Is your workplace this crazy?/

[pics]

Recently three guys were let go at work. Not a normal thing at our work place... The first one had a minor incident on a large loader he was learning to use. Of course when you are on a big machine like that minor could mean major. He was sent for a drug test and failed. Although it was his first day back from holidays there was enough in his system that the company considered him impaired even though it had been a few days since he "partook"...fired... The second guy was doing a labour job and mentioned that he had a sciatic nerve problem and shoveling could give him a problem...Off to an interview with industrial relations where they looked at his medical file..nothing mentioned on his file about it...fired...Third guy injures his wrist on the job so he goes on restricted duties for a bit..the job he does is very physically demanding...the company hires someone to follow him on his days off to take pictures of him on his motorbike..bad decision on his part...fired....All three were strong health and safety advocates in a company that stresses safety over all else......mind you the managers get bonuses for having as few incidents as possible...these guys aren't your normal "players".....lol

[Rod Caster]

Ugh. Glad to be out of the oilsands where it was similar, they own you and everything you do. Next thing you know they'll be measuring the hours of sleep u got. Less than 6 hours? Fired!

[Roy]

Sorry, I'm with the company on this one.

[Pikeslayer]

Recently three guys were let go at work. Not a normal thing at our work place... The first one had a minor incident on a large loader he was learning to use. Of course when you are on a big machine like that minor could mean major. He was sent for a drug test and failed. Although it was his first day back from holidays there was enough in his system that the company considered him impaired even though it had been a few days since he "partook"...fired... The second guy was doing a labour job and mentioned that he had a sciatic nerve problem and shoveling could give him a problem...Off to an interview with industrial relations where they looked at his medical file..nothing mentioned on his file about it...fired...Third guy injures his wrist on the job so he goes on restricted duties for a bit..the job he does is very physically demanding...the company hires someone to follow him on his days off to take pictures of him on his motorbike..bad decision on his part...fired....All three were strong health and safety advocates in a company that stresses safety over all else......mind you the managers get bonuses for having as few incidents as possible...these guys aren't your normal "players".....lol

 

Been there, done that and wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again. All three of these 'H&S advocates' were a risk to their colleagues and the company. There's nothing 'crazy' about that.

 

Slayer

Edited April 20, 2012 by pikeslayer

[workwear]

ever been on the other end paying for wsib??.....ive been on both ends receiving and paying....and trust me...paying for premiums and benefits when workers arnte up to par....HURTS!!!

 

years back i was followed when i took a claim out from my last employer....but i was never caught doin anything that i claimed i couldnt do....so it was all on the up and up....i did approach the investagator tho...it was hilarious when i went over and said hello to him...he wasnt a very good investigator....he stammered and stuttered a bit and basically told me that he wasnt following me...but i knew better...

 

but anyways....employers are very nervous bout these things....and its no wonder that they take these measures...accidents can and are costly!!

[cynmar]

Firstly I am an employer and have to closely look at all safety policies. However, I must say, that the medical profession has a part to play in this. I have had employees who sprained their wrist while off the job and the doctor has told them to file a WSIB claim. Makes the decision tough on the individual, we all want something for nothing don't we? Come on, be honest

Edited April 20, 2012 by oldbassguy

[pics]

There were no wsib claims in any of the incidents..one refused to work near a machine that didn't have guarding until it was fixed...if there was an incident and they found out he was aware of the lack of guarding then he would be fired....damned if you do and damned if you don't ....

[danc]

Workplace safety is just crazy these days. I won't say that it isn't justified, but there's some things that I don't agree with. I've always been a foreman on my jobs. If somebody gets hurt, or perhaps killed under my supervision, I get a huge fine. Possibly enough to financially ruin me. My workers are all trained, but I'm responsible if someone takes a shortcut and screws up. I sometimes have a dozen or more workers that I'm in charge of. I can't possibly watch every move that each one of them makes. Getting the job done right and within budget takes up 99.9% of my time. Bottom line is that if I see someone taking safety shortcuts, I have to let them go. It hasn't happened yet, but it is possible.

[Big Cliff]

I would have fired any one of them in a heart beat!

 

I ran a business for over 20 years, I have seen so many wsib type claims, "oh I slipped on some water on the floor and hurt my back", "I tried to pick up this box and my knee just gave out". There were a few others over the years and all proved in the long run to be bogus. A guy tested positive for drugs, he was operating a piece of heavy equipment, I don't care if he did just come back from holidays! FIRED!

Second guy had an un disclosed medical problem that could affect his ability to do his job. FIRED! Third guy claims he is injured but is observed doing something physically demanding on his time off, FIRED!

There are so many bogus claims these days I don't blame WSIB or the employers for being suspicious.

[craigdritchie]

Sorry if they're friends of yours, but I would have fired them too.

[DRIFTER_016]

Sorry if they're friends of yours, but I would have fired them too.

 

 

Yep, me too.

Seems justified to me.

[danc]

Worst thing that happened to me at work was that time when I broke my pelvis. I hate when that happens..

[pics]

The guy who tested with drugs in his system should be fired if it proves that he was impaired. Unfortunately it stays in your system for up to 4 weeks if you are a chronic user and up to a week if you do it once in a while. The question is....are you still impaired after 3 or 4 days?...personally I don't do it so it does not apply to me...never had a work place injury in 12 years and haven't called in sick in 9...lucky maybe...

[Spiel]

The people you work for are a bunch of arrogant asses, I know I worked for them and they'll fire you for looking at them the wrong way.

[Billy Bob]

After 30 years on the RR I was on both sides of these issues....I served as a safety director for only 3 years but it was enough to make my head spin. One guy was suppose to have a bad back and neck....the RR had a private investigator film him while he broke up concrete with a slug hammer and hung siding on a ladder....they then called him into the front office with me to witness his injuries and statement....the poor guy could barely walk and turn his head while in the office.... ...FIRED

 

But I have also seen where the RR was at fault MANY times also....had one of our guys electrocuted while re-railing RR cars in a heavy wet snow...he was in his late 20's and had his knees blown out, thumb burned off and many of his inners cooked...he survived if you want to call it that...nothing he did was his fault...he was just taking orders from the Wreck Master...

 

As far as drug testing.....anyone at our work place that had a commercial drivers license was subject to random testing....you never knew when you were going to be sent to pee in a cup....I was sent almost every time....later found out why....they need clean guys to look good....so they sent the guys they knew were clean day in and day out.....so every time I was sent I would take a little bit longer to return to work...

 

We had one guy that got hurt so much you wouldn't believe it...they nicknamed him "Slip, Trip and Fall there goes my Back Dominiac". He built a huge house from all his law suits...

 

I enjoyed my Safety Director job for the first 2 years....but I started to be a pain in the ass for the RR....exposing too many safety hazards that would cost too much money to rectify.....the last year they clipped my wings and I became a joke in front of my piers that I had worked with for over 20 years....I had to give up the cushy job for my self respect...it was hard to give up a vehicle and naming my own hours and days off...come and go as I pleased....but looking back I'm glad I did it...today when I run into some of my piers I can hold my head up and cheerfully talk to them, instead of walking past them with my head down.

[Fishnwire]

That test doesn't prove the guy who had the accident was impaired at the time...and what you do on your off-hours should be your own business. It's more likely the guy burned a few on vacation than showed up for work stoned. Seems to me that guy got a bit of a raw deal.

 

If the second guy had an existing medical condition that he didn't divulge when asked to do so...he should expect to get fired. He was perplexingly honest though...he could have claimed the problem was new, having been brought on by working for that company.

 

I can't stand people who pull stuff like the third guy...pretending to be hurt to get off work or get modified duty. I'm not exactly infatuated with the company I work for, so it's not the notion of them getting screwed that upsets me...it's the idea of someone taking it easy while others pick up his slack that rubs me the wrong way. I do wonder about the details a little though. Just because you can ride a motorbike for a few minutes to pick up a loaf of bread, doesn't mean you can do 8-12 hours of repetitive and/or hard physical labour.

 

It sounds like they had the right to make those moves...but I'll just say I'm happy I don't work for the company you do, and leave it at that.

[bigugli]

Can't get much sympathy for any one of them. Maybe the company came down too hard for the violations, but it was within the employer's right to do.

[rmarentette]

Next week on April 28th, will be the National Day of Mourning which is a day to remember the victims of unsafe workplaces. Having been involved with health and safety and injured workers I'm not at all surprised at some of the bias expressed by the some of the posters. Regardless of your feelings about who's right and who is wrong, the fact is that many workers are faced with a sometimes life altering event. Many families are also faced with tragic loss of a loved one and this is a loss for everyone. Here is link that underlines the importance of protecting our rights to a safe workplace.

 

http://www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning/

Edited April 21, 2012 by Rolly

[Photoz]

I slipped and injured my heel in October 2006 while delivering mail . . . . I was off work for all of 10 days before I was allowed to come back, on light dities. I sorted mail in my station for 3 months, full hours, before THEIR doctor gave me the green light to come back, but reccommended I should be given a walk with less stairs, as my injury was permanent. To make a long story short, the heel injury I had, when walking under harsh conditions (snow, wet weather, high volume of mail) caused me to limp. I was warned by a chiropractor that the limping would eventually throw other things outta whack. Finally one morning my knee just 'popped,' and down I went! Right off the bat I was told I SHOULD NOT have even been delivering this walk . . . . . but the Post Office backed off when I produced no less than 6 letters from me complaining about what walking this route (3914 stairs) was going to exacerbate my already injured heel. Fast forward another 2 years, the W. S. I. B. said I couldn't work as a letter carrier any more . . . they found a job for me, inside, midnight shift, sorting mail, not my cuppa tea, but better than sitting at home! Unfortunately my limping had thoroughly wrecked my right knee . . . . it was highly reccommended I have a complete knee replacement, or end up crippled . . . . I chose knee replacement . . . . waited over a year and finally got the surgery done. NOW, 5 months later, I can still hardly walk . . . . . I'm going to have ANOTHER knee operation, which might fix it . . . it might not too. But the moral of this sad tale . . . . . you can bet your chubby l'il butt if it wasn't for the backing of my union, I'd likely be unemployed and unable to work. I'm still on 'light duties,' sorting mail on the 'graveyard shift,' but I'm also quite able to 'earn my keep'. Oh yeah . . . . the house with the broken stair . . . . I had cut off delivery several months before my 'accident,' but was ORDERED to deliver their mail, or be FIRED! AFTER I was hurt, the house owner was ORDERED to move the mail box to the bottom of the stairs! And here I am, unable to do the job I loved, and in constant pain . . .. This is just a small example of what it looks like from the inside . . .. I know there will be a few of you out there who would have fired me the second I was injured . . . but these things DO happen, no matter how careful you are! Yes, there are people around me who do 'swing the lead,' but there are legitimate injuries too, and people who, through no fault of their own, if they have no one to 'go to bat' for them, end up just being thrown on the 'scrap heap', just like trash!

[Fish Farmer]

Can't imagine going through life you can't have a couple drinks at someones wedding or at some other function, fishing trip. Sorry I have to work next week, not aloud to drink anymore. I guess were not supposed to get hurt. Same people that owns that place, throws their wounded soldiers to the streets.

I know what you mean Pic's I worked there 38 years. Some bad eggs made it bad for every one. Just like fisherman littering and walking out on thin ice. All fisherman are idiots.

I guess your alright it you can go through life and not get sick,hurt. But if you got dealt a bad hand, your trash. Some people are so perfect.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Fish Farmer

[aplumma]

Actually all three would be fired from my company. The first because what you do on your time is relevant on the job if it carries over into the time I employee you. If you drink on Sunday and show up with alcohol effects including "just a hangover" you are giving me less than 100% being both a moral issue and a safety issue, kind of like stealing from me. The second guy lied on his health application and can't be trusted. He is a long term workman compensation liability that will cost me in the long run. The third guy is number two who just keep his mouth shut. While these things sound like I am harsh the truth of the matter is a company can't pay the good people the money they deserve if they have all of the bills from the ones that suck up more of the resources. Suppose the company is not sharing the money they save by getting rid of the ones that cost them....why are you working there? Both sides the employer and the employee have different views on this subject because both sides have different liabilities for there actions. If an employee loses his job because he smoked a few on "his" time and it is identified on a drug test he feels injustice has been done since he is 100% not stoned on the day he got tested. The employer how ever finds the same employee who is good at work on time etc and gives him a break and does not fire him now has put the company in danger because this good employee a week later wrecks a truck and injured his helper for the day. Out comes the info that the employer did not fire a known drug user and allowed him to drive a company vehicle with a passenger man o man that is a lawyers dream come true. While this is not some thing a company takes the time to tell the employees this is some of the other side of the coin information that hopefully helps you see that business is business and it is not always personally about you.

 

 

Art

[craigdritchie]

Art raises a good point. We live in a world run by lawyers and insurance companies, so as soon as you include the terms "operate heavy equipment" and "failed drug test" in the same discussion, you know where it's going to wind up.

 

Health claims, in particular, are an enormous expense for any employer/insurer, so they will be scrutinized even more closely in the future. No problem if someone's legitimately injured and can't work. But come on, if you're off on sick leave and out bombing around on your bike, or re-doing the siding on your house, then you're basically asking for it. I know a guy who had a "bad back" and went on long term disability. Then the insurance investigator took some video of him out on his jet ski. Guess what happened next? To this day he says the company screwed him, but let's be honest - who was screwing who?

 

Spiel - I have no idea what company you're talking about, and maybe it is run by a bunch of dicks. But this kind of employee scrutiny is becoming more commonplace in every industry. Even good companies run by great people are introducing "zero tolerance" policies. I think it's got to a point they can't afford not to.

[Big Cliff]

When I was in the army things like sun burn and hangovers were considered "self inflicted injuries". If they were preventable by you but you didn't prevent them, you better not let them stand in the way of you doing your job 100%. If you want sympathy you can find it in the dictionary!

[woodenboater]

The company I work is pretty fair over all. A number of years a go a colleague in my department got busted for DUI but ended up swapping positions for the year with another colleague who worked inside. He was lucky but I don't think he ever was able to truly control his drinking. Can't remember if we also have a drug policy or not but am presuming we do.

 

and yeah, my company would probably pink slip the three guys as well, after much discussion with the union. Well maybe not so much discussion for the drug and siding guys, the one with sciatic problems would involve more negotiations.

Edited April 21, 2012 by woodenboater

[crappieperchhunter]

Gotta agree with the hardliners here. All three would have been getting the "Donald Trump" from me too.

The world we live in and the people in it have steered it towards this. It's unfortunate...but it is reality.