The 25 Worst Contractor Safety Excuses
September 14, 2016
Safety might not be a joke, but the 25 worst contractor safety excuses definitely are a joke. There is no acceptable excuse to skip out, go cheap or cut corners on safety. These excuses are far too common. How many of them do you hear at your job
1. I’ve been doing it this way for (X) years and never had a problem before.
2. We don’t have it in the budget.
3. What are the chances they actually need these?
4. New rules are for new contractors.
5. I heard someone still got hurt even with (safety equipment)…
6. We can’t make any upgrades until next year.
7. The province will never find out anyway.
8. I can’t listen to headphones while wearing safety gear.
9. We can’t complete this project on time if we take every safety precaution.
10. I don’t like safety goggles.
11. The cleanup on that spill can wait.
12. It’s too hot to wear gloves right now.
13. I forgot my safety gear, oh well.
14. My safety glasses are scratched, but too new to replace, so I’ll just not use them today.
15. I heard the new CE Code is long, I’m not going to read it.
16. If we post safety guidelines that will slow down work and be a distraction.
17. That’s not my mess over there, not my problem.
18. I’ve had this ladder for 25 years, I’m not replacing it.
19. My new (safety equipment) comes later this week. I can’t wait until it arrives to get working.
20. I’m young and invincible!
21. I can’t turn the power off, how will I see?
22. No time to test today.
23. My ears are already shot, what difference will it make?
24. I’ve been doing this for a year now, I can do this without any advice thank you.
25. I’ll be fine.
This article was first published online by Capital Tristate, the electrical distributor of choice in the USA’s Mid Atlantic Region.
![Guide to the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1[i], 26th Edition– A Road Map: Section 74 — Airport installations](https://electricalindustry.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EIN-Stock-Guide-Code-Canada-Map-1200-768x403.png)
![Guide to the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1[i], 26th Edition– A Road Map: Section 74 — Airport installations](https://electricalindustry.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EIN-Stock-Guide-Code-Canada-Map-1200.png)
