I have a “war story” about an inspection that took place in the early 1980s. Although it’s a humorous story, I think it sheds light on the fairness and judgment that most OSHA inspectors exhibit while doing their job.

Stumbling Over a Citable Violation

I was the safety officer on a 50-story new hotel construction project in downtown Seattle. WISHA, the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Administration, inspected the site every 90 days or so. The inspections followed the same basic pattern.

The compliance officer, Tom H (we called him Tommy) was a fair inspector. If he identified a violation that didn’t expose our employees, he’d make a comment, give the crew a few seconds to correct the problem and move on. If he thought the problem posed a danger, he’d take out his camera, snap off some pictures and issue a citation.

On this particular day, Tommy followed his usual routine, starting at the roof to check on the ironworkers and working his way down to inspect each floor. By the time he reached the second floor—citation-free—we were feeling pretty good. A moment later, it all went wrong.

At the bottom of the stairway descending from the third to second floor, Tommy stepped over a 10-inch-long 2 x 4 that was laying parallel to his direction of travel. The toe of his other foot caught the 2 x 4 and it rolled up on end. The chunk of wood got wedged in his cowboy boot and Tommy crashed to the deck. I watched the entire incident unfold in what seemed slow motion with a horrified look. I thought he was hurt. And I figured that chunk of wood in the walkway would get us at least a housekeeping citation. I helped Tommy to his feet, waiting for the inevitable scolding and lecture.

But it never came. The camera never came out. A citation was never issued. Tommy simply turned to me and said: ‘The project looks good; keep up the good work.” And then he left. What the heck just happened, I was wondering.

The Other Shoe Finally Drops

After that, I’d see Tommy at monthly meetings of the Seattle and Vicinity Construction Safety Council. We were both members. We’d exchange pleasantries. But we never discussed his fall.

Finally, after a few months, I just couldn’t resist. I found Tommy and asked him point blank why he didn’t issue us a housekeeping citation for that chunk of wood. He looked at me and replied: “Yeah, that would have looked good. I wear inappropriate footwear, don’t pick up my feet, don’t look where I’m going and fall on my face. And I’m going to give you a citation. I don’t think so.”

And that was the last time we discussed the incident.

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