Imagine working for a concrete inspection company. If you went to a job site where you knew there was a big problem with the way the concrete was being poured, would you ignore the situation, or would you fill out a detailed report stating the problem?

In this story, one job site Superintendent at a construction site tries to convince a concrete inspection company employee to lie on his report.

Keep reading to see how the story plays out.

I maliciously comply with a superintendent for new hospital construction.

About a decade ago, I worked for a concrete inspection company. Our main job was to take samples from the new concrete being poured for future testing.

The testing was to make sure that it was mixed properly to hold the correct weight.

We had to look for additional things, but that was on a job-to-job basis.

One day, he was sent to a new job site.

At the time this story takes place, I had been working for [COMPANY] for three months. I had the basics down but still needed help with some of the add-on jobs.

Just like all great jobs, on a Friday at 330pm, the dispatcher called me into his office to tell me that I would be going out with, we will call him J, to a new hospital being built.

Right about this time, J walked in and he looked mad.

So after arguing with our dispatcher for a little bit, we hung our heads and drove out to the job site.

J warned him about the Superintendent.

On the way there, J told me a bit about the people working at the site and what I could expect. I was told that everyone was pretty relaxed except for the Superintendent who was “the biggest jerk” J had ever seen.

I also found out that we would be doing a blueprint verification. (This is where we review the blueprint to make sure the concrete is being poured in the right location and any requirements added beyond the standard.)

We get to the job site, park, and get to the tent where the Super is at.

He takes one look at me and starts laughing.

He knew why the Super was laughing, but that was still pretty rude.

At the time, I looked like a toothpick. I was half the size of the other men working at the site. This led to many jokes and jeers being tossed my way.

Anyway, he was laughing and literally threw the blueprints at me.

Oh, did I mention he was a jerk?

We reviewed the blueprints, thanked him for his time (Tring to stay professional even though he really didn’t deserve it), and went back to our truck.

This is where it all gets going for real.

He did something that Super didn’t approve of.

I had left something on the toolbox of the truck and without thinking anything about it, just opened the door and stepped one foot out of the truck, turned, and got the item. No hardhat. No safety vest. Just a four-second retrieval of what I needed.

Holy smokes it was like I ran under a piece of heavy machinery.

The Super was at the truck, pounding on the window faster than lightning.

Here’s how the conversation started.

After rolling down the window, the conversation went like this:

S: WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Me: OP

S: I meant, why in the heck are you on my job site with no hardhat?

He defended his decision.

Me: It was just a quick in and out. There is no equipment running at the moment. We are waiting on the concrete.

S: Like I give a care you little jerk. Get out of that truck one more time without a hardhat and you are fired!

Me: I don’t work for you so go ahead and try.

S: Just do your freaking job correctly. Wear your hardhat. *Storms off*

There was an issue with the concrete.

Well, I did just that. I waited until the concrete truck got to the job site and everything was ready for the pour.

At the time, I told the Super that J and I had a question about the blueprint. At the section where we were going to pour, the blueprint stated “No earth form pours”. (This means they can’t just dig a hole and pour concrete, but have to form it up with wood or other materials.”

The pour they were doing was a support for a load-bearing column. And you guessed it, it wasn’t formed up.

The Super didn’t want to listen.

We had no authority to shut the site down, only to write a report and send it to our bosses. They would then talk about the reports with the project manager.

I hadn’t quite learned to just keep my mouth shut and write the report.

After I told him that we would have to report all of this, he said “I don’t give a care what the blueprint says, there is no need to form this up and we aren’t going to. We are pouring the concrete.”

Welp, okay then.

They didn’t fight him on the issue.

We thanked him and went back to the truck, filled out the report, and waited.

We didn’t even bother to take samples. The whole section would have to be ripped out since it wasn’t in compliance with the building specs.

Noticing this, the Super again storms up to the truck.

S: Why the hell didn’t you take samples?

The Super wanted them to lie.

Me: No point. It is going to have to be ripped out.

S: The heck it is.

Me: It wasn’t up to specs and my report will reflect that.

S: Well change your report. No one will ever know it was earth formed.

Me: Yea, I have pictures. You may be okay with a hospital collapse being on your conscience but I am not. Plus, I am just doing my job as you asked. *Rolls Window up*

He eventually had to go back to the same job site.

J and I sent our report in and moved on with our jobs.

Two weeks later the dispatcher sends me back out to the same job site and had a huge smile on his face but refused to give me any heads up to what was going on.

I was dreading going back to the site.

Once there, I was met by a different Super. That was a pleasant surprise.

The old Super got what he deserved!

Apparently, my report did some good after all.

The old Super got fired.

It turns out, he had been cutting corners for years. Some of his crew told the Project manager about a few instances of what he had done and they fired the Super on the spot.

Cutting corners is always a bad idea. I’m glad OP was honest with his report.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

It was compliance, but was it malicious?

One person defends the Super for getting upset that OP wasn’t wearing a hardhat.

Yes, this is what happened.

Cutting corners and lying is not the right way to build a building.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.