On Monday I will suggest that they owe me rye, no question about it.
On Monday I will suggest that they owe me rye, no question about it.
This is a thread where I built a boat I designed and which I very occasionally update with accounts of using it, which is really fun as long as I'm not driving over logs and blowing up the outboard.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ilding-a-skiff
Circa 1993 Ed Theusen ,who owned Texas Knifemakers Supply, told me he had irreversible lung damage from grinding tropical hardwoods. Also if you are grinding G10, glass grinding/ blasting silicosis is an issue.
Most people ignore these issues.
YOU DO NOT GET USED TO IT ! IT DAMAGES YOU PERMANENTLY !
If we can get past Macho dickheadedness we will all be better off.
I believe all wood sawdust, especially the fine flour-like dust from sanding is considered either a sever lung irritant or a carcinogen. Cedar sawdust is really wicked. Drywall dust is hard on the lungs also, as is fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass used to have a carcinogen warning label, but it seemed to be small and on the bottom of the wrapper.
It seems most use the lower strap on the N95 masks around their neck. They don't seal well that way. Putting the lower strap up high on the head so it pulls the lower edge more snug under the chin, then the upper strap lower across the back of the head helped me quite a lot. Even with a beard I am able to keep most dust out. The exhalation valves are helpful to keep safety glasses from fogging.
I had someone pick me up some more masks,...and she got the wrong ones. Instead of the yellow ones (?), she got the blue ones, which I believe are rated for gases and/or vapors also. That seemed like better than the regular dry particle yellow ones, so that's what I bought from then on. Maybe someone knows more about it? I read the info sheet that came with them, but it was several years ago.
Great thread and thoughts from everyone so far. To the OP - I frequently am not a fan of your posts but this thread has been a reminder that there are more to the posters on here than just their online personas, so thank you for that.
Organizational behavior and motivation is a consistently fascinating body of knowledge for me, and understanding it has been at the core of my career since the start of it (I'm an unabashed overpaid corporate type with a slightly less than 24k golden parachute, but with a heart and I've spent alot of time in heavy industry/mfg/construction operations earlier on :P).
There are many who get IT but also tons who don't and never will. ("IT" being the importance of PPE, the value of high quality work and any number of other things regardless of the industry, profession or trade you are in). Broadly, this is why no matter what "level" of job, having the "right" people is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT factor for a business that relies on people. A tiny difference here can be enough to differentiate between a winning company and a losing one.
Experience has made it brutally clear to me that repeat PPE offenders need to be let go quickly. PERIOD. I would liken it to having someone muzzle others with a live gun at a range or match. The potential harm is not only to themselves but also others and if someone doesn't have it figured out on their own, and still doesnt figure it out after being TOLD, they are done.
Specific to PPE utilization -
OP - I get what you are saying about starting small, but I would differ in that you or someone very knowledgeable in terms of the PPE needed get folks to use the right gear from the get go. There is a greater chance of adoption that way, training and relearning is minimized, full protection from risks starts earlier and there is no chance of pushback in the form of "I thought the earlier gear was adequate why do we have to change" or resentment over "So I was not being adequately previously and you knew it?".
Overly prophylactic PPE leads to complacency. Complacency negates the effectiveness of PPE.
People who get IT and are properly educated/informed always utilize critical thinking - as it relates to PPE, they are thinking pre-task/job about what risks they will encounter and what they will do to mitigate those risks. Someone on your team should know for example whether or not they will run into asbestos prior to starting the work.
You need to find and connect with a few key types of stakeholders to continue driving the improvements that you've started already. Champions (especially higher-ups in the company) to be active and engaged in the journey to safer working practices from a bigger picture strategic standpoint, experts (hopefully you have a few accessible in your company's safety team etc) who can provide specific, accurate, technical knowledge/recommendations, influencers who can promote and popularize safe practices down to the lowest rung, and enforcers who will make tough decisions as necessary.
The vast majority of negative impacts of not utilizing PPE are either acute but relatively rare, or latent and relatively common. The former scenario can manifest for example in the form of someone fucking up with LOTO on HV gear and getting vaporized, the latter through something like mesothelioma from asbestos exposure as mentioned.
The former is like not having adequate insurance coverage for catastrophic health, property etc events and the latter is like not saving up a bit over time to be able to buy a house or even have an emergency fund etc. Now think of how many people in the population get shit or no insurance coverage and spend irresponsibly and that % of the population is mirrored in the workforce.
That's another way to build trust with your folks: showing that you know the difference between the "do it because the rule says" stuff and the "this will get you hurt or killed" stuff. If you treat it all equally you become a "safety Nazi", but if it's obvious that you care about keeping them safe the good ones will respect that.Originally Posted by TBone550
I'm not saying that one should ignore safety rules, because that can take you down the "normalization of deviance" path to bad behavior. But when you're repainting your freshly-painted yellow floor markings because they're the wrong shade of yellow, a little eye-rolling is fine. Save the big stick and lecture for the stuff that matters.
If someone asks why an apparently dumb rule exists, tell them you'll find out and then be sure to follow up.
Kudos for taking the time and interest in your colleagues health and safety even though you're exiting 'stage right' from the industry. You can pay people a million bucks a year but you can't pay them enough to make them care about their work. Well done!
Last edited by FNFAN; 01-22-2017 at 07:45 AM.
-All views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the author's employer-
Taking the time to do the research correctly, make sure plans are actually compliant with regs and functional requirements, etc. should prevent stuff like this from happening. Getting management buy-in to spend on equipment and then having to spend again because the equipment purchased wasn't what was needed is a lesson those managers will never forget.
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