Not all situations are black and white. Sometimes, it can be hard to know what the right thing to do is even after weighing the pros and cons.

In this story, one homeowner is concerned about safety violations at a nearby construction site. He is thinking about reporting the site, but he is worried that if he does it will have negative consequences for the workers. He knows the workers are not responsible for the problems, and he doesn’t want to get them in trouble. He also doesn’t want anyone to get hurt due to the unsafe things he sees happening on this construction site.

What should he do? Keep reading for more details about why he’s so concerned.

WIBTA if I reported a construction site for safety violations?

I live in a neighborhood where houses that occupy large plots of land are being bought up by developers who build tightly packed multi-floor townhouses.

Around the corner from my house two are being built.

At first there were permits posted when the sidewalk was closed and street parking was unavailable.

As the construction has progressed permits are not posted, signs are not put up as to whether or not the sidewalk is closed, and sometimes it can be hard to tell if construction is going on.

This sounds unsafe.

That being said, sometimes on weekdays and the weekends the sidewalk is open and it looks like no one is working, but electrical cables are strewn over the sidewalks.

Also, even though no one is parked in an area indicating a worker, I’ve come across some tossing things out of a window instead of walking it down (small things).

Sometimes they are also running low-lying cables from a vehicle to the site, or larger tools are left out.

He is considering reporting the construction site.

I work in a job that is frequently trained in using PPE (personal protective equipment), such as hard hats, safety glasses, composite-toed boots, etc., and I’ve noticed that many of these workers are not wearing any of that.

I’m not sure what the rules are regarding construction on private property, but I would think some of these things are always required (hello hard hat!).

My dilemma is I feel like I need to report this, but it’s not the fault of the worker for not following the rules; it is the responsibility of the construction company/contractor.

This is a real dilemma.

While I don’t want to cut off a source of income, as I know they’re all just trying to make a living in an expensive city, safety is important.

Also I’m not sure if some of the workers are legitimately employed (not legal citizens).

So WIBTA if I reported this to the city, which would trigger an investigation?

If it helps, my city has a ton of construction going on, but unless you are in a union finding construction/engineering work is a struggle.

That’s a tricky situation.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who got creative with his parking after his neighbors started using his extra spot without asking.

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

Here’s a vote for reporting the construction site.

Another person thinks it might be possible to report the problems without getting the workers in trouble.

He definitely means well.

Safety is more important than job security.

If this construction site is unsafe, it really does need to be reported. Hopefully he can do it in a way that the workers don’t get fired or deported, but either of those things would be better than someone losing their life.

Safety on a construction site shouldn’t be ignored.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who works fast and helps her coworkers, but is met with disapproval from her supervisor because of this practice