Rules For Radios In Building?

[BrownCarWasher]

I'm a six-year, full-time 22.3 combo worker who spends 9 hours M-F inside the center. During this time, I've been listening to my Sirius satellite boombox while I work. Everyone loves it, including management, fellow employees, etc.

However, I was recently informed by a regional CHSP supervisor that my radio could ONLY operate on batteries. It's the first time anyone's ever mentioned this to me. This boombox would need 8 "D" batteries which I'm sure it would burn through quite quickly as well as $$$ to replace them.

I couldn't find anything specific in the Teamsters contract, except that drivers are allowed to have transistor radios in their package cars. Are there any documented "official" rules about operating radios in the building, and why can UPS have computers plugged in all over the center but they require radios to operate from batteries? Thanks for any helpful info.

[upsdude]

Battery power required here as well. OMS has a radio in her office, battery power. It's been that way here for all of my 21 years.

[rod]

I believe you have run into one of those "special" jerks that has nothing better to do than see how many employees he can piss off . Nicely ask him to show you this rule in writing but be prepared to lose the argument because UPS seems to have EVERYTHING covered by some rule that is burried in small print that can be interpreted 10 different ways depending on how it fits the compnys needs at any particular moment. Good luck

[Mike Hawk]

Power cord=trip hazard. If you can prove it is not a trip hazard maybe you can keep it, all the ones in our center are battery. If you can't keep it invest in some rechargeable batteries.

[trplnkl]

You might think about trying one of these, I bet you can run all day on a charge, then recharge each night. It would pay for itself in a few months.

[ZEPHYR]

Yes it is true that no cords are allowed due to trip hazard. The only time it was not an issue is when we had three beautiful young girls with short shorts and exposed cleavage. They had a plugged in radio blaring full blast everyday with no problem, so I know it all depends on whether the supervisor wants to enforce it. I purchased and use a Dewalt rechargeable radio in my work aresa. Everyone loves it because it sounds like a live concert and I dont have to worry about it getting broke. Two coworkers went and got one for themselves when they saw mine in action.

[ZEPHYR]

[trplnkl]

Our center ran a series of contests for our perloaders (don't know the specifics), over a period of time 3 or 4 preloaders won radios like the one in your pic.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

I sing to myself as I drive and, I have to say, I think I am actually pretty good--my peak helper may tell you otherwise.

[FromBluetoBrown]

I'm going to invest in some sort of rechargable radio. I am the only loader that brings a radio in and it takes 8 C batteries. I run it the whole time I'm loading and everyone loves it. Of course with the $22 I paid for the batteries I'm not sure I want to be paying that every other week or so. I'm with Upstate on the singing though. Nobody seems to enjoy my fine singing voice.

[stutteringDave1290]

Originally Posted by UpstateNYUPSer

I sing to myself as I drive and, I have to say, I think I am actually pretty good--my peak helper may tell you otherwise.

I am guessing that it is show tunes that you are singing..

[Dutch Dawg]

Do your bell bottoms get in the way too? Radios are so yesterday man, .....get with the times, everyone in our building uses MP3 players.

[sx2700]

They don't want you to plug it in because the electricity you're using is costing them a nickel a day.

[freeloader]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

Power cord=trip hazard. If you can prove it is not a trip hazard maybe you can keep it, all the ones in our center are battery. If you can't keep it invest in some rechargeable batteries.

If that's the case then they need to take a look at all the management and sales folks that set their laptops up and stretch their power cords to that power outlet on the opposite side of the office. Ever seen a conference room full of management with laptops?

[freeloader]

Originally Posted by Dutch Dawg

Do your bell bottoms get in the way too? Radios are so yesterday man, .....get with the times, everyone in our building uses MP3 players.

MP3 players only you can listen to. Radio's can be enjoyed by a whole group. If anything is a safety hazard I would think it would be MP3 players. They prevent you from hearing what's going on around you (fire alarms, vehicles, belts, nagging supervisors, etc).

[currahee]

I see a lot of preloaders wearing Ipods or headphones at my building. I know when i was a preloader there is no way that would fly. I guess they are so hurting for preload help that dont care about so long as they show up.

[govols019]

When I was a preloader I used the precursor to the iPod, the Sony Walkman cassette player. You got to listen to music and get a work out from lugging that heavy thing around.

[IDoLessWorkThanMost]

Originally Posted by freeloader

MP3 players only you can listen to. Radio's can be enjoyed by a whole group. If anything is a safety hazard I would think it would be MP3 players. They prevent you from hearing what's going on around you (fire alarms, vehicles, belts, nagging supervisors, etc).

That is nothing short of completely false. Mp3 players can easily be broadcast through radios with a phone-in jack, or small speakers, the radio connector which is wireless to any FM radio, or a variety of other methods.

[BrownCarWasher]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I place the satellite radio on top of a storage cabinet used to store supplies for the auto mechanic. It's almost seven ft. up in the air so it can broadcast over the entire center. I tuck the power cord back behind a support beam that runs perpendicular to the cabinet, so it's not a tripping hazard. However, the mini-satellite dish antennae has to be outside to make a connection to the satellite. I stack it on top of an upraised tote box and place an orange hazard cone behind it so everyone will know the cord and sattellite antennae is there.

At one time someone was telling me that cords had to have three prongs or some kind of grounding mechanism. I purchased a converter that takes care of this problem, though.

I'm out at the center from 5:30 pm -2:30 am, sometimes all by my lonesome after the local sort goes down. The prospect of not having a radio or having to spend so much $$$ on batteries is a real bummer, particularly after being used to having a radio for the past six years.

Nope, has nothing at all to do with the cord being a trip hazard.
Yes, it is in writing, and has been for years. Ask your PE guy for a copy of the facility safety memo that deals with radios in operations areas.
People have been electrocuted by their own radios in our buildings, so now no radios plugged in.
Those are the rules, guys, live with them. What's the big deal, you get to listen to the radio, just get some batteries.

[Dirty Savage]

At our centre some hater of the arts keeps sabotaging our radios, so now we are left to toil in silence.

[looper804]

Originally Posted by Dirty Savage

At our centre some hater of the arts keeps sabotaging our radios, so now we are left to toil in silence.

Someone kept on stealing the power cord from my radio.I glued it in with gorilla glue and the stealing stopped.It's amazing how stealing is a cardinal sin but on a daily basis things keep disappearing from the package cars.Jackets,vests,hats and any personal items that aren't nailed down.

[Cementups]

I used to have a radiop when I was preload. one day I crawled under the boxline in between the lines and found one ot he support beams had an outlet on it. I plugged in a long extension cord and ran it to where my trucks were and had the radio playing for our whole section of the boxline. I had one time where someone said something about it. a week later we went back to plugging it in and never heard a word again.

I think there is a problem with MP3 plyers soemtimes. One of our carwash people has her ipod in her eears all the time. I am really suprised that no one has said anything to her about it since it is a safety hazard

[soberups]

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