Safety First!

upsdude

Well-Known Member
Seems we need “permission” these days to attend Safety Meetings.

As a follow up, we were told at the morning PCM to let management know if we’re interested in attending a safety meeting. Management will keep a list and let you know if you’re a lucky winner. The prize? Permission to attend a safety meeting! Man, I can’t wait!

Seems we can’t have that meeting time counting against the dispatch. It’s that old numbers thing ya know.


Safety First!:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Channahon

Well-Known Member
You know, there aren't a whole lot of driver who want to be on a safety committe and add value.

So why should UPS pay someone to show up for free coffe and donuts and not have the b*lls to speak to their fellow drivers about safety??

It takes leadership amongst the drivers to get the message out to the group. And the union stewards sometimes are the best, and other times, they stand in the shadows of the drivers that take the initiative to bring the safety message home.

And I mean literally home. There have been some post recently, where our fellow UPSer's have not made it home.
 

Griff

Well-Known Member
Channahon, what value can anyone add to the safety committee? Almost everything is in stone with UPS, they aren't interested in anything other than what is already in place. Mainly because everything is geared from the ground up to place fault on the hourly employee (so its perfect in their eyes). UPS isn't interested in change, they are looking to do the bare minimum when it comes to safety. Honestly, how many pointless acronyms do you think we need at UPS? I find the entire safety program at UPS to be insulting to my intelligence.

We are talking about a company that was forced (via contract language) to make the trucks less injury-friendly. Most of us are still driving around without power steering and 2' high steps, follow the methods though and you won't get hurt!
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
I miss the approach of our small center in the 80's. At the end of the PCM, the sup would ask for someone to give a safety tip for the day. It did not have to follow strict verbatum quotes from the safety methods, but they should apply to our jobs.
The personal stories of unsafe actions and their consequences brought home the message of safety far more than rote regurgitation of memorized words.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I miss the approach of our small center in the 80's. At the end of the PCM, the sup would ask for someone to give a safety tip for the day. It did not have to follow strict verbatum quotes from the safety methods, but they should apply to our jobs.
The personal stories of unsafe actions and their consequences brought home the message of safety far more than rote regurgitation of memorized words.
Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you remember when someone cared enough to say "this is what happened to me" and everyone would listen intently, and that mistake wold not be made, and we would be more aware? for that? You can scan steering wheels all day long, but when you see a hill along side a road, and you see kids, you know something is coming down it. And a little girl about 4, shouldnt have even been outside alone, was on a scooter, riding it downhill, into my path. I slammed the brakes so hard to miss her, that my whole load came to the "shut" bulkhead door. She did stop before she hit the road, but only by the grace of GOD. I got out and told her not to do that anymore, go ride on a hill that doesnt have a road at the end, and looked around to see some concerned parent come running, not one. Gotta slow down when the kids are out, they dont have any sense instilled in them = they dont know. They dont see the effect=result, or every action has a reaction, or just plain no one has taught them a thing syndrome.
 

helenofcalifornia

Well-Known Member
Yeah, there are always those who attend safety meetings to put time on the clock, but I have also found that "new blood" at a safety meeting brings new ideas or a different approach to safety concerns. Damn, Satellite, I would have hunted down the adult responsible for that girl and read them the riot act. They probably didn't even know their kid was doing that. Scary!!!
 

Cole

Well-Known Member
The company does't want to hear anything at the safety meetings that means they will have to spend $money$
usually.

Say your building needs handtrucks, which has been brought up at every meeting for quite awhile, but.....after several months......still waiting......then the saftey person for the hourly's starts looking ridiculous because it goes on and on, and they keep telling him "they're on order"!

Then some real considerate drivers decide to take the handtruck out of another drivers truck, and that causes another problem!

Now we can get pkgs all over the world overnight, but getting supplies takes forever.

Sure they want you to be safe, but face it they have paperwork for OSHA, and their "Ketter" team, so that *seems* to be the primary goal.
Saftey is and should be our top priorties as workers, then service etc...

The only reason those backing cameras are there is because a little girl got killed and it made headline news just prior to the strike of 97.
 

wornoutupser

Well-Known Member
Yeah, there are always those who attend safety meetings to put time on the clock, but I have also found that "new blood" at a safety meeting brings new ideas or a different approach to safety concerns. Damn, Satellite, I would have hunted down the adult responsible for that girl and read them the riot act. They probably didn't even know their kid was doing that. Scary!!!


Helen,
You are exactly correct but would you be willing to take the heat for the extra time used (stealing I am certain) and the rude complaint from the parent?

That is my opinion of how my building would handle it, we are written up for hitting dogs in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic with no place to swerve here.
 

wornoutupser

Well-Known Member
Seems we need “permission” these days to attend Safety Meetings.

As a follow up, we were told at the morning PCM to let management know if we’re interested in attending a safety meeting. Management will keep a list and let you know if you’re a lucky winner. The prize? Permission to attend a safety meeting! Man, I can’t wait!

Seems we can’t have that meeting time counting against the dispatch. It’s that old numbers thing ya know.


Safety First!:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


It is the same thing here except that we show up uninvited. Several of us old timers are there now-uninvited-to throw in our 2 cents worth.

The problem sems to be that UPS does not want our opinions or suggestions. They seem to want whatever thier paper says will be covered. Where that paper comes from I have no clue.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
Chan,
I know there are many drivers that show up at safety meetings for the overtime and free donuts. This, of course, is the wrong reason to join the safety commitee.

At the same time there is management people that do it to "put it on their resume".

The latest is that the center team needs to know :
5 seeing habits, how to do them. what it does for you, and the key phrase. They also need to know, verbatim, the 10-point commentary, 8 steps for lifting and lowering and 6 rules of backing.

Yes they can recite that. But can they actually apply it day in and day out? I think not.

I have to help myself from laughing when the center manager tries to explain "aim high in steering". The center manager says "you want to imagine a dartboard/baseball" Do you really think he knows how to do this or does it himself? My guess is he's reciting what his superiors demand that he knows and has no idea what "aim high in steering" can really do for you. Come, on, who knows how to drive better than a 20 year veteran driver ? Or the center manager who hasn't driven a package car in 20 years?

This is what makes me ill. Its important to be able to recite this information, but if we know and do apply this to our driving habits every day, its less important.

Whatever UPS


You know, there aren't a whole lot of driver who want to be on a safety committe and add value.

So why should UPS pay someone to show up for free coffe and donuts and not have the b*lls to speak to their fellow drivers about safety??

It takes leadership amongst the drivers to get the message out to the group. And the union stewards sometimes are the best, and other times, they stand in the shadows of the drivers that take the initiative to bring the safety message home.

And I mean literally home. There have been some post recently, where our fellow UPSer's have not made it home.
 

local804

Well-Known Member
Safety meetings in our district are one way only. I observed the meeting when I found out my business agent would be there and went in with an opened mind. Id rather clean toilets at Yankee stadium than waste my time attending that UPS show. If OSHA didnt enforce it, it wouldnt be there.


I do agree with the post about the employees going in to make an extra buck. If they are that hard up for cash, I suggest they take some of the overtime from the employees that wish to spend more time with their families.Work to live, not live to work.
 

dillweed

Well-Known Member
Safety meetings are overtime. And overtime needs to be offered to higher seniority employees first, right? So this permission business is BS.

If you really want to participate and have more seniority use the tool given and point it out. Grieve it every single time if you have to. And while you're at it, do offer some valuable input at the meetings.

Open up and point out the stupidity in what they are saying (respectfully, of course). Ask uncomfortable questions if they are in order. Shake them up a little and don't let them pull the covers up over an unsafe issue. It's our workplace and we need to stay on the company to keep it safe. dw
 

tieguy

Banned
The personal stories of unsafe actions and their consequences brought home the message of safety far more than rote regurgitation of memorized words.

Nothing stopping us from doing that now. We encourage the members of our safety committees to give pcm's that everyone can learn from. Are your safety committee members doing them? We post the accident information minus the names so that everyone can read up and learn from them. that part of the world should not change.

One thing we have tried to do with todays safety committees is to change them from one in which the members actually do something to make the operation safer rather then turn each meeting into a bitch session.

And finally we don't pay our members we feed them. The idea of grieving to be on the safety committe is hilarious.
 

Channahon

Well-Known Member
Brownie,
I agree with your post. I also was part of a safety committee prior to retiring. Every Staff/Division Manager was assigned a center.
If the meetings are run with an agenda, drivers who have leadership qualities and union steward involvement, they work quite well.

When I was in operations, I had to memorize and demonstrate the 5 seeing habits and 10 point commentary. The 5 seeing habits, I managed fine. The 10 point commentary the auditor had to come back a second time for me to pass.

Undertanding safety is a concern for all, I would like to see Ketter do on area observations or ride with the most help needed drivers, not mandate that all drivers memorize the information.

Ketter just really gets under my skin, and every year they change the audits. I suppose they are building upon what has already been audites, but whomever in Corporate agreed to this, should run an operation for about a year.
 

tups

Well-Known Member
And how about the 'safety audits'? Guys in ties questioning drivers as they roll in the building trying to unload the airs, send agains, lock up their 2 wheeler, and get all the cod's, and paperwork together to turn in. 5 seeing habits, 10 point commentary, lift/lowering.......jeez. it's 7:13 p.m. do you want me to go through this 15 minute audit, or make 9.5 in 2 minutes? Yup you guessed it, was told 'make 9.5' , punched out and left.
 

BCFan

Well-Known Member
tieguy;19413............ [COLOR=#0000ff said:
And finally we don't pay our members we feed them. The idea of grieving to be on the safety committe is hilarious. [/COLOR]
In my building not only do we get paid to attend but also fed....then we turn it into a Pro-Union rally.....its a load of fun:thumbup1: :thumbup1: :thumbup1: BC
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
Nothing stopping us from doing that now. We encourage the members of our safety committees to give pcm's that everyone can learn from. Are your safety committee members doing them? We post the accident information minus the names so that everyone can read up and learn from them. that part of the world should not change.

One thing we have tried to do with todays safety committees is to change them from one in which the members actually do something to make the operation safer rather then turn each meeting into a bitch session.

And finally we don't pay our members we feed them. The idea of grieving to be on the safety committe is hilarious.
What I was referring to, in the past, safety was communicated with all drivers and all sup's standing in a circle. Not by committee, but by open communication at the days start.
I really have no reference on how PCM's ,or how Safety committees are handled now. I have not been to a PCM in 12yr's and have never attended a safety committee meeting.
If UPS's approach to improve safety is working, I am all for it.
PAX
 
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