our so-called "safety committees"

local804

Well-Known Member
Safety committee here is composed of drivers that are management picked and give the least bit of resistance when a safety concern is brought up. If they are so concerned about safety, pull us off the road at 3pm when the town is completely covered with ice. Dont send us a message at 7pm telling us its unsafe to work in these conditions, bring it in. I am not talking about a bad ice day, I am talking about the 1 day this year when NO ONE should have been outside till it was clear, netherless delivering packages. Safety commitee is a smokescreen created by UPS to cover an agreement with OSHA, bottom line. UPS has 2x the nation average in osha reportable injuries, wonder why.
My point, safety comittee is a joke!
 

Bad Gas!

Well-Known Member
First of all I have been driving over 25 years and been active with safty meetings for the last 2 years.There are many pro's and cons..So probably everyone that has posted a positive or negative remark about the safty committee's and UPS safty is corect....I've found that pimping safty can help with awareness but we are professionals we know that we should stay focused on the task at hand and not the wife or sup calling on the cell phone.....Our committee members are really sick and tired of the same old thing and a lotta guys are dropping.I'm on the fence but slipping ..ready to pass the buck to someone else...Fact is-whatever safty we do has very slow results and it still takes LUCK to avoid a handful of accidents....I don't like the fact that unavoidable accidents count against the centers...This is BS.....Each center is allowed a certain number of coded ours a day(based on center size) to pimp safty.This is supposably required by Liberty Mutual..Awareness is good but shouldn't be shoved down your throat.It would be great if we had some great new ideas where everyone liked safty...but it will never happen when some much company focus is on productio..production..production..And when we humanly fail at safty with an injury or accident, it's like they have turned up the heat on dissapline with job threats...On the other hand, I like learning about all the monthy accidents and injuries and want to keep my self awareness for me because this is my live-li-hood...As a member, each accident or injury in your center, you feel it personally for that person and want to help them with support and keep your head up,you will be alright-slow down a little and focus..

All this said,I'll be out of the CHPS committee soon.I don't feel like the drivers resent me for the most part because I'm an old fart but it's not worth it. Mgt doesn't lower my dispatch even if I start an hour early and will wonder why I won't make 9.5..I don't need the hastle.I will show up 10 min. before shift and be a regular rot..You guys and girls have a safe day....Gas
 
M

mr. union

Guest
Good stewards shouldn't be on safety committees it is conflict.I went to one meeting and it mad me sick to hear these morons.If you fall on ice you didn't clear your path.Someday they will screw up and the company will stick it to them also.Been it to many meetings and know the real ups.
 

filthpig

Well-Known Member
"Keeps you away from billboards". At least we should have to memorize useless info that makes sense. Unless you actualy go off the road and run into a billboard.
I find it mind-boggling that you either were incorrectly trained as to what a "billboard" is to UPS, or that you weren't listening when it was explained. News Flash !!!!! A billboard (to UPS) is anything that obstructs your vision. Learn it, know it, love it!
 

local804

Well-Known Member
I find it mind-boggling that you either were incorrectly trained as to what a "billboard" is to UPS, or that you weren't listening when it was explained. News Flash !!!!! A billboard (to UPS) is anything that obstructs your vision. Learn it, know it, love it!

I think he was trying to make a funny :)
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Gas

I know of the mixed feelings. There were many days where I felt like saying take this program and (@%&@#) it. BUt that passes.

There were many days, once I returned to the building, that I ended up over 9.5, when I should have been off the clock earlier. But the oil on the floor, or other safety issues kept me on the clock. Too bad, cut the dispatch, or get someone whos job it is to absorb the oil on the floor.

They would get someone involved for a day or two, then back to me doing it again. After a while, they quite saying anything at all.

But one thing I did notice, not only in our building, but in other areas as well. Management says they put a high priority on safety. They are willing to spend some money on it even. But you let it interfere with dispatch, and safety issues mostly takes a second seat when it comes to importance.

d
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I find it mind-boggling that you either were incorrectly trained as to what a "billboard" is to UPS, or that you weren't listening when it was explained. News Flash !!!!! A billboard (to UPS) is anything that obstructs your vision. Learn it, know it, love it!

"Billboarding" is when you are following too closely behind a larger vehicle to see around it. Like being behind a tractor-trailer. It has nothing to do with an advertising sign on the side of the road.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
9.5

BTW, you are your own contradiction. first you post
When I see anything unsafe, I report it to my supervisor. There is no need for a safety committee that has nothing to do with safety!
and then you post
Thank your safety committee members for helping the company come up with these new disciplinary procedures.

I think they can now give out warning letters too. At the very least they report to the management team on who should get a warning letter.

So what gives? you interested in seeing to it another employee gets a warning letter or worse by reporting what you see to the gestapo?

LOL

Now back to your regularly scheduled programing.

d
 

brownmonster

Man of Great Wisdom
Quote:
Originally Posted by brownmonster
"Keeps you away from billboards". At least we should have to memorize useless info that makes sense. Unless you actualy go off the road and run into a billboard.

I find it mind-boggling that you either were incorrectly trained as to what a "billboard" is to UPS, or that you weren't listening when it was explained. News Flash !!!!! A billboard (to UPS) is anything that obstructs your vision. Learn it, know it, love it!
__________________


I find it mind boggling the corporation has this much money to waste. Words and games do not make safe workers, safe work environments do. I am envious of the muffins though. PS. If you tell the average Joe to watch out for billboards what would they think? Need to come up with a better term.
 

HEFFERNAN

Huge Member
Like I said in my earlier post
This whole safety group is a scam
The only people that care about it are IN THE SAFETY COMMITTIE

My safety comittee has not addressed anything that remotely is realistic and well-thought

****Having bananas will make me forget that I was overdispatched by 25 stops

****accidents don't mean what the dictionary says it does

****the only reason my P800 back door chain is locked is because I have 400 pieces in the truck

Its been a joke from day 1, and you just leave it to management
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Interesting you should bring up hand rails.
We went through that right before I left. Went all the way to corp in Atlanta according to management. could not do it because it was a modification, and the modification would make UPS responsible for the item should it ever fail.d
Ive always found that to be a fascinating argument. On the one hand, they claim that "our hands are tied, we cannot modify the vehicle" by putting a grab rail on to keep the poor driver from falling on his ass....yet for some reason we CAN bolt a 5-ton trailer hitch to the frame, we CAN splice into the electrical system to install trailer brakes, we CAN retrofit a rear-view monitor, and we CAN install a DIVA. I guess its a matter of priorities....the safety of the driver, as usual, not being one of them.
 

Esty

Member
I dont hate the safety committees But when I write up my Car for needing grip tape on the Steps and dont get it
I Expcet when I go to my safty Guy about it He raises hell and dosent blow me off and hand me a Bright Orange Velcro safety thing to wrap around my bumper spring so Passing Cars dont hit my Package car wile im Not in Traffic and backed in to a dock

Do any of you guys have that in your buildings the Saftey orange Flags and Bumper raps for the rear of your car
The safty flags are $10.75 each andr the bumper wraps are $14.00 each
That was part of one of out PCM the price of the safty stuff they give us and dont use because we back in to docks or travel down single lane streets
Why dont they just paint the springs Orange
1 can of Rustolium $5.50 can do 15 cars with it
and the other stupid thing the safty team came up with to reminde us to use out hand rails was to tie long orange streemers to them
That was wounderfull I almost took out a small Honda because the streemer was waneing in part of my mirror That lasted till I got off the Highway
Personaly The Safty People I have in my center are 2 great guys the one guy has been with ups for almost 30 years
The other guy not as long 10 years I think
But they have there meetings once every thursday and then they go out and do there truns both of them run 120-145 stops at 300+ pkg and they make cut but they also do aduts on pkg cars incluiding the dvir
Thats kinda like ratting out
whats up with that

Im sorry but I think I went off topic
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
Couple thoughts...the dude that feels nothing ever gets done when he brings thing to the attention of the safety committee, is the one that is likely asking for things that are more comfort issues than issues that usually result in injury. Go through your list of injuries in the entire district and you will see the vast majority are issues in which our employees failed to think twice before they lifted a box, before they walked or stepped somewhere or before they made a decision with the vehicle. Our data shows it's about human behavior primarily. Granted we have physically demanding jobs, but we all understood that going in and have accepted that. Now it becomes a game of somehow making peple think twice as mentioned above. And that is where the rubber meets the road.

I tend to agree that some of these safety activities are getting a little out there. Fruit and nuts are fine, and ultimately may save a few of us fat ones that don't think twice about personal health, ultimately affecting our bottom line and your bottom line. But to have a safety committe member push it may not be the best use of our assets.

That non-management co-chair should be the avenue for the employees to come to with reasonable issues. Don't try to use them to vent about your dispatch and your non-power steering vehicle. We must get beyond that stuff. If you don't like your job set-up, leave. There is nothing deemed outside of any OSHA/DOT safety standard that we have.

What we have are a bunch of hard-working folks that need reminded often to work under control. We simply cannot afford injuries and accidents. We are competing against a company that uses workers but does not consider them employees, and avoids millions in labor, liability and taxes. We have made some nice safety imporvements, but we must all be over this safety issue as it plays such a large role in our costs, and it really is the right thing to do by our employees.

They have their own problems right now on multiple fronts, dont try to sugar coat it. They have the real possibility to owe the us govt, and their employees billions in back taxes and benefits. This is an unfair advantage, yes, for now but the tide is turning, ups volume and profit is up year after year after year. This company is not hurting by any means, can you understand if it was still just the post office and ups, how this industry would be?
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
Well Let me add in this 10-pt Commentary and 5 seeing habits and all the other stuff as we are supost to know In my building we were told yesterday that if we dont know all of that stuff bye 4/1/08 there will be disciplinery action write ups and suspensions maybe worse
Why isnt this something that Employes came up with and then ups made it policy
So now we can lose our jobs over this B/S
So Now our brother Teamsters or employes handed them a way to Get rid Of Us
My problem with this stuff is I know it all But when Im asked to define the whole thing I'm like a dear in the Head lites I lock up
I practice this everyday of my life work or not work related because UPS drilled it in to my Head I just cant explain it and now if they ask me the 10-pt Commentary Im suspended
:censored2::censored2::censored2:
safty people your cool and all but you people need to know and think about how this will affect other workers lives I have 3 kids and a wife if I loose this job because I missed a step on lifting a package I dont know how I will suport my family hey it may work out better but I would rather not finde out


Etsy,
I don't mean any offense as I make my fair share of spelling, puncuation, and grammatical errors, but when you write posts like the one above it makes it very difficult for the rest of us to understand.
I just want to know what you meant to say.
I didn't see one period in the entire post. You also wrote the word 'employes' more than once. Do you mean 'employer' or 'employees'?

How can UPS expect its drivers to know the 10-pt. commentary, when some of us can't remember how to spell the word 'safety'?

Did you write the post that way on purpose to screw with us?
 

Brown Dog

Brown since 81
There are alot of good posts in this thread. I, too, used to be on the safety commitee for several years but not any more. Didn't seem to be enough "bite" to concerns, took up extra time I couldn't afford, and finally, I just thought it was time for some new blood. It was an excellent idea to have safety commitees nationwide collaborate. Also, I thought the grieving of unresolved items on the commitee would be a great tool. I like to remind the younger drivers to be safe 1st, don't worry about standards, live to play(work) another day. I think if any of US have a safety concern, it benefits US ALL to bring it up to the commitee, or the center mgr, and then follow up on it by checking back or grieving unresolved issues. Don't let mgt "brush it off". Go higher up if you have to. If you're too pissed off about a lack of response, go to a fellow worker who you respect, ask him for his input, stay calm, adjust, take it one step at a time. DON'T leave the building pissed off, you need all your concentration on the task at hand, namely, driving the big brown truck safely amongst all the other unsafe drivers and pedestrians.:peaceful:
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
If the committee is unable to resolve a safety and health concern and all steps of the Comprehensive Health and Safety Process (CHAP) have been exhausted, the issue will be subject to the grievance procedure

Dog, Its not just a great idea, it is part of the contract that UPS agreed to. They know you can grieve it. Sometimes they will play around with issues, but if you are consistant with safety, it was 30 days in our case on non emergency issue, 24 hours on serious emergency issues, before filing, then the games pretty much quit.

That being said, we had a center manager that was in his last days at UPS. Made us file on everything. It was like 10 months away he became the biggest prick just because he could and UPS would do nothing about it. It would have been better for UPS and the center had they just paid him to stay home. And it was during that time that we had most of our serious issues with some serious accidents and injuries.

d
 

Esty

Member
Etsy,
I don't mean any offense as I make my fair share of spelling, puncuation, and grammatical errors, but when you write posts like the one above it makes it very difficult for the rest of us to understand.
I just want to know what you meant to say.
I didn't see one period in the entire post. You also wrote the word 'employes' more than once. Do you mean 'employer' or 'employees'?

How can UPS expect its drivers to know the 10-pt. commentary, when some of us can't remember how to spell the word 'safety'?

Did you write the post that way on purpose to screw with us?
Sorry Spelling sucks
puncuation dont ever plan in seeing them in my posts
grammatical I have never seen or herd this word ever used it looks like to
me you may be a nit-picker
Employes = employees come on add a 'E' if I ment employer I would of spelled employer or something close to it most likely (UPS)

No not screwing with ya just Have a problem its called dyslexia most people can catch it and understand what I have posted
But people with High grammatical skills Like to put people who are dyslexic or dyslectic Down and try to make them feel bad by saying stuff like what you said

I don't mean any offense but next time you come acrossed something like this you may want to be a bit more sympathetic and send them a privet message
Sorry I'm a bit touchy about being called out on this subject but I will try and make it a bit more clear for everyone to read my posts
Again Sorry Everyone
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Esty

You might try using the word program. Then copy and paste into the box. THat way, you can use the spell checker.

d
 

Covemastah

Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
I got a nice saftey ride last month and got gigged on not knowing the 5 safe lifting and lowering speach word for word and got written up!! It didn't matter to this 20 ish geek that I had been on pkg car for 15 yrs without a lost time injury!!!Told me I was ''lucky'' hah!!! told him he was in grammar school when I started here!! that little puke!! I have more time on the toilet here than he has years lol lol lol
 

Esty

Member
Esty

You might try using the word program. Then copy and paste into the box. THat way, you can use the spell checker.

d
Thank you I didn't notice it before now i'll try it out
nope dont work but i belive I need to down load a update for my explorer
and Then I can use it I dont have time right now I'm building a dule quad core Gameing server for a friend of mine and looking up a quad core to build for myself
 
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