Sitting on your arse all day, everyday is equally bad for your health. I’d probably argue even worse, you can’t get PPE to help protect you from sedentary working conditions.
Comment on Anon is 23
Kirp123@lemmy.world 2 weeks agoWhy is learning a trade only considered a last resort?
Because a lot of trades are pretty bad for your health. They require getting in potentially unsafe environments, dealing with substances or byproducts that can lead to cancers or other occupational diseases. They also require a lot more physical work. So of course people would prefer a cushy office job to trawling through crawlspaces lined with asbestos to plug in a light. Not to mention that a lot of trade jobs are not that great paid when starting out, the good pay comes with years of experience and until you get there you have to suffer through all the above. Sure some office jobs don’t pay well starting out either but you just sit on your ass in a air conditioned office instead of nailing 2x4s in the hot sun for 8 hours.
People always ask this question but they never consider that there are actual valid considerations that make trade jobs unattractive compared to other jobs.
theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
you can’t get PPE to help protect you from sedentary working conditions
Wrist braces, chairs that encourage you to sit upright, risers for your monitor, a standing desk, etc…
You can also choose to be active in your time off, or during breaks or while waiting for something to load. If you work a physically demanding trade, no amount of elective sedentary behavior in your free time will compensate for the damage and strain you’re putting your body through at work.
Also, this is all without mentioning the fact that some people have disabilities that prevent them from doing many trades.
BlackVenom@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah you can. Adequate breaks for eyes, standing desks, under desk elliptical/treadmill, etc… not that most employers will supply or allow it, but it can be overcome.
mirshafie@europe.pub 2 weeks ago
It’s not even close. When I went from 50:50 lab/office to 10:90 lab/office I gained like 12 kg and outgrew all of my pants in a year. Granted a bit of that was stress with my asshole bosses but I believe that just working on my feet a couple of hours versus being sedentary made a massive difference.
BlackVenom@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Reread my post. You can do things at a desk, in an office, or at home…
architect@thelemmy.club 2 weeks ago
It’s definitely no where close to worse.
IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Depends on which trade and location you’re comparing with. Things vary wildly in the trades.
Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Name one that is better for your health than (checks notes) … sitting down.
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Yep… Certain trades are worse for your bones and joints, but not much is going to be worse for your systemic health than sitting for half the day.
As someone who’s worked in construction and now works in orthopedics and rehabilitation, I think the biggest issue with a lot of people in trades like residential construction is that they don’t really learn how to prioritize their physical health until a lot of the damage is already done. Once you’re a bit older you kinda learn that even if carrying that 80lb bag of cement by yourself is faster, it’s still better to take the time to grab a dolly or another person. Most of the issues would be solved if we had better regulations.
Kirp123@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The effects of sitting on your arse can be mitigated with 30 to 40 minutes of daily vigorous exercise. There are a bunch of studies showing this. It’s not remotely the same thing.
snooggums@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
Standing desks to transition from aitting to standing and exercising on breaks is the PPE for office work.
velma@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
It’d be lovely is the US had more requirements for providing better tools for office workers. I’ve never had a job be willing to fund anything outside of pointing me at a used desk with a 15 year old computer.
rtxn@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’m not saying that everyone who doesn’t get an office job should immediately become a tradie. When you have nothing else to offer, just having some industry certificate is an advantage. Even if the certificate is unrelated to the job. My first job was assembly machine operator in a factory. My boss straight up told me that he hired me because of my Cisco and ECDL certs that I got in high school (for free because Europe).
And if you do get a job and it doesn’t work out, you’ll still have something.
tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 2 weeks ago
Of all the working class, they are often worked the hardest.
IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
The pay part of that equation is dependent on where you are, and what trade you’re talking about.
Where I am, trades generally get paid more than any office job you’re going to get with just a random bachelors degree. And if you join one of the trade unions, especially one of the higher skilled industrial ones (so like electricians, pipefitters, millwrights, etc, as opposed to general labour or residential construction), your pay will be much higher than entry level office positions, and will likely stay higher than anyone who doesn’t get themselves into an upper management type position.
idiomaddict@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Electricians, www.mtpinnacle.com/pdfs/338_Physicians.pdf, and millwrights have really hazardous jobs. That’s why they get paid so well, directly and indirectly (because it takes a lot of training to do those jobs safely).
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from taking these jobs, but they’re not risk free.
IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Define “really hazardous”.
What are the rates of workplace injury for trades compared to the rates of people getting long term health effects caused by sedentary work conditions?
idiomaddict@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Per 100k full time employees, 1.6, 3.1, and 1.8/year versus 0.8/year for electricians, pipefitters, and millwrights, respectively, vs office workers.
SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
When I started in construction 20 years ago minimum wage was $10, but most trades start at $18.
After 4 years I was 33.50 an hour and still had room to move up. My direct supervisor was making $50, but he had a cash bonus to pay for his truck, instead of them giving him one.
snooggums@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
Trade jobs frequently require buying a lot of the equipment and protective gear. Most of the high pay examples include a lot of overtime, and may be limited when work isn’t available. A lot of trades don’t have a regular 40 hour work week, if the weather is bad for a week they may not make any money.
It really depends and is a lot more complex of a comparison. Trades are important and I think they should have more stability and require less personal cost, although most of that would be addressed if we had single payer healthcare and UBI.
SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
If you’re buying your own equipment and gear, find a better company. A company is supposed to pay for any and all safety gear, and all equipment should be owned by the company.
The only thing a tradesman should have to bring to a job is their tools.