UPS Health and Safety.......

[parecasa]

It is funny to see a company who I have worked for 3 years balk at the idea that i want to make the job that i do safe. I am a stickler for packages having over 70 tape and stickers on each package that requires them. Yet i have been horrassed and intimidated about this. I have been told that i will get a lot of people in trouble if i push this issue. It is rather funny that now the same UPS that may face an audit by OSHA wants me to answer yes to safety questions that are not safe in my area. UPS is not concerned about safety but about making production. Production is more important than anyhting at UPS. Production is money and UPS can never get enough.

 

[clarkie]

I've got a roll of over 70 highlight tape in my package car. Every over 70 I pick up gets highlight tape visible from every side. It takes me less than a minute to do this.

There was language in the new contract that requires the packages to be labeled this way.

How much time are you spending to label these packages? Does that have anything to do with the attitude you are receiving?

It is not one persons responsibility to label these packages. Everyone must do their part.

 

[tieguy]

Since your concerned about UPS greed what earnings number would you be satisfied with at which you will never ever expect any more?

 

[kidlogic]

First of all being a saftey co-chair it is the responsibility of any employee who finds a over 70 lb. package that isnt marked to make sure that it is before it makes it to the next person.It would be pretty sad that the next person after parecasa got hurt because parecasa didnt mark the box. Over 70 lb. packages are a huge source of our D.A.R.T. injuries. These are the most costly. If managment has a problem with the time your using marking these packages they need to start getting with the drivers who are picking these packages up and start making the customers and the drivers take care of the problem.
As for Tie...parecasa is following proper methods which the average employee could careless. No one thinks that we all should run around wrapped in bubble wrap and work at a snails pace,but they do expect the support of managment when they are doing the job in a manner that UPS taught them. How are employees supposed to care about "how" they do their jobs if managment doesnt LEAD by example.

(Message edited by Kidlogic on April 18, 2003)

 

[tieguy]

I have no problem with parecasa's concern about over 70's. Parecasa made the statement that UPS is only concerned about making money and can never get enough. So I therefore was wondering what salary level parecasa would need to hit before he/she would never ever want anymore money. Its a simple question. To condemn the concept of wanting to earn more money you have to have a stop point at which you would not display the same despicable trait. Parecasa has clearly established such a point and therefore feels justified in condemning this lust for more money that parecasa feels UPS displays.

 

[kidlogic]

That has nothing to do with Parecasa's post...man you spin everything. Parecasa's point is that UPS is compromising SAFTEY for money. Greed is good. I want UPS to go after every penny ,but when it starts taking shortcuts that quite clearly endanger the saftey and health of an employee then they have gone to far. Your statement comes from an angle that how much money is too much when Parecasa statement is how many people must needlessly get hurt to achieve a production goal.Your comparing money to money when parecasa is comparing money to a person's saftey.

 

[wigman]

I think it would be a good idea for the shippers who ship over 70s be required to clearly mark them as such. With highlight tape or better yet perhaps a specially designed box similar to nda tube, box, letter etc. If the shipper does not clearly mark the over 70s, then the sorter, loader, or service providor can highlight the box. We could then charge the shipper for having to do this just the same way we charge them for address corrections. Update the software in diad with the package info menu.

 

[upslocal480]

<font color="0000ff">Our drivers have always been fairly decent about putting those Over 70 stickers on the packages. It's the same 3 or 4 guys that fail to do so. It's also those same guys that are always calling in "sick", running over 9.5, parking their trucks a foot from the dock and at angles, not containerizing their smalls, not pulling off their next day airs, parking outside with a full load of pickups while there is several spaces inside to park on the dock, and etc.. I think the ones that actually care and take a little pride in their work are the ones that make the effort to mark those heavy packages. Many people don't see what the big deal is and don't understand why people complain but it really is dangerous. I've strained my wrist many times because of this. Not all packages have the weights printed on them and when people are unloading a large ammount of average weight packages and an unmarked over 70 is laying among them it can really hurt because you'll grab it quickly to pick it up. Another thing that happens is a driver will lay one on the top shelf, (WHY DO THEY DO THIS?!?!?)and if it's not marked with the ove 70 label then lots of dangerous things can happen. More strains and possible foot injurys. I have placed a brand new roll of over70 stickers in each of the "problem driver" package cars but that hasn't improved the situation. I've spoken to management about it also but nothing has been done...yet. </font>

 

[dannyboy]

480

Not to nit pick but......You stated that you you can get hurt when an over 70 is mixed in the load of average weight packges. You state you will get hurt when you grab it quickly to pick it up.

Your words not mine.

Now what caused the injury, your poor unloading skills or the over 70?

You never just "grab it quickly". THat is an unsafe way to do your job. Dont blame that on the over 70.

Not that over 70's arn't a pain sometimes. But we have had more drivers injured when a 1-5 pound small package is loaded on the top shelf on top of and oversize, and the driver incorrectly pulls the package off the shelf and gets beaned.

THe last over 70 injury that we have had building wide was in 1998. We have many more injuries from stupidity and failing to adhere to the proper methods of loading and unloading. And keeping a clear work area is a biggie too.

AS a side note, while being on vacation this week, two cover drivers were injured delivering my route. And while I average 20-35 over 70's a day, neither one was due to an over 70.

So while I applaud your efforts to get the over 70's marked properly, dont use them as the excuse for getting hurt, while doing your job unsafely.


d

 

[parttimejon]

you people are amazing.You spin everything so that ups looks great and the workers are always to blame. the topic was marking over weights properly. its simple article 44 of the contract tells you exactly what needs to happen with these over 70's. this corporate,ups is god attitude is the problem not the four or five people who lay down on their work everyday. They lay down on their job because someone told them something dumb like the things you all say. a great example would be. Lets charge them for not marking their packages properly. The rates are high enough guys. How would you like to get charged for something you thought you already paid for. i think the people skills need to be worked on.

 

[upslocal480]

<font color="0000ff">What excuse and what is unsafe about grabbing packages quickly? That is what we are supposed to do. It is very possible to grab packages quickly and safely (been doing it for years) without getting injured. When someone squats down to pick up a package they are supposed to grab opposite corners in a safe and timely manner. Accordig to all training I ever recieved when I was hired, and including any "follow up training", the whole purpuse of over 70 labels is to get the attention of ALL employees that will handle it so that they can take the precautions to handle them safely so that while someone is unloading "in a timely manner", which is also stressed in training, they will notice the yellow warning labels and slow down and get help or take extra steps needed to unload the package safely. When the labels aren't on there then it's possible that even a slow attempt to pick up a package can lead to an injury. It's not the speed at which packages are being unloaded that causes the injury but, in fact, is the method by which they are being unloaded. I also know that it's a fact that having those labels on there sure helps because I know to take the extra precautions to unload them. All of this can apply to loading as well. </font>

 

[dannyboy]

Proper methods state to grasp not grab the package. This allows you to get a feel for what the package weighs. IT could be a 5 pound OS2 or a 145 pound or a 68 pound. This is the reason why you grasp and tug at the package, to know what you will have to do to make sure you use the proper force, lifting technique to safely move the package. If the package is more than you can safely handle, then get help. Yes marking tape yells out at the person, look out. But a safe worker would not need it, he/she could do the job safely without.

If you have been loading/unloading for quite a while, you should know how to do it.

While at my biggest bulk stop, they have many 45-69 pound packages that for the most part are loaded under the shelves. Most of these are less than 1 cubic foot in size. I find it much easier to go to my knees to unload them. There is no bending that way. Its almost like unloading them off the middle shelf. Other drivers do it differently, but that seems to work great for me.

d

 

[upslocal480]

<font color="0000ff">It would be simple to correct all of this if people would just put the labels on the packages like they are supposed to along with the hanlders grabing (or grasping!) the packages properly like they are supposed to. What kills me is that we have all these people that live by the contract when it comes to seniority and bidding on jobs but they don't want to follow the over 70 labels on packages rule. </font>

 

[tieguy]

"you people are amazing.You spin everything so that ups looks great and the workers are always to blame."

iF i understand your theme your stating the worker is a victim. As a victim there are no cures. What you've seen here is not as one sided as you claim. But what it is; is honest dialogue not crying about being victimized.

 

[steamheat]

your is the possessive form you (it shows ownership)

you're is a contraction of two words (you and are)

The 2 terms are not interchangeable.

 

[parecasa]

Did you guys see what happened to American Airlines employees when they were hoodwinked by the company to vote for paycuts under threats of American filing bankrupcy. Sounds a lot like UPS doesn't it.

}

 

[wvbrown]

Did you guys see what happened to American Airlines employees when they were hoodwinked by the company to vote for paycuts under threats of American filing bankrupcy. Sounds a lot like UPS doesn't it.}

What planet are you on ? I worked through ten contracts and three strikes ( 2 contract and 1 wildcat): we never were asked to take a paycut.

 

[tieguy]

Hell yea perecase . vote to go bankrupt. Lets ride that sinking ship down.

 

[badhab1]

It doesn't sound one damn thing like UPS and if you feel the absolute need to post you should try to come up with something a little more objective.

 

[parecasa]

It didn't mean that the way it sounded. I don't want UPS to go broke or workers to take a paycut. I just meant the tactics that American used toward their employees is the same as UPS. There is almost a vindictiveness towards union members by management