Sooooo... How's everyone's quarantine going?

[kshansen]

Reading the last few post makes me wonder how many here still think OSHA MSHA and the EPA are the problem some think they are for companies.

I would be the first to agree that every one of those outfits have a rule or two that are way over the line. Like when I hear of some inspector writing up a company because he spotted a banana peel or half a donut in an uncovered waste basket.

Or Or a mechanic using a homemade tool like some of us here have used to remove the nut off the end of a hydraulic ram with the aid of a back hoe bucket's down pressure.

One has to understand that most, if not all, of those rules have solid information behind them. For every home-made tool that has been used for years with not so much as a broken finger nail there is one out there being made by someone who has less brains that a bucket of rocks! The problem is too often those trying to enforce the rules are under the gun from those above them to write paper and not to make judgments on what is safe or dangerous!

 

[John C.]

I dealt with coal mine MSHA for years and we had a good inspector that I worked with hand in hand. He picked out things in that 50 year old shop and wash plant that had possibilities to create some very bad days for someone. Later on he no longer came and a pencil pusher came around who's only mission was to write big tickets. I learned quick to make him provide chapter and verse out of the books just which item he wanted to put paper on were a violation. He supposedly had a master's degree in mine safety? I don't to this day think there is such a thing and if there is it is a government paper bestowed for longevity.
The point is there are good and bad. In this instance, if the goal was personal safety, I'm all for it. What I see in many cases though, especially with the EPA, the exercise was nothing but a power grab.

 

[DMiller]

Been around the type, Here to Help they are not, there to make a name for themselves with the higher ups they are, Brown nosers and not due the respect that man from MSHA helped you at John c deserved.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Been around the type, Here to Help they are not, there to make a name for themselves with the higher ups they are, Brown nosers and not due the respect that man from MSHA helped you at John c deserved.

I agree with the good and bad inspectors. Never dealt with MSHA much but monthly with OSHA as a rule. We usually had OSHA partnerships on the bigger jobs. With a partnership they would come to the project monthly and inspect the entire building and site along with management and we would pick a few different tradesmen to accompany us each time. OSHA could not issue a citation on any issue unless it was written up and was still happening at a later inspection. The older agents were real good for the most part, the college grads usually had issues. I used to challenge them with work that I had coming up and asking them in a proactive way what there ideas were in order to insure safety. It gave them something to do and kept there mind busy. Explaining why some of their ideas could not work brought delight to me and to the more senior OSHA officers when we discussed it around the table in our wrap up meetings. I think it helped them realize that all the answers are not in their books or book learning.

 

[RZucker]

I have a lady consultant that is Ex Labor and Industry... OSHA at our state level, that comes in once a year to check out the shop and show me what I would take hits on. 200 bucks for a visit is cheap vs getting nailed for violations. She also Certifies first aid and CPR training.

 

[cuttin edge]

Proper PPE! In the last 15 years or so the company has spent a fortune on safety. It started with federal work. You had to be come safety compliant in order to bid on federal jobs. Then the province slid in and you had to be come core certified. Now in the last 3 years, the city it self also requires core certification. Job procedures, safe work practices, PPE, training for road signage in construction zones, confined space, fall arrest, trenching, one first aid provider for every 10 guys. Tool box talks, joint health and safety committee meetings, daily equipment inspection sheets. Then we hired a consultant. Oh what a joy she is.This week, everything is fine, next week, you're doing it wrong. Everyone is pretty much compliant. Actually her biggest headache is the shop. PPE and house keeping. Most incident reports and near misses in our monthly meeting comes from the shop. She even makes us wear hard hats doing private jobs at someones house. Wasn't too bad when our own safety supervisor used to bring the consultant around. He would send a text saying he was coming to a private job. We would throw on our hard hats, make sure our signs were up. She would come, review our paper work, and all would be well. The owners daughter took the job as safety girl as the super had to spend more time in the office. She is bound and determined to catch us in the act. We even told her it would be better for her to give us warning when the consultant was here. Looks good for us, looks good for her. No way... only warning we get, is if she hits another crew before us, or if she doesn't know where we are working and has to text to find out.

 

[Vetech63]

Woman in my house sat next to me last night. Keeps saying she is my wife. Put my hand on her leg and she said "Im too old for that s#$%." This is definitely some kind of joke being played on me.

 

[DMiller]

Had to change the Combo on the Gun Safe here, wife was asking questions as to how many bullets in handguns, are they loaded etc!! She is NOT too happy being all too close these days!!

 

[suladas]

Proper PPE! In the last 15 years or so the company has spent a fortune on safety. It started with federal work. You had to be come safety compliant in order to bid on federal jobs. Then the province slid in and you had to be come core certified. Now in the last 3 years, the city it self also requires core certification. Job procedures, safe work practices, PPE, training for road signage in construction zones, confined space, fall arrest, trenching, one first aid provider for every 10 guys. Tool box talks, joint health and safety committee meetings, daily equipment inspection sheets. Then we hired a consultant. Oh what a joy she is.This week, everything is fine, next week, you're doing it wrong. Everyone is pretty much compliant. Actually her biggest headache is the shop. PPE and house keeping. Most incident reports and near misses in our monthly meeting comes from the shop. She even makes us wear hard hats doing private jobs at someones house. Wasn't too bad when our own safety supervisor used to bring the consultant around. He would send a text saying he was coming to a private job. We would throw on our hard hats, make sure our signs were up. She would come, review our paper work, and all would be well. The owners daughter took the job as safety girl as the super had to spend more time in the office. She is bound and determined to catch us in the act. We even told her it would be better for her to give us warning when the consultant was here. Looks good for us, looks good for her. No way... only warning we get, is if she hits another crew before us, or if she doesn't know where we are working and has to text to find out.

I'm so happy the bulk of my work is residential, I cannot even stand going to commercial jobs and having to throw on a hardhat. One pit here clamped down a few years ago, in order to get out of truck and go up to window you needed steel toes, safety vest, hard hat, glasses, and gloves, it was absolutely insane. Switched to another company, they couldn't give 2 shits about any of it. A few years ago I actually got banned from a dump site for 2 weeks for not wearing steel toes. All I did was walk to rear of truck check to make sure box was clean and that's it, they required the full get up to do that. They didn't like my comment of, if I need steel toes here they ain't going to do any good anyway. One of the benefits of running my own show and not having employees, I can tell workers comp where to go. Up until about 2 years ago I rarely wore steel toes in the summer, i'd just wear running shoes. I finally got in the habit of wearing them everyday.

 

[RZucker]

Had to change the Combo on the Gun Safe here, wife was asking questions as to how many bullets in handguns, are they loaded etc!! She is NOT too happy being all too close these days!!

Mine has her own safe...

 

[DMiller]

Mine has her own safe...

Caution to the Wind!!

 

[Bumpsteer]

Talked to our local leo the other day......said domestic's were way up..lol. go figure.

Ed

 

[Mobiltech]

I find a good pair of work boots more comfy than running shoes when your on your feet all day.

 

[cuttin edge]

I'm so happy the bulk of my work is residential, I cannot even stand going to commercial jobs and having to throw on a hardhat. One pit here clamped down a few years ago, in order to get out of truck and go up to window you needed steel toes, safety vest, hard hat, glasses, and gloves, it was absolutely insane. Switched to another company, they couldn't give 2 shits about any of it. A few years ago I actually got banned from a dump site for 2 weeks for not wearing steel toes. All I did was walk to rear of truck check to make sure box was clean and that's it, they required the full get up to do that. They didn't like my comment of, if I need steel toes here they ain't going to do any good anyway. One of the benefits of running my own show and not having employees, I can tell workers comp where to go. Up until about 2 years ago I rarely wore steel toes in the summer, i'd just wear running shoes. I finally got in the habit of wearing them everyday.

I don't mind the vest, as long as it's not plastic, or the boots. They want the 8 inch, laced to the top, told her I didn't think I could walk in heels that high. She didn't like the joke, and I still only wear the six. I wear glasses if I using the leaf blower to clean the dirt of the road, way easier and faster than a broom by the way, or if I using the cut off saw to cut pavement. Hell I even wear ear plugs running the saw, But that old plastic bucket on my head to make mr and mrs so and so driveway ready to pave....f that!!!!!

 

[Ronsii]

Yeah.... try wearing the plastic greenhouse when you're grade hopping... or doing most other kinds of dirtwork that requires some elbow grease

 

[RZucker]

Yeah.... try wearing the plastic greenhouse when you're grade hopping... or doing most other kinds of dirtwork that requires some elbow grease

I used to get Lime green short sleeve button up shirts with reflector strips on the pockets and the back from one of the laundry suppliers. I hate vests and tee shirts with a passion. The shirts were OSHA approved and pretty comfortable.

 

[cuttin edge]

Yeah.... try wearing the plastic greenhouse when you're grade hopping... or doing most other kinds of dirtwork that requires some elbow grease

Oh I kick the HH off a lot when I have to go lute asphalt on hot days. We used to wear the reflective suspenders, but they're not class III so they are no longer acceptable. I work in a place where the owner has only fired 4 people since 1974. He realizes how hard it is to get good men. I mean if you're not worth a f, they just don't bring you back next season, but no one gets sent home. His brother would send guys home every day, but he just calls them up and tells them to pay no attention to him, and get back to work. The safety consultant is trying to get him to suspend guys, of fire people for safety, but is will never happen. The paper work is all in order, and we are pretty much safety compliant. The only slacking off is on private jobs, and even then it's only hard hats. We even do our field level hazzard assesments on private jobs. The provincial safety guy never comes to private jobs, but he has started showing up on jobs looking for daily equipment inspection sheets.

 

[DMiller]

Had to wear fall protection accessing flatbed trailers to retrieve/hookup our fuel transport casks, Safety saw the casks were over the Six Foot and decks were close to the Four foot rule(Did not apply) rule so applied that even as we never crossed that, and what did we attach to? The Upper casks as if that made any sense.

Had to enter a work zone when running that Dump rig in '18, NEVER left the truck but required having a hard hat and be wearing a HiVis shirt or vest, that could not be seen outside the truck and Safety Toe shoes. Just Dumb.

 

[DMiller]

Our County is letting the Shelter at Home order expire today, still no bars or restaurants allowed to reopen, those under State orders to remain closed except carryout food.

 

[92U 3406]

I dealt with coal mine MSHA for years and we had a good inspector that I worked with hand in hand. He picked out things in that 50 year old shop and wash plant that had possibilities to create some very bad days for someone. Later on he no longer came and a pencil pusher came around who's only mission was to write big tickets. I learned quick to make him provide chapter and verse out of the books just which item he wanted to put paper on were a violation. He supposedly had a master's degree in mine safety? I don't to this day think there is such a thing and if there is it is a government paper bestowed for longevity.
The point is there are good and bad. In this instance, if the goal was personal safety, I'm all for it. What I see in many cases though, especially with the EPA, the exercise was nothing but a power grab.

You can actually get a "degree" in safety. I was actually talking to our safety guy about it a few weeks ago. Been debating a career change and was curious what was needed to become a health and safety officer.