Received by e-mail:
I am a dominican mechanical engineer licensed in the state of New York. This is the first time I get to this forum and found this to be the first picture. Even though I've been residing out of the country (DR) for several years now, let me tell you that situations as depicted in that picture are not at all strange in my country.
Our country is one of the greatest end users of telecommunications technology, (which has allowed the country to be in the top 20 countries in the world in this area, but this is another story all by itself), but when it comes to industrial safety, it is something practically non-existent, with very few exceptions like american companies established in the country (and that only because these are well recognized companies that are audited by american institutions like OSHA and FDA on a regular basis and other federal agencies).
On the other hand, I don't think there is any law requiring employers to provide safety equipment and / or training to their personnel. The general attitude is that you'd better take care of yourself or else.
Hopefully, someday we will realize the importance of this issue and maybe our leaders will get illuminated by God, Allah, Buddha, the Force and all the Saints of the universe (all acting at once and at the same time, of course) and they will do the right thing instead of taking the juicy bribes, ahem, I mean, instead of not doing the right thing.
Very truly yours,
Allen Guzman, P.E.
