So, the boss recently took a risk assessment seminar, something called "Health and Safety in the modern workplace." Sounded alright to me. Health and safety at work is always an appealing goal. Especially if you work in a meat packing plant like I do. Where I am employed, I can't exactly take health and safety at work for granted. Not with 500 pound carcasses constantly swinging over my head for me to gut with a chainsaw. Not with everything so hot that I have to loosen my safety gear not to pass out.
So, as soon as he had taken this seminar, the boss got really scared. I overheard him talking about our "litigious culture." Lest you think that his concern was for our health and safety at work, let me enlighten you. The guy doesn't want to get sued. Honestly, I don't care that much what his motives are if it means that I'm that much less likely to get hurt on the job. I'm not his conscience, just one of his employees.
So, the next day he brings in a health and safety consultant. I don't know if they got someone a bit wet behind the years or what. Usually when the bring in one of these consultant types its all efficient nod, phony smile, efficient nod. Not this guy. He literally blanched when he saw our conditions. It seems that health and safety at work are supposed to be at a bit of a higher standard than we have then.
He was especially dismayed at the stainless steel, uncovered ground where we are forced to stand. The boss has been too cheap to buy some rubber mats to stop us from sliding around no matter how much we ask, but somehow he isn't to cheap to bring in some health and safety at work expert to tell him that he's got to buy us the mats. And then there's the clogged drains.
I'm not on the night crew, thank God, but I've heard the horror stories. Apparently, the poor guys have to stay after for half an hour just waiting for the drains to empty. Meanwhile, we spend all day ankle deep in blood and innards. It's a good think that the health inspectors didn't get here before his consultant, is all I have to say. I'm just glad that he had this risk assessment done before someone got seriously hurt.
Find the information you need on health and safety standards at the workplace by visiting the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) Web site.
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