A number of our members and fellow employees have received visits and in some incidences citations from WISHA for improperly placed work area protection. In some instances the citations were very border line others were a simple a case of disregarding safety policy.
WISHA has deemed WAP a primary enforcement concern which means our people need to follow the rules-period. The latest citation was issued to a tech working aerially within inches of the fog line with few cones but no early warning sign evident.
If these types of citations continue to be received by Qwest techs it has been made known that disciplinary measures will be pursued. The worker bees have the ultimate say so on safe set ups. All set ups must meet all standards WISHA, DOT, QWEST and any local municipality’s requirements. There are no “just this once” or “this outage takes precedence” variances. We need to know what is required before putting ourselves and/or the public in harms way.
If you don’t know what is fully required it is up to you to find out prior to starting the work operation not when WISHA shows up. Your manager needs to make sure that all pertinent information is made available before work begins. Contact engineering, inspectors, or a safety rep if confusion exits but don’t compromise safety. Proper WAP is equally as important as test, purging, and ventilating, wearing body harnesses, shoring a pit or testing for foreign power. The grill of a semi is as efficiently deadly as no oxygen.
Another area of concern is the sudden rise in hand injuries for everything from lacerations to removal of finger tips. Hand protection is available and is to be worn. There are non- penetration gloves for opening sheaths, rubber gloves for electrical hazards, gloves for cold, gloves for scrapes and abrasions so ask for them and use them before only mittens are needed.
There have been two very serious motor vehicle accidents recently that may have been at least partially attributed to working late fatigue. As was once stated by a famous philosopher, Dirty Harry, “ A man just needs to know his limitations.” This is especially true in O.T. situations. Pager duty piled on top of any other O.T. and regular work hours can and has put individuals in harms way without that person even realizing it. Vehicles are replaceable but a serious injury or worse yet the loss of a life is too devastating to contemplate. Being dedicated to restoring a customer’s service is very commendable but one needs to use common sense and not let the pursuit of the green back dollar cloud ones mind. 16 hours of continuous work needs 8 hours of break before the next assignment. Being too tired but responding anyway is only asking for trouble. No one will ever be forced to report to work if previous work opportunities have not allowed a 8 hour rest period. You make the decision but you also will suffer the consequences of an unwise decision.
Darkness is fast approaching, so remember to review adequate lighting requirements, reflective clothing, and work area protection requirements as per the SLPP manual as well as WISHA and DOT standards.
Dennis Garrett
Local 7804 Vice President and Safety Officer
Regional MOSHC Representative.
253-640-1253
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