<p>Unfortunately the really exceptional machinist, tool & die makers and the like are a dying breed. Your H is correct. They are excepetional people and what they do is an art and many are unbelievable craftsmen(women). My father a former engineering executive would often talk about how amazing some of those people were. And in the day they garnered the salaries commensurate with their experience and ability. It was those types of dangerous jobs that gave rise to the union, to OSHA, to EPC and many oversight organizations. Those types of jobs (and the people that do them) have become incredibly devalued and declassed in our generation. “Smart kids” no longer want to do these types of jobs and companies don’t want to invest in the training… </p>
<p>This is a tragic situation and unfortunately educational insitutions whether they are K-12 or college level often fall through the “cracks” of some of the regulatory agencies for inspections from building to safety. This is often unknown in the general community, I certainly never knew this until my H told me when I asked why he wasn’t involved years ago when a new middle school was being built in the community. When he told me I was very, very surprised. It is interesting that OSHA is looking into this incident. I have no knowledge of the scope of their regulatory responsibilities or influence in the college setting. It would be interesting to know.</p>