This one I felt kinda bad for because it involved a few injuries, very minor ones luckily. I didn't want to do it, but it came down to my job, so I complied. Here is the story.

Years and years ago, back in the early 90s, I worked as a manager at a gas station. We had a great area supervisor who decided to retire, we were all very sad, and even more sad when her replacement came in. He was a total butt. He had just come out of retiring from the military and felt that with his military experience he could whip us into shape. One of the things he wanted done was make the stations look good, which I'm 100% for, but also do it with as little money as possible, which was fine if it was the right thing to do. This time (one of several) it wasn't.

So around the pumps are these raised islands. The islands are painted on top with a special paint that has a good grit to it, so when it gets wet from rain or whatever, and people stand on them, they don't slip and fall. Well, this area supervisor wanted the islands repainted. So he got some paint out of our supply depot and dropped it off at all the stations he ran. No problem, I went around myself and painted the sides of all the islands. They looked great, but the tops of them were not painted.

So he shows up one day to inspect and sees that the tops aren't painted. Asks me why. I told him this isn't the right paint, it has to be the gritty thick paint because we don't want customers slipping and falling. He starts yelling at me, tells me he is going to fire me if they aren't re-painted by the next day, blah blah blah and says that it's not my responsibility to worry about the customers it's his. Total egotistical mindset. Do as I say, don't think.

So, I did what he said. I repainted all the tops of the islands that day, nice warm day in the fall, hadn't gotten wet yet really. Next days he shows up, looks around, and has this grin on his face that he "beat me into submission" type thing. Says something like "See, next time just do what I say, don't question my judgement." I just nodded, knowing what was about to come. And dreading it, because I knew that the customer was going to be the victim here, but there was nothing I could do.

A week later we get our first rain. Some of our islands stayed dry under the canopy, but about 1/2 of them got wet because the rain was coming in somewhat sideways. And then it happens. Lady gets out of her car in nice shoes with no grip, steps on the island, slips and falls. She's not really hurt, just a bit of her backside and back, but we call the ambulance anyway. She's pissed. I just tell her to bill the station, and give her the address to make a claim against - my area supervisor's info.

Then it happens 3 more times over the next couple days. 2 of them were very minor but the customers were also pissed, but didn't get an ambulance or go to the hospital, but they also got the contact information of my area manager.

Then #4 happened. Could have been much worse, but this guy was dressed in a SUPER NICE and apparently expensive suit slipped and fell with the hose in his hand right after taking it out of the car. He twisted his ankle, queue ambulance, and a few drops of gas got on his clothes. I again provide my area supervisor's info. Then the weather dries up and the problem goes away for that week at least.

About 10 days later my area supervisor drives into my station with HIS boss. I had met his boss a couple times, cool guy, kinda one of these people that don't take BS from anybody but is super down to earth and reasonable. Apparently the nice suit guy was a lawyer. He has filed a lawsuit against the station for medical bills, pain and suffering, AND the replacement of his super expensive suit. I don't know what the lawsuit was for, but it was way over 10 grand.

So the area supervisor and his boss come up to me to discuss the situation. I told them that wasn't the only incident, as I had filed my paperwork as I was suppose to, there was a total of 4 while it was raining. The "big" boss asked me why this was all of a sudden a problem. I looked at the area supervisor who I could tell on his face was hoping I was going to say something untrue, but nope, I am going tell it exactly how it was.

I laid it all out. I told him what I was given. I told him that I didn't paint the tops originally. That I told the area supervisor that it wasn't the right paint. He told me to do it anyway or lose my job. I even told him that the area supervisor told me that customer safety wasn't my responsibility it was his, which is why I gave everyone who got injured the area supervisor's information.

The "big" boss asked me a couple questions, then turned to the area supervisor and said something like "OK, I have what I need, lets go" and they left. Surprisingly, the area supervisor kept his job after that but had it out for me (I quit a few months later with no notice for a better job). But he got a huge reaming. Not only that, but his expenses were HUGE that quarter. He ended up on the bottom of the list (rank wise) of area supervisors for costs for the quarter.

They ended up having to have crews go to all his stations, strip off the bad paint, and re-paint all of the tops of the islands with the thick gritty paint. And it had to be done fast before the next rain came in. So huge expense.

All he had to do was get me a can or two (and the other stations) of the gritty paint, and I would have gladly used it. But because he had a ego and thought he knew best, it cost the company and his area the settlement of the lawsuit, the other injury claim, and the cost of the crews to come out and repaint all the tops. I'm just glad the injuries were minor.