Pardon me while I go puke

[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]

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]

The other day, our so-called "safety committee" reached a new low of stupidity and immaturity.
At the PCM, our center manager 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 the company never makes any safety improvements on our vehicles. the fact is the company has spent a lot of money on safer designs and each new package car shows new safety improvements that our drivers asked for. Good god we even have automatics now.

Are you suggesting that we totally ignore teaching our people how to lift packages safely simply because we did not make the improvements to the equipment that you think we should make?

Are you honestly trying to tell us that a real safety program does not teach people how to lift and lower packages properly?

Training our people how to work safely has to be the number one objective of any quality safety training program. if your wifes program does not stress it as much as our does then your wifes company needs to learn how to put in a quality safety program. we don't need to learn how to put one in like hers that does not stress training. If we are going to train you then why not make it fun in the process?

 

[tieguy]

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.

its a novel concept and its a little goofy I agree. The idea again is to get you thinking safety in a non-confrontational way. Instead of following you around with a clipboard we ask you to assess your own safety performanceTake the card at the end of the day and honestly answer the questions. Reflect back on what you did and did not do then turn it in. We then take that information and gear future training based on what you tell us. The company is trying to find creative ways to train you without always beating your ass. At least try to appreciate that approach as a more positive one.

 

[JonFrum]

. . . 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. . . .

. . . 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. . . .

Tie, Soberups is right. Although there are 8 Keys to Lifting and Lowering a Package, there are only 5 Keys to Lifting and Lowering a Candy Bar. There is no need to test for weight and shifting contents, use lifting aids, or grab opposite corners. This should have all been covered in Supervisor Basic Training School. Were you absent that day? I'm putting you in for a refresher course.

 

[Griff]

The other day, our so-called "safety committee" reached a new low of stupidity and immaturity.
At the PCM, our center manager 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 the company never makes any safety improvements on our vehicles. the fact is the company has spent a lot of money on safer designs and each new package car shows new safety improvements that our drivers asked for. Good god we even have automatics now.

Are you suggesting that we totally ignore teaching our people how to lift packages safely simply because we did not make the improvements to the equipment that you think we should make?

Are you honestly trying to tell us that a real safety program does not teach people how to lift and lower packages properly?

Training our people how to work safely has to be the number one objective of any quality safety training program. if your wifes program does not stress it as much as our does then your wifes company needs to learn how to put in a quality safety program. we don't need to learn how to put one in like hers that does not stress training. If we are going to train you then why not make it fun in the process?

The only reason automatics were introduced into the fleet is because its now cheaper to maintain an automatic. I was not only told this by one of our mechanics but by two different IE guys. You need to stop kidding yourself about UPS's "good intentions".

What he's describing isn't fun and whoever thought of the idea should be fired. You're dealing with grown men and women, stop belittling and talking down to your employees for a change. Treat us with dignity and respect, like the contract says, talk to us like we aren't autistic. Just the other day some pinhead walks up to me and starts telling me the KEYS TO DOG BITES. I'm not kidding, this guy told me about the signs a dog will attack. What's next from our "quality safety program", the 15 do's and don'ts of breathing oxygen? This company is dedicated to safety about as much as Chris Farley was to dieting and exercise.

Nobody is trying to imply any of the stuff you are saying. The fact is UPS isn't reinventing the wheel here with this safety program, but they act as if they are. Almost everything in this safety program has to do with very basic common sense and its a shame all this money isn't being spent on real upgrades to the UPS facilities/vehicles to actually make them safer. The current safety committee and whatever else is a waste of money, far too much time and money is being devoted to a reactionary form of safety as opposed to a preventative form of it.

 

[soberups]

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.

Why not? The savings for the company are astronomical whenever they can get an old guy off the payroll and replace him with a new hire making $10 an hour less with 2 weeks vacation instead of 6 or 7. It stands to reason that the older equipment was designed with this in mind.

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? .

I own a 1976 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pickup. I have the original build sheet for it. That was the last model year in which shoulder belts were on option....and that option cost $30. UPS intentionally deleted this option on all its new package cars up thru the 1995 model year.
My truck didnt have shoulder belts when it was built. I paid a body shop to retrofit shoulder belts into it. The belts were $50 at a wrecking yard and labor was about $100 because they had to remove the seat and headliner.
Would it cost more than that to retrofit a package car? Probably...but its something they should have been willing to spend the $30 on in the first place. That is...if they gave a damn about our safety.

 

[soberups]

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.

No, they are trying to get a good grade on a Keter audit and shield the company from liability and OSHA fines.

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 the company never makes any safety improvements on our vehicles.

There are a lot of drivers who will never have an adequate vehicle. There are a lot of drivers who will have their bodies thrashed and their careers shortened by equipment that UPS intentionally deleted basic safety and ergonomic features from.
UPS absolutely will not retrofit older equipment with power steering or 3 point seat belts. I'm glad that the newer rigs have these features, but they are about 25 years too late.

 

[soberups]

Are you suggesting that we totally ignore teaching our people how to lift packages safely simply because we did not make the improvements to the equipment that you think we should make?

No. I am suggesting that the word games, acronyms, commentaries etc. be balanced out with a willingness on the part of UPS to make basic, common sense safety modifications to its vehicles...like equipping them with a seat belt that wont allow the drivers head to go thu the windshield.

 

[soberups]

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.

Yep....and the company will just remove you from the payroll and replace you with a new hire who will do the same job for $10 an hour less with 4 fewer weeks per year of vacation. I wonder...if they are able to repair the vehicle that you die or get maimed in, will they hose the blood out of the cab before they put it back in service?

 

[trplnkl]

Why not? The savings for the company are astronomical whenever they can get an old guy off the payroll and replace him with a new hire making $10 an hour less with 2 weeks vacation instead of 6 or 7. It stands to reason that the older equipment was designed with this in mind.

Well, let's see here. How much do you figure the company spends on one person having shoulder surgery and being out on comp for 6 months with physical therapy? Then you have to add in the cost of a replacement driver. I don't know the exact amount either, but I do know they would have to work a new hire a lot of hours to make up for that and then some. Then take into account that most people that have had to take "early retirement" have gone through more than just one very expensive bout with on job injuries. I'm beginning to think you may need to re-figure your estimates.

I own a 1976 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pickup. I have the original build sheet for it. That was the last model year in which shoulder belts were on option....and that option cost $30. UPS intentionally deleted this option on all its new package cars up thru the 1995 model year.
My truck didnt have shoulder belts when it was built. I paid a body shop to retrofit shoulder belts into it. The belts were $50 at a wrecking yard and labor was about $100 because they had to remove the seat and headliner.
Would it cost more than that to retrofit a package car? Probably...but its something they should have been willing to spend the $30 on in the first place. That is...if they gave a damn about our safety.

I agree that it would have been pretty cheap to have the 3p sb from the get-go and made our trucks much safer. Who do you reckon made that decision? I'm betting some bean counter who's biggest danger on the job is a paper cut. I would also bet that there was some research done to try and figure out how much money would be saved by spending that $30 per vehicle vs. amount spent on seat belt related injuries.
I have no doubt that UPS considers the employees an expendable asset easily replaced, but to say that the company plans FOR early retirement just doesn't make sense.
I am in no way saying that all trucks should have 3p sb, common sense says they should. But, You've said many times that the retrofit would cost $30 but now you admit that was a deceivingly low price compared to actual cost.

 

[deepsouthmamaw]

Did anyone actually time these plays or skits? My concern is time their concern is time. Lets say this skit took 3 minutes you are already 3 min over your time allowed to make delivery or pickup. But I bet it was more on the lines of 5-10 min which would add to my already 3 hrs over allowed. My area 125 deliveries 30 pickups is only a 6 1/2 hr day. Most days they try to send me out with 140. I just cant do it and be in and off the clock before 8 hrs. And to my amazement 140 is still not an 8 hr day.

 

[tieguy]

Tie, Soberups is right. Although there are 8 Keys to Lifting and Lowering a Package, there are only 5 Keys to Lifting and Lowering a Candy Bar. There is no need to test for weight and shifting contents, use lifting aids, or grab opposite corners. This should have all been covered in Supervisor Basic Training School. Were you absent that day? I'm putting you in for a refresher course.

that was a stupid response.

 

[tieguy]

The only reason automatics were introduced into the fleet is because its now cheaper to maintain an automatic. I was not only told this by one of our mechanics but by two different IE guys. You need to stop kidding yourself about UPS's "good intentions".

Wow a mechanic and two I.E. Couldn't you find a porter or carwasher to support your theory?

What he's describing isn't fun and whoever thought of the idea should be fired. You're dealing with grown men and women, stop belittling and talking down to your employees for a change. Treat us with dignity and respect, like the contract says, talk to us like we aren't autistic. Just the other day some pinhead walks up to me and starts telling me the KEYS TO DOG BITES. I'm not kidding, this guy told me about the signs a dog will attack. What's next from our "quality safety program", the 15 do's and don'ts of breathing oxygen? This company is dedicated to safety about as much as Chris Farley was to dieting and exercise.

The pinhead may actually have been right. the real pinhead may be the guy who didn't listen to the pinhead and got bit.

 

[LKLND3380]

The sad part is, I'm not making this up.
We have "footprint" stickers on the floor leading to a room they call the "safety zone" which is full of posters, stickers and slogans. There is a TV there playing a safety movie continuously on DVD.
We have a checkered flag and a green flag over the office of the center that has gone the longest without an accident or injury.
We have a Safety Committee guy making $45 an hour on OT to put stickers on the windshield of each package car with the "safety slogan" of the day.
What we have...is a program that would be great for teaching a 2nd grader how to go pee pee and wash his hands all by himself like a big boy. It is not a program that is relevant to an adult who is spending 10 hrs a day fighting the equipment that UPS has provided to him.

That Safety Committee guy is coded over to 76 "UPS School" so it doesn't count against your buildings numbers. I would suggest joining the safety comittee so you can help put stickers on windshields.

 

[LKLND3380]

Gee,your lucky it`s only a candy bar. Around here it`s healthy prostate week.

And what happens when you bend over for the candy bar for healthy prostate week?

 

[LKLND3380]

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.

Not all the drivers got their doctorates from MIT, I think some drivers are Yale and Harvard alums.

Half of my preload are Princeton alums

 

[kenco80233]

Yep....and the company will just remove you from the payroll and replace you with a new hire who will do the same job for $10 an hour less with 4 fewer weeks per year of vacation. I wonder...if they are able to repair the vehicle that you die or get maimed in, will they hose the blood out of the cab before they put it back in service?

We had a yard shifter get killed in a yard shifter {caught between the cab and trailer} years ago in Denver Co. As soon as they removed the body,a sort boss took the shifter threw the car wash and we used it on the next sort.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We had a yard shifter get killed in a yard shifter {caught between the cab and trailer} years ago in Denver Co. As soon as they removed the body, a sort boss took the shifter through the car wash and we used it on the next sort.

Not to sound cold hearted, but what exactly would you have liked them to have done with the vehicle other than what they did?