soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
At some point I have to speak up and call B.S. on what our so-called "safety commitees" have been turned into.
In theory, a safety commitee is supposed to represent the employees of a workplace by finding and correcting unsafe work conditions. You see something unsafe; you report it to your Safety Commitee; they in turn report it to management and the problem is fixed.
In theory, a safety commitee is supposed to represent the employees of a workplace by finding and correcting unsafe work conditions. You see something unsafe; you report it to your Safety Commitee; they in turn report it to management and the problem is fixed.
Unfortunately, we dont have an authentic Safety Commitee. What we have...is an Acronym Commitee. A 10-pt Commentary Qiuz Grading Commitee. Our "Safety Commitee" is nothing more than a group of management-selected employees who are given preferential treatment in exchange for not holding the company accountable for anything. We have one guy who only goes out on route about 3 days a week. The other 2 days he gets paid a full wage to grade asessment papers, put "safety stickers" in the package cars, draw safety posters, and go to Coscto to buy bottled water and muffins to hand out as prizes for those emplyees who can regurgitate the 10 Point Commentary on cue like a trained parakeet.
The reality of the situation is that UPS is required by OSHA to have a Safety Commitee, but they dont want that commitee to have any actual authority. So they keep it busy doing meaningless things like grading tests and handing out doughnuts. The members of the commitee have a vested interest in "not rocking the boat" because they are rewarded for their obedience with lighter dispatches. Its a lot easier to grade asessments in an air-conditioned office than it is to bust your ass on a package car. But hey, it all pays the same!
I have pointed out numerous safety issues to our Commitee; nothing is said or done. If it doesnt have anything to do with the HABITS acronym or the Commentary, then it isnt their problem. We get a newsletter; we get new acronyms to memorize every month; we get stickers and posters and doughnuts and candy; what we DONT get is any meaningful response to complaints of unsafe working conditions.
The reality of the situation is that UPS is required by OSHA to have a Safety Commitee, but they dont want that commitee to have any actual authority. So they keep it busy doing meaningless things like grading tests and handing out doughnuts. The members of the commitee have a vested interest in "not rocking the boat" because they are rewarded for their obedience with lighter dispatches. Its a lot easier to grade asessments in an air-conditioned office than it is to bust your ass on a package car. But hey, it all pays the same!
I have pointed out numerous safety issues to our Commitee; nothing is said or done. If it doesnt have anything to do with the HABITS acronym or the Commentary, then it isnt their problem. We get a newsletter; we get new acronyms to memorize every month; we get stickers and posters and doughnuts and candy; what we DONT get is any meaningful response to complaints of unsafe working conditions.