Pardon me while I go puke

[The Brown Santa]

Overtime in the morning at a PCM?

[25yrvet]

Has anyone else's safety committee handed out the little 3x5 brown quiz cards? Our safety comm was handing them out 3-4 times a week!! A lot of drivers would make a solid straight line down the positive remark column & throw 'em in the box. Not me, I collected them till I had at least 3 dozen and turned 'em all in at once. I had my wife fill out the remarks area on a dozen with her best girly writing, "OH Mr safety Jimmy, I'd love to run my fingers through your balding, thin hair" etc...
My remarks are, "Excessive OT is a safety hazard". The safety comm person's comment to that was, "If he doesn't like the hours he should get another job". Of course the Safety people in my ctr don't mind making the easy $$ ---they'll deliver for 6 hrs and then make charts & graphs for another 4 for a 'full' day. When there's bad weather they'll call in that morning and beg mgt to have an inside saftey day in leiu of driving. Pretty pathetic.

[Forty6and2]

Originally Posted by soberups

UPS does not in fact even have an authentic safety program.
What passes for the UPS "safety program"....is in fact nothing more than a scam that is designed to shield UPS from liability, comply with bare-minimum OSHA regs, and above all else shift all responsibility for safety away from UPS and back onto some poor driver who has been provided with equipment and a workload that is intentionally designed to force him into an early retirement or get him killed in an accident.

spot on sober- spot on.

ups has an "out" for every single one of the 8 keys to lifting and lowering, or 5 seeing habits, or whichever one of these "lists" they make us memorize. if something happens the blame the hourly employee for "not following proper methods."

[outamyway]

Originally Posted by soberups

...its not what we accomplish that matters...its how good we look on paper pretending to accomplish it.

That should be UPS's new slogan.

[Griff]

Yeah, I've noticed it for years, they run the place (safety especially) like a preschool, at least they have preschool teachers teaching us though. Gotta at least give upper management credit for that.

[upsgrrl]

Mgmt stresses safety, then loads the cars with 11 hours of work, (of course it is only 8 hours on paper!). This way, when you try to rush so you can get home at a decent time, and you get hurt, they can deny your claim because they stressed safety to you! What a joke. Explain to me how a route that a year ago went out with 85 stops and was an 8 hour dispatch, now goes out with 125 stops and is an 8.3 hour dispatch. The only reason UPS talks safety is to cover their butts!

[jds4lunch]

Originally Posted by soberups

It as pretty amazing really, looking around at 40 grown up adults being paid $45 an hour on overtime to play a childs game for candy.

See also: the amount of overtime paid for employees to fill out the useless ERI survey. I refuse to fill it out unless I am being paid OT to do so.

[satellitedriver]

Originally Posted by soberups

The other day, our so-called "safety committee" reached a new low of stupidity and immaturity.
At the PCM, our CM put a candy bar on the floor on front of each driver. A Safety Committee member then led us all in a rousing game of "Simon says" using the 5 Keys to Lifting and Lowering. You could only get your candy bar if you followed the steps correctly in lifting the candy bar off the ground. It was pretty amazing really, looking around at 40 grown up adults being paid $45 an hour on overtime to play a childs game for candy. Maybe next week we will get a sock-puppet show, or perhaps a Safety Clown will show up and hand out balloons.
I find it insulting and hypocritical that we get this drivel from the same company who made a business decision that the life of the driver was NOT worth the $30 extra it would have cost to equip its older vehicles with a 3 point seat belt.

If this really happened, it sounds like someone threw a Baby Ruth in the punch bowl.

[longlunchguy]

That's A Load

[trplnkl]

Originally Posted by soberups

UPS does not in fact even have an authentic safety program.
What passes for the UPS "safety program"....is in fact nothing more than a scam that is designed to shield UPS from liability, comply with bare-minimum OSHA regs, and above all else shift all responsibility for safety away from UPS and back onto some poor driver who has been provided with equipment and a workload that is intentionally designed to force him into an early retirement or get him killed in an accident.

Oh man, I was climbing on your band wagon til you got to the the part I put in bold. I do not believe that UPS has designed anything to force people into early retirement. To think the company plans on getting people killed is just ....beyond belief.
Now if you had said "back onto some poor driver who has been provided with equipment and a workload that is ill designed for the task they expect us to preform and install time pressures that contradict safe work methods. I would still be 100% in support of your post.

Something else kinda bothers me also. Many times you have posted that the company refuses to retro fit older package cars with 3 point seat belts at the cost of 30 bucks a pop. I have to wonder if you have indeed done any research on this? The cost of parts alone would run more than that, then you have to add the mechanics wages into the formula. I'm thinking the cost per vehicle would be closer to $300-500. My life is worth more than that (to me anyway) but that would be way too much for UPS(or any other company) to ever consider . Tell ya what, I bet if you did research on UPS automotive accidents and came up with enough data that would prove your assessment that 3 point seat belts would have saved the lives of drivers that have been killed in accidents in UPS equipment, they would come alot closer to granting your wish.
I do not disagree that 3p sb are better than the old lap belts, they clearly are safer.

[trickpony1]

Originally Posted by trplnkl

Oh man, I was climbing on your band wagon til you got to the the part I put in bold. I do not believe that UPS has designed anything to force people into early retirement.

Is that right?

I wonder why the newer package cars have lower steps. Maybe the company got tired of paying for knee replacements.

I wonder why the newer package cars have grab rails on the outside. Again, maybe the company got tired of paying for knees and shoulders.

I wonder why the company retro fitted the older 26 foot trailers so the back door doesn't go all the way down below dock level when closed. Maybe the company got tired of paying for back injuries, shoulder injuries, etc. The 26 foot trailers may have been before your time and have since been replaced with newer 28 foot trailers with the "closed door height" at or near dock level.

I wonder why the company started counterweighting the dollies. Maybe they got tired of paying for back and knee injuries of feeder drivers.

I wonder why the company shored up the space between the trailer and the dock with diamond plate? Maybe they got tired of paying for parttimer legs and hips that stepped through the gap.

I wonder why the old GMC Astros with the rigid mount cabs got replaced with newer tractors with air ride cabs. Air ride cabs and conventional tractors, as opposed to "cab over" tractors, have been around forever. Maybe the company got tired of paying for feeder driver's necks and backs.

I wonder why the company started buying tractors with power steering. You guys with non-power steering in PC's think you got problems? Try turning a feeder tractor wheel that doesn't have power steering. Again, the company finally realized that shoulders are kinda expensive.

I wonder why the company has started buying PC's with power steering. Maybe they got tired of paying for shoulders.

I wonder why the car industry (GM, FORD, etc.) put three point harness in their new cars. Maybe they got tired of paying lawsuits from people going through the windshield.

I generally agree with soberups and yourself as both of you have opinions that reflect mine.

[Mike Hawk]

The crappy lap belts have put the fear of god into me, whenever I help I always plant both feet and push myself back into the seat and grab the hand rail that’s inside the cab, that’s just to make sure I don't fall out going over some pothole filled parking lot.

[outamyway]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

The crappy lap belts have put the fear of god into me, whenever I help I always plant both feet and push myself back into the seat and grab the hand rail that’s inside the cab, that’s just to make sure I don't fall out going over some pothole filled parking lot.

If anything they are a safe driving reminder.

I absolutely do NOT want to get into a serious accident in an older truck with just a lap belt. Doing a face plant into the unpadded steering wheel, smashing the back of my head against the metal wall or god forbid being in a roll over, may be a career ending accident.

[feeder53]

As there have been stories of troops with ineffective equipment headed into harms way, UPS is no different than most larger corporate giants. When I was with Leaseway, they too would update at a slow pace due to the economic factors. My first tractor was a Diamond Reo and the cab was rotted right off the frame, no seat belts and the fuel tanks had rusted through. It had an old triplex transmission that took two hands to shift.....It is good that we have this forum to be able to talk about our issues....

[brett636]

Originally Posted by soberups

The other day, our so-called "safety committee" reached a new low of stupidity and immaturity.
At the PCM, our CM put a candy bar on the floor on front of each driver. A Safety Committee member then led us all in a rousing game of "Simon says" using the 5 Keys to Lifting and Lowering. You could only get your candy bar if you followed the steps correctly in lifting the candy bar off the ground. It was pretty amazing really, looking around at 40 grown up adults being paid $45 an hour on overtime to play a childs game for candy. Maybe next week we will get a sock-puppet show, or perhaps a Safety Clown will show up and hand out balloons.
I find it insulting and hypocritical that we get this drivel from the same company who made a business decision that the life of the driver was NOT worth the $30 extra it would have cost to equip its older vehicles with a 3 point seat belt.

The saftey clown is heading to a center or hub near you. We already have it in our hub where the a saftey committee member and or sup will dress up as a clown and run around quizzing people on saftey dribble. Its quite sad.

I wonder what happened to the cool saftey events like saftey cookouts.

[freeloader]

Why don't you get your safety committee to produce a rap video? Oh wait, that's already been done too.

[freeloader]

Speaking of safety, how is this for irony:

A long time ago (in a galaxy far far away), our sort had the usual safety meeting during break time and gave out some recognition awards. One of the guys they were giving an award to stepped down from the small platform he was standing on, slipped on a pallet and busted his butt in front of the whole operation. He didn't get hurt, but it sure was funny... and ironic.

[IDoLessWorkThanMost]

Originally Posted by brett636

The saftey clown is heading to a center or hub near you. We already have it in our hub where the a saftey committee member and or sup will dress up as a clown and run around quizzing people on saftey dribble. Its quite sad.

I wonder what happened to the cool saftey events like saftey cookouts.

Someone had to get Liberty Mutual on the horn when they burned their hand on a hot-dog. UPS claimed it was a injury by improper lifting/lowering methods.

[tieguy]

[quote=soberups;339717]The other day, our so-called "safety committee" reached a new low of stupidity and immaturity.
At the PCM, our CM put a candy bar on the floor on front of each driver. A Safety Committee member then led us all in a rousing game of "Simon says" using the 5 Keys to Lifting and Lowering. You could only get your candy bar if you followed the steps correctly in lifting the candy bar off the ground. It was pretty amazing really, looking around at 40 grown up adults being paid $45 an hour on overtime to play a childs game for candy. Maybe next week we will get a sock-puppet show, or perhaps a Safety Clown will show up and hand out balloons.


Soberups the good news is they are trying to find a fun way to teach you how to lift and lower packages properly rather then simply beat you and threaten your job. Sadly though you were paid 45 dollars an hour to learn how to lift and lower properly and yet you did not earn the money. there are 8 keys to lifting and lowering and you only heard five of them. If you learn all 8 keys and practice them religiously then you can protect yourself against painfull back injuries. If the company is willing to teach them through fun game type exercises then whats wrong with that?


I find it insulting and hypocritical that we get this drivel from the same company who made a business decision that the life of the driver was NOT worth the $30 extra it would have cost to equip its older vehicles with a 3 point seat belt.

The problem I have with this statement is you make it sound like the company does not ever make any retro fits and you make it sound like th