Got a visit from the fine folks at OSHA today

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce) 09/25/2018 at 19:34 • Filed to: None

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We knew it would happen at some point. But an ex employee called OSHA on us so some timelines are getting moved up...that is, if our plant manager will take his head out of his ass. We’re a chemical plant and the OSHA inspector correctly identified that chemical knowledge starts and ends with me. Nione was thrown under the bus, but I made a pact with the workers to fight to.make sure they get proper training and equipment.

Wsh me luck tomorrow, Oppo. I’m a product development chemist who gets to reform a chemical plant and also deal with a waste water irregularity that popped up as I tried to leave. And oh , BTW, I have two products testing in the field and a third about to hit our first test sites that I need to check up on and report back some findings.

Looks like I'm earning every cent of that paycheck this week.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 19:43

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Good luck man, you need it. OSHA doesn’t pull punches, if your right to know documentation is lacking that could be a hefty fine.  I used to manage this for my company and a few clients so I kinda know the routine. I prefer playing engineer than safety dude tho.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/25/2018 at 19:49

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My time with DEQ and EPA has taught me that admitting things are wrong and asking for help rather than arguing with the inspector in the building usually leads to a surprising amount of leniency as long as you regularly report updates and progress. But that being said, my plantanager might purposely or accidentally tank the Goodwill I’m attempting to build. His report won’t be done for a few weeks but I am pressing hard to”show progress” before he calls so we can sort of preemptively show good faith in trying to correct things.

DipodomysDeserti > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 19:57

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I worked as the Health and Environmental Safety Manager for my families print shop for almost a decade. We were guarenteed a visit from OSHA any time we fired anyone. They were always a breeze to deal with. I always wonder what sort of shenanigans comapnies who fear an OSHA visit are pulling.  

DipodomysDeserti > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/25/2018 at 20:02

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I was the Health and Environmental Safety Manager my family’sprint shop for a decade. You have to be a pretty shitty employer to incur fines from an OSHA inspection. It’s all pretty common sense stuff (if you give a shit about your employees).

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > DipodomysDeserti 09/25/2018 at 20:05

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Its a complete lack of caring over here. Also lots of ignorance. Nothing was done to wilfully ignore laws, they just literally didn't know the proper way to run a plant.

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 20:10

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good luck

DipodomysDeserti > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 20:17

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A complete lack of caring shows a willful ignorange of employee safety. OSHA laws are all pretty common sense. My pops didn’t even go to college and he knew how to follow the law. A few decades in business amd never once was he sued by an employee (shout out to IM).   Whatever MBA set up your shop knew exactly what they were doing. There’s a lot of Opponauts here who are highly skilled and educated who work for shithead bosses. Fuck your bosses.

TheRealBicycleBuck > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 20:23

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T he plant I worked for was a stickler for OSHA regulations. Since the plant was working with phenols and other really nasty derivatives, we were testing our processes multiple times per batch and all of our outfalls multiple times a day. They were so serious about respirator safety that they wouldn’t let anyone in the gate without a clean-shaven face. Every few months a truck driver would refuse to shave and refuse to let anyone else drive his truck, so they were turned away and the transport company would have to send a new truck.

In all the years I was there, we never received a visit from OSHA.

Good luck with your OSHA visit!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > DipodomysDeserti 09/25/2018 at 20:59

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Well aware of that. Doesn’t change the fact that there was no enforcement plus low wages so no one ever questioned why they could p arti ally fill a drum, not label or declare it as with a batch # and then no one gets in toruboe when we have 30+ unlabeled vessels in our building......

I report to the president over the plant manager for issues like this, I think. We shall see what power I have.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/25/2018 at 21:15

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Already had the visit. Now it’s all about correcting the issues. And getting the plant mana ger to under stand he doesn’t know how to run a chemical plant

BigBlock440 > DipodomysDeserti 09/25/2018 at 21:35

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I think it’s different small business vs large facility. In most large manufacturing facilities, there is always room for improvement and always opportunities for accidents, no matter how much effort you put into addressing it. People aren’t infallible, and everything is run by people .  Some fines are also not quite so common sense, like a $2,500 fine for a leaning pallet.  Hardly anyone would think a leaning pallet would be a safety issue, but OSHA considers it one because it caused a problem once.

smobgirl > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/25/2018 at 21:40

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I have nothing at all to do with OSHA but I’ve done a few Phase I’s for asset management reasons (maybe?) at some plastics plants. When you walk in asking questions and taking pictures, it’s easy to tell places like yours because they don’t know that I’m 100% harmless but they’re freaking out about everything and think throwing binders of MSDS sheets at me will make me go away.

But also, that’s some of the most fascinating work I’ve done. It is SO FAR outside of the norm for my company and my boss didn’t know jack shit about what we were looking at. I was paid well for them  but I earned every penny.

DipodomysDeserti > BigBlock440 09/26/2018 at 00:50

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Maybe I just overestimate the capabilities of a large plant. A leaning pallet is a pretty obvious no-go for anyone who has any experience with OSHA. If you miss that, I can only imagine the more serious shit that’s overlooked.

OSHA regs are lowest common denominator stuff. If you’re failing at them, there’s a whole bunch of other things you’re missing.

pip bip - choose Corrour > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/26/2018 at 07:16

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sounds like “fun”

BigBlock440 > DipodomysDeserti 09/26/2018 at 07:52

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A leaning pallet is a pretty obvious no-go for anyone who has any experience with OSHA.

Right, if you have experience with OSHA, but not necessarily common sense stuff like you originally stated. Having experience with OSHA and common sense isn’t the same thing. With a large facility, there are a lot of different processes, equipment, people, etc. there are going to be things that get misses no matter how safety minded your facility is.  Another thing is ladders, lots of people use ladders at home of various heights without fall protection, you’re only climbing up a couple feet and can jump 4 feet down no problem, common sense says it’s not an issue, OSHA says it is.

OSHA absolutely does go easier on smaller businesses though, due to the reality that it’s easier to train a small group of people not to put their hands somewhere than a large group of people that often change weekly.  I don’t know the cutoff, but they have lots of exemptions depending on industry and facility size.