UPS..United Parcel Safety

[overallowed72]

Hey, did everyone enjoy theri ZERO bar for 0 accidents and 0 injuries the other day. Is it just me or is management focusing on SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY and not so much service?! I know around here we're beginning to think that our company's last name isn't Service anymore...it's now Safety. Next thing you know mgmt will start griping about how we're losing this customer and that customer because we're not providing service on packages. Don't get me wrong, I think safety is important, but we need not forget about where we started and came from.

 

[dannyboy]

Safety is a big issue this year at UPS.

Several years ago, I raised a ruckus when one of my co workers wanted to be a co-chair to work with me on the safety committee. Finally they relented and allowed our unit to have two hourly co-chairs.

Fast forward to this year. It was mandated that each unit now must have two hourly co chairs. I think they saw many of the benefits that we saw in safety improvements, and since in many cases the hourly co-chair is a driver with many years service, there are at least 8 or 9 weeks that they are off. With two co-chairs, the amount of time that the unit is without a co-chair is greatly reduced.

Also, It would seem that they now want the co-chairs to spend at least 28-32 hours each month taking care of safety committee business. Basically that means that the co-chair now will spend 1 day a week in the center doing nothing but safety concerns.

So yes, safety is a big issue. To make a lot of money is good. But the idea is to be able to keep some of it. If you made 100 grand a year, but were only able to hold on to 5 of them, what good did it do you to make 100. It goes back to the "don't work harder, work smarter" philosophy.

IF we work smarter and safer, we will make more money on the same packages we now have.

As for service issues, in the last two years they have seemed to have dropped the ball. I hope that they fix it before we get burned.

d

 

[wornoutupser]

If UPS was so serious about safety-then they would replace the P 500's.

Our building has had TWO flip in a year-both on the same highway and within a few miles of each other.

Neither employee will be able to return to work at this point.

I challenge them to fix the aging P 500 fleet. We still have many in our area.

I also challenge them to repair or replace the feeder unload device in our building.

It has fallen TWICE through peak. It is the old roller set that goes up and down on a screw type rack.

The belt section fell down Friday and had to be jacked up. One person has already had a foot caught under it when it fell.

UPS can stress safety all they want, but they need to spend the money to provide safe equipment. Just my honorable opinion

 

[30andout]

They can't seem to get anyone to volunteer for the safety commitee in my center so the just schedule who they want for early start times for meetings.

 

[over9five]

Two of our safety comittee members quit after they kept us on road through a blizzard. Only the center K/A remains.

Which is how it should be. No one with any self respect should take part in todays UPS "safety".

 

[mattwtrs]

Amen to perfect safety, Where could I start? P500's themselves are not the problem, It's the driver not adjusting to conditions and slowing down. Ask your safety people to do an analysis of the last 5 years accidents. The results may amaze you. Same thing with injuries! Everyday during peak the center manager made it a point to remind everyone to work and drive safely at all times and everyone did! Service may have suffered but no employee endured any pain by cutting corners or taking short cuts! Our missed package numbers were not that bad either. My supervisor was glad he did not have to sit in on the safety conference calls that are required after accidents and injuries. Everyone working safely meant there was more time devoted to delivering and picking up of packages and taking care of the customer and providing good service. We are not perfect by a long shot but we were better thru peak than we had been in a long time. Who else had an injury and accident free peak season?

 

[30+ year vet]

Where could I start? P500's themselves are not the problem, It's the driver not adjusting to conditions and slowing down.

Bullcrap. Yes, you sir, are full of bullcrap. P500's are old, worn out pieces of junk. They never should have been on the road in the first place, and there isn't one ever made that I would put my wife or children in, even when they were new.

My best friend died in a P500, and he was a professional driver in every way. He was a former feeder driver who had won the district driving rodeo that year. So let me repeat: You sir, are full of crap.

I've driven 5's for over 25 years, on a route that pulls over 200 miles a day, and they are junk. The only good thing about them is they keep my heart rate up.

 

[beatupbrown]

If UPS drivers went by the methods and worked safely they would have to cut in many more routes.Strange game they play preach one thing but want something else.

 

[dannyboy]

Matt

Sorry, the stats do not bear you out. Not only are they dangerous, but they are involved in more serious accidents more than others.

IF you want, check out the roll over rate on 500's. And why is UPS not interested in supplying us with the national stats, something they say they do not have. Now that is real BS. For UPS not to have the national stats on what cars are involved in roll overs is a cover up pure and simple.

As for those quitting after a blizzard, what good will that do. If I disagree with local management decisions, I have the number for the district office.

As a practical matter, if the conditions are too bad, you the driver are in charge where your truck goes and not. Pull off the road, call the center and get a motel room if it is that bad. If not, deliver/pickup what you can and head in.

d

 

[tieguy]

I can understand the concern about the equipment. The only thing I can say is I have seen this company spend more money the past two years than ever before. In fact this years tractor order is easily double previous years.

I understand the frustration with how quickly we fix things but you can not make any changes by refusing to participate. The best you can do is participate and persistently push for the changes that you feel are needed.

 

[dannyboy]

And if I can play off Tie's remark, quitting the safety committee will never garner any respect from the company. Staying firm, staying the course, always offering suggestions that are helpful, and if need be filing safety grievances when needed, that is what the company understands and respects. If you push hard enough and are persistent in your manners, they will give you results.

Speaking of which, If most of you remember last fall I posted about the handrail issue, that the company would not allow the moving of the handrails to accommodate the driver. Right before Christmas the word came down that they could start to move them to where the drivers could use the handrails. I some cases it meant lowering them, moving them to the inside or outside, or even adding a handrail.

This was a slow process, but we never let up, nor did we give up. And we did file a grievance, but it had not been heard at the panel.

What I do know is that the subject was brought up at the national level and it was approved that automotive could move the handrails.

Now if they will just get back to us on the P500 issue.

Also, Tie, I know that you are in feeders, so you know that department well. Feeders get and deserve newer equipment. But so do the delivery drivers. And at the rate they are filtering into the system, it will be a very long time before we have new equipment nation wide.

As to the safety record of the P500, if it is not an issue, or it is really as safe as proclaimed by UPS, then why are they not forthcoming on the information that was requested?

I think that everyone knows why. They are, always have been, always will be very prone to fishtailing and then turning over. And in the wrecks here, if the car goes over, the injuries are more severe.

This whole thing also bothers me about the new P700's which only have a single wheel rear axle. That would seem to be going in the wrong direction.

d

 

[wornoutupser]

Matt,

I try not to personally attack anyone on this board but your comment about the P-500's almost got me to that point. Even Tie and I keep it clean with each other.

The P 500 involved in the first rollover had been written up 4 days in a row by 4 different drivers that refused to drive it another day. UPS did not fix it, they kept giving it to another driver.

UPS hustled after the first accident and changed ALL of the P-5 tires back to new rubber. All of the P-5's were done in one night. They AGAIN have mixed tires on them. We all know that retreads are cheaper than new tires and look where we are back to.

I have personally had the second P-5 involved suddenly go off the road about 10 feet for no reason. This not only happened to me but to the onboard supervisor that was driving later in the day.

I have to ask, have you ever driven one of the vehicles? I have had one loose a front tire, brake and rotor at 55 MPH and I have had one suddenly lock into a rear wheel skid when the gears in the rear end fell apart.
God himself keep both of those vehicles from flipping- even the accident reviews said that I should have gone over both times and I was cleared in both cases.

I think you can see why I believe them to be dangerous. My speed was NOT a factor in either case.

Please review your accident statistics before claiming driver error.

 

[boswharfs]

We had a situation where a package shute that came out in the middle of our belt was just above eye sight when raised. Every edge on it was sharp. We went to the safety committee the day it was installed and attempted to get something done to pad it. After many attempts to get someone to pay attention to it, sure enough I ended up banging my head on it. At this point it became my personal mission to get it fixed!!!! Talked to center manager and was blown off. Threatened to report to OSHA and was told that we didn't want to do that because OSHA would want to pad every sharp edge in the building and that would cost UPS $$$$$ Also told if they fixed it here UPS would have to fix it in all the buildings. Again $$$$$$. I set up a meeting with the district safety mgr. Was promised it would be fixed. Still nothing. When someone asked me to be part of the safety committee, I told them the reason I wouldnt was demostrated in this process. The next week it was fixed. Go figure. On the other hand, the fastest way Ive found to get anything done is to just show it to the Liberty Mutual rep. The floorboards of my 30 year old 800 that were rotted out and I couldnt get fixed because the company didnt want to put any body money into the truck (slated to be crushed) were fixed the next day after I showed him. Even during peak when the body shop is closed. This again was after multiple attempts and after the district manager said he would do something and after the safety committee was involved as well. There is a way to a safer work place. It isnt easy and you have to hunt to find which channels actually work. Safety committee, unfortuantely is often just a bone thrown to us to make it look like the company is doing something.

 

[dannyboy]

Get on the committee and then follow your channels. You might be surprised.

d

 

[boswharfs]

Danny,
In each case I went to the committee first and they did pursue. I have no complaint about the drivers involved not doing their part. Ive been on the committees before. One of the most frustrating experiences of my life considering what the committee is supposed to be about. Maybe Ill try again and use the same bulldog tactics I use away from the committee. It just seems that when you are on the committee it is easier to box you in and dismiss you. You have to be a lot more conciliatory there.

 

[dannyboy]

I never was. Take oil on the floor of the building dripping out of package cars. It was brought up over and over again. Finally, I just took care of it myself. Got the dry's all, and spread it over the floor every night. After a month or so of filing over 9.5 grievances, they got a car wash guy to do it.

If UPS does not give you a response, go higher. and keep going higher until you do. When they understand they can not run over you, they will end up helping you to keep you from going higher up and making them look bad.

d

 

[toonertoo]

p500s are junk, actually I had my first and only instance of carbon monoxide poisoning in one of those beauties, on paper. I wasnt allowed to return to work until I didnt have to drive that. They said it "didnt bother anyone else". They tried to blame it on my vintage 80 camaro I drove to work, Nope, brand new exhaust. Maybe I got it at home..... they tried everything. it came down to a dilapidated piece of equipment, "and the manifold is on order", like that helped fix the problem....I used to know the car number, but I forget..............You will have that with co poisoning. But I have it filed away for when I need it in the future. But I havent driven that car since, although I know I saw it a few months ago. Im "sure its been fixed by now:"

 

[tieguy]

Is it a design issue or an age issue with the p500? I used to drive a p500 many years ago when I delivered and to be honest always liked the car.

 

[dannyboy]

Tie

I think it is some of both. And the recaps that they run on the car are also a factor. Put a set of dual wheels on the back of them, and they would be in fact a good truck.

As for exhaust, that has been a real problem with many of the older vehicles. UPS just does not want to keep up older cars that are scheduled for the torch within a year or two.

d

 

[wily_old_vet]

Remember when p500s started replacing the 400, what a great day that was. The heaters were SO good compared to what the 400's had. The last 500 I drove was about 7 years ago and still liked it but that doesn't mean that they aren't unsafe. Danny, about p700s. Mine had tandem wheels in the back. Are you saying the newest ones are now coming single wheel like the 500s? If so, that is a big mistake when having to drive in snow. The dual wheel 700s aren't great in the snow as it is.