Just in case no one noticed, since November the Western side of the big mountain has been evolved in two very different weather events that resulted in basically the same conditions for Qwest and it’s employees which were downed trees, downed power, downed drops, burned cables and R.T. sites without power. .
In November it was a freaky wind storm that came down the usual slot creating havoc in a selective area. The second , as we all know, was the not so usual snow storm that resulted in the same type of damage only this time it was area wide.
In both situations Qwest employees were expected to respond to “the needs of the business” I.E. to restore customer service ASAP. How these “restorers” were selectively chosen is another issue that is being addressed but the safety procedures and conditions our members were expected to work under in many instances did not follow Qwest Safety Loss and Prevention Program (SLPP) or the Washington Storm and Power Down guideline procedure agreement of 1998 agreed upon between CWA Safety Officers and Qwest (USWEST) Management!
Failure to use the paging notification system to alert all potentially evolved employees, failure to have a viably consistent paging system in place even with on going complaints concerning that situation, and most important the failure to be fully aware of what unsafe conditions techs were being dispatched into.
In any natural event such as the last two we are all fully aware that there will always be instances where a mistake can occur but in all life threatening situations we as the worker bees need to protect ourselves, we are the ones who will suffer the ultimate harm.
It was reported that employees were working in areas where power was down, the wires could be seen.
It was reported that employee vehicles were actually sitting on power drops or power lines.
It was reported that restoration work was being performed on various highways with no work area protection – flaggers – or adequate lighting.
Nowhere was there an edict given that in order to get service restored that the rules and policies of Safety were to be ignored – quite to the contrary – the outages and weather conditions “demanded” full compliance with all Safety rules.
Qwest Management has the obligation to not only provide all safety items but also to make sure all safety polices are followed by all – no exceptions.
The SLPP (Safety Loss & Prevention Program) manual is not set aside to meet the need of the service. To the contrary it is “the” reference, along with WISHA and OSHA guidelines, as to how to protect our people from a serious problem.
There are workers in all RCA’s that will charge ahead while compromising their own and possibly other’s safety and well being. So be it.
But in all instances be it disaster or the on going day to day work operations you and I, as employees, have the ultimate say as to the safety of any work operation. We can refuse the work with certain caveats:
Another issue is training and equipment. Handing an employee a 12’ extension cord with funny looking connectors on each end and telling them to “go power up R.T. so and so” does not equate to proper training and potentially proper equipping. Also if the R.T. sits in the middle of downed power lines we aren’t to be in there.
Power down and power out are two different animals. Hopefully all of us are smart enough to react according to the situation we are dispatched into.
The procedures of the last two weather events are going to be reviewed and improved by a committee comprised of CWA safety officers and Qwest managers later this month. The resulting procedural info will be shared with all techs by safety committee reps at the various crew safety meetings.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility. I would say that we have been more lucky than skilled in that no employee was seriously injured or worse during the recent weather/power down events. Protect yourself – report problems – use safety equipment – follow your training and above all remember:
No Job Is So Important
And
No Service So Urgent
That
We Cannot Take Time
To
Perform Our Work Safely
This credo says it all – it’s been around for years and guess what it hasn’t been repealed.
Dennis Garrett
Local 7804 Vice President and Safety Officer
Regional MOSHC Representative.
253-640-1253
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