Do you do what the customer and or salesman want regardless of the situation? Or do you do what you know is the right thing to do?

How many times have you pulled up on to a job and the customer wants something that you know really isnt the best or safest way to do the job? Then you call the office and either dispatch or the sales department asks you to try and accomodate the customer or just do it the way the customer wants.

Guys, let me tell you how to handle these situations.

1) Present yourself in the most professional and polite manner possible.
2) Stress upon the customer that you are a highly trained professional
and you take safety extremely serious. It is our job to do their job
as safely as possible and make sure everyone goes home to their loved ones
every night.
3) Our/Your boss trust us to operate very expensive pieces of equipment and if
they can't trust your judgement on a safety issue there is a problem.
4) Remember it is our job and responsibility to do our job safely. It isn't the
pump operators responsibility to worry about the saleman's commission for that
job.
5) Professionalism and courtesy always doesn't work for some people. Dont engage
the contractor in a verbal war. That is a losing battle. One thing that I try
and keep in mind and tell my operators is the customer is usually right unless
it is a safety issue or violating company policies and OSHA rules and regulations.
6) Never compromise your safety rules just to get the job done.
7) You will be the one looking for a job and have to live with ourselves if we
hurt or kill someone.
8) It never hurts to get a second opinion and if you stil arent comfortable have
your company send another operator.
All The Best,
All The Time,
Joe Lopez

Thanks for sending this in, i just wanted to post it to see what you guys think.

I think #3 should be #1

Do you do what the customer and or salesman want regardless of the situation?

Answer of every pump operator in the world: NO! I don't think that is at issue.

The customer is correct up until he requests something that is not safe. It is then time to smile, reason or call your supervisor... while smiling. Or, if you want a new job and hate the company you work for, you can argue.

He is paying the bill. IIf his SAFE way of doing the pour is different than yours, so what.

It is like getting into an argument with your wife; "If she ain't happy; you ain't happy."

And every one knows: Don't argue with your wife, dicker. ;~)

One of my favorite stories was a contractor who, after I explained to him over and over, why the job was unsafe and why I couldn't do it, he continued to demand that I pump the job.  I tried everything, politeness, explained it several times, showed him my Reed safety manual, swung out the outriggers and showed him that I can't meet the 1 to 1 rule, etc, etc.  He persisted and just kept demanding the job be pumped.  I finally said, "okay, I will pump this job, but first I want a written statement that you and your company will take full and complete responsibility, for any and all damaged equipment, injuries and or death to anyone on the jobsite".  He looked at me, stepped back a step or two, and said, "no way am I going to give you a statement like that, if something happened I'd lose my business, my equipment, my home, everthing I have, my family would be ruined".....I replied, "exactly" and drove off.....

NOTE:  This was just a tactic I used to get him to see the light....a written statement would probably not release you from damages etc.  Your are the professional  and the expert in the eyes of the law. 

That was Great work DerPutz. I have heard of other operators who pull out pictures of pumps that did what the contracted wanted and showed him what happened. A picture of a pump turned over on the job site sometimes makes them think.

The one I hate is when they pull out "well the last pump operator did it that way" It kinda puts you in a bind, but it just comes down to safety and rule #3. Ill bring up the cost of equipment, most contractors dont have a clue on how much a pump costs. And if I ever get in a situation where my employer tells me to do it anyways, Ill take the truck back to the yard and park it and go look for work else where, but its doubtful.

I think all salesmen should at least run a pump for  period of time before even looking at jobs I love to work but I hate taking a 58 meter to a 36 meter job with no room to set up in the street, for a house slab, I hate the saying "It is what it is", just get it done". When you do call them on it they, blame the contractor.  Saftey frist but I have seen some stupid calls by salemen