Safety... last?

The Iraqis or Turkish that I work with don't have any safety regulations that I can see. The other day while watching a gate I watched one of the guys step down out of his fuel tanker and light up a cigarette right next to it. I almost backed up my truck a couple hundred feet but he started to step away as I did. I was also at another site and noticed some very interesting uses of ladders, etc. They are safe about some things though, the bull dozer driver wears a flak vest and helmet, in case he uncovers a UXO (UneXploded Ordinance). There is still a lot of it around here from Desert Storm and it gets turned up every now and then.

The actual Iraqis are a very small people. Most seem to be about 5'6" average or so, maybe, and very thin usually. When we go pick up some of them at the gate the taller guys say they feel like giants, standing a good head or two over the entire crowd of Iraqis. I haven't been out there yet but I'm sure I'll feel like that too, as I'm taller than the guys that said that.

There is a big language barrier usually when working with them, but many of them can get their meaning across with a few words and some expressive hand gestures. One of the heavy vehicle operators found a bomblet that had already been detonated and called me over and said "No problem, no problem, rocket... bomb... but already... boom! But, no problem!". He later tried to tell me that two guys needed a ride to the gate, which came across as something like "Two guys! (wild hand motions to mimick driving, squatting to imitate sitting in a truck, pointing, and smiling) but, two guys!". They all wave when driving by, and like to give a good thumbs up, which is kind of our universal "ok, everything is good, go ahead" gesture. 

Had another nice sunset today too!