Walking through downtown New Orleans this week, I looked up and saw this… and just had to stop.
High-visibility shirt? ✅
Harness? ✅
Connected to anything? ❌
Standing on a window ledge, outside the guardrails of a lift? 😳
Let me be clear — I have massive respect for people doing tough, skilled, physical work like this. But what I don’t love is seeing safety gear used more for show than for protection.
Wearing a harness without an anchor point is like putting on a seatbelt but not buckling it. And climbing over the guardrail of a lift? That’s a “no” from every safety standard out there.
This isn’t just a safety violation — it’s a high-risk shortcut with potentially tragic consequences.
Safety isn’t a costume — it’s a culture. If your team is cutting corners like this, it’s time to hit the brakes and reassess.
What would you do if you saw this on your job site?