Safety?

[Dock Man]

There has much tallk recently about safety but that is all it is, talk. For a while, two weeks, there were safety meetings. Those quickly degenerated into, here just sign this. Also there were attempts made to fix things long overdo because the big wigs came snifin about. Band-aid solutions at best but as soon they were gone so was the concern.

Now I don't wish to just find fault and offer no solution. So here are a few off the top of my head.

- If a trailer is unsafe because there is a large hole in the floor don't use it as a trap.

- Fix the dock plates to avoid work comp claims or at the very least put up signs to show which ones are defective.

- Replace bumper pads on dock. This save wear on both trailers and dock plates. Not to mention work comp claims.

- Fill in the craters in the yard with something more permanent then gravel. It washes away and easily displaced.

Just a sample in a long list. Tired of hearing about how much work comp claims are costing us yet they refuse to fix things or do so only after people get hurt.

[Not_wanted]

Let's add the worn out roll up door rollers to the list, EVERY day I fight trailers, and every day I kick them in disgust, and then let's try and grease a few dolly cranks too (there is a grease zerk there for a reason)

[boomerang]

Dock Man, from the way your thread reads, I do believe that you work at my center! HA! Although you failed to mention the dock doors that are about to fall off of the building, the time wasted trying to get the forklift to start, and then the trouble in getting that same forklift to actually stop when you apply the brakes! Then you cannot keep it still when you set the parking brake. I am not making this up! There is NO exaggerating here. I wholeheartedly agree. SAFETY??? On paper, management directs us to bring all of these things to their attention, when we do however, we are met with much groaning and whining about how much money it will cost "our center" to have these items repaired/replaced. Does anyone in Vitran management consider the cost of hospital bills, workmans compensation claims, lost productivity and/or the potential for lawsuits from injury suffered by their own associates? If you all do, then I sincerly ask that you (mgmt) cease with the resistance in addressing these potential hazards. Act upon reports of unsafe equipment and have it repaired! Give us (your associates) something safe to work with!

[Not_wanted]

If a big wig shows up at my place, I am going to take them for a 3 hour lunch of show and tell (may not do any good, but i will feel better)

[2koolajy]

I know that they hiring a few driver safety directors or something like that. I know at my terminal in chicago they are and in indy.

[Not_wanted]

Hopefully they get someone better than Greg in Indy was, he turned into one of them long term paycheck suckers. Didn't break my heart to hear he got escorted out the door this spring.

[boomerang]

Is Steve stiill the t.m. in indy?

[Dock Man]

@Boomerang - Indeed It seems as though the facilities may be the same. Though I also suspect this may be something common across the board at other terminals as well. The only way things seem to get fixed are the grand poobas come in and threaten them or someone gets hurt. And as far as safety meetings go, they usually wait till Friday to have you sign all of the sheets at once so they (T.M. and supervisors) appear to be doing their jobs. Corporate must not check those sign ins, at least on my shift, cannot remember when I had a 'safety meeting' nor signed a sheet.

Spending a dollar now may save ten down the road. It's called preventative maintenance.

[Scotty425]

@Boomerang - Indeed It seems as though the facilities may be the same. Though I also suspect this may be something common across the board at other terminals as well. The only way things seem to get fixed are the grand poobas come in and threaten them or someone gets hurt. And as far as safety meetings go, they usually wait till Friday to have you sign all of the sheets at once so they (T.M. and supervisors) appear to be doing their jobs. Corporate must not check those sign ins, at least on my shift, cannot remember when I had a 'safety meeting' nor signed a sheet.

Spending a dollar now may save ten down the road. It's called preventative maintenance.

Sorry, the Vitran corporate motto is :" Step over a dollar to pick up a dime" !!!

[Not_wanted]

[QUOTE=Dock Man;1068003]@Boomerang - And as far as safety meetings go, they usually wait till Friday to have you sign all of the sheets at once so they (T.M. and supervisors) appear to be doing their jobs.

Saves on Carpal Tunnel claims, but does drive up the overhead of carbon paper