace harassment persists because there aren’t enough people around who take it seriously and try to find a solution. It seems to me that there are simply too many people who think the problem is solved just by going through the motions and issuing a warning from above.
Even when people who are truly struggling steel themselves to confide in someone, don’t you think most of them end up thinking, “If I’d known it would turn out like this, I wish I hadn’t confided in anyone”?
It’s easy to say, “Don’t let workplace harassment get you down—keep fighting!” but the mental exhaustion of enduring it while continuing to work gradually wears away at both your mind and body.
On the surface, there are plenty of people saying all the right things, but I think society’s standards are fundamentally flawed. They aren’t thinking from the perspective of the victims.
Most people who are considering reporting workplace harassment are prepared to be fired the moment they bring it up with their company. After all, there’s no way they could remain in the same department of the same organization afterward, nor do they want to stay with that organization anyway.
With people truly struggling—and some even resorting to suicide—continuing to work and operate the same way we do now won’t solve a single problem.
Unless we show even greater attention to detail in caring for our employees and provide guidance to upper management, tragedies will only continue to increase.
