Forklift Accident Kills Worker in N. Houston

[ltl lifer]

Jeepman, I have to agree with you. Averitt will tell you to search for greener pastures if we feel the need to, but safety is paramount and of utmost importance. But you can't watch everyone all the time.

I don't know how many times I have heard the "If you don't like it.........." speech. The safety of which you speak is not as important to them as what you may think. That is a proven fact after many years of observing their reactions to different situations.

Do they still have these safety committees made up of partial, holier than though, unqualified to pass judgement, drivers. I sat in on one of these partial panels once and saw very quickly what a joke this was. They wanted to pass judgement on a driver without REALLY discussing the facts and REALLY trying to understand what truly took place. "Give him a chargeable and on to the next case" is their SOP.

[ltl lifer]

As long as people are timed on performance, told they've taken too long to break a trailer or told to hurry, short cuts and risk will be taken. One of the biggest pieces of advice given to me by a veteran city driver is to not push yourself, that no freight is worth grabbing gears, taking risk in traffic, backing, getting in and out of the truck/trailer.
You will see forklift drivers standing off to the side of the forklift trying to watch as they push 7-8 skids down the dock at once, there needs to be walkways built up in the air across the docks, walk ways with mandatory stopping or something as we have to walk directly across the docks multiple times a day watching as they drive wide open, the docks are definitely not where the pedestrian has the right of way.

Most of us who don't work the city are unaware of Little Dick's favorite little measurement tool and that is called AMES. This is AE's standard for P&D productivity performance. I see reams of paper with this AMES data plasterd all over the walls of our terminal. I would venture to bet that > 2% of the city drivers look at it. Oh, the shirts will scream to the highest mountain about "oh you only had 1.8 stops per hour and we need you to be at 1.9 stops per hour. Listening to that from these clowns would render me striving at 1.4 stops per hour and there is not a damn thing that anyone is going to say about it. This measurement system is chock full of flaws with no allowance made for a problem that exists in all major metro areas and that is traffic, construction, weather, bad loading from the dock. No wonder 98% of AE's city drivers could care less. They come right out and say it.

[jmac4065]

I was just in HOU last week and came a few inches from being squashed like a bug by a high speed dockworker. In my opinion I think the drivers should pick up the paper work from the office instead of going to the dock stand. I think we have no business walking around the docks during busy times.



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[ltl lifer]

I was just in HOU last week and came a few inches from being squashed like a bug by a high speed dockworker. In my opinion I think the drivers should pick up the paper work from the office instead of going to the dock stand. I think we have no business walking around the docks during busy times.

You are absolutely right.

[rnsgn]

I was just in HOU last week and came a few inches from being squashed like a bug by a high speed dockworker. In my opinion I think the drivers should pick up the paper work from the office instead of going to the dock stand. I think we have no business walking around the docks during busy times.

It is odd, they put up yellow plastic chains to keep us from being around the mechanics but not only us associates, outside carriers, customers making dock pick ups and everyone else has to walk across some dock areas while watching for forklifts and trying to avoid tripping over cargo just to get to the office.
Not sure of the risk we encounter in the maintenance bays, flying tools? Nashville's major risk in the maintenance building is fueling your truck, it's tough to stand on those floors where a little diesel, anti freeze or oil has been spilled, especially on rainy days when the water mixes with it. Not sure why they've not installed those rubber mats like they have in some showers stalls, it allows the liquids to set on the floor while you walk on the rubber area for traction.

[ltl lifer]

It is odd, they put up yellow plastic chains to keep us from being around the mechanics but not only us associates, outside carriers, customers making dock pick ups and everyone else has to walk across some dock areas while watching for forklifts and trying to avoid tripping over cargo just to get to the office.
Not sure of the risk we encounter in the maintenance bays, flying tools? Nashville's major risk in the maintenance building is fueling your truck, it's tough to stand on those floors where a little diesel, anti freeze or oil has been spilled, especially on rainy days when the water mixes with it. Not sure why they've not installed those rubber mats like they have in some showers stalls, it allows the liquids to set on the floor while you walk on the rubber area for traction.

A bit hypocritical isn't it?

Ever go through the HOU fuel island and look at the floor over by the fluid bar? Talk about a hazard.