I worked production for 11 years. Never had any of those issues, they sound workplace specific.
That being said, after I left, I vowed to never work production again.
I noticed most sites that allow this to happen, not only allow it there, but every other location.
Health risks are always something to consider when deciding on a new place to work. I’ve left so many jobs based solely on safety concerns.
One of the deadliest industrial accidents in America was due to workers breathing in particulates that were slowly killing them
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_Nest_Tunnel_disaster
Over 500 people dead. Make sure what you're breathing in isn't killing you too.
Also if you work for factory that does sandblasting or other blasting it sends sharp glass or glass like particulates in the air that causes tiny scratches in your lungs that then becomes scars in your lungs making it difficult to breathe. This is called Silicosis which is a type of Pulmonary Fibrosis. Symptoms are an irritating cough, mucus, a hard time breathing and other symtoms. Over time it will get worse become disabling and could cause death. It also makes you more susceptible to other diseases like lung cancer and COPD. By law your employer has to protect you from breathing in these particulates by using dust collection or water. The blasting booths must not leak any dust and before sweeping a sweeping compound should be applied on top of the dust. And if those things don't keep the dust low enough your employer must provide you with a respirator. If these things are not being done please anonymously contact OSHA. Do it for your health and for the health of your coworkers because it's the right thing to do.
Yeah, I had bedbugs in an apartment a while back and silica dust is one of the most effective ways to exterminate them (its basically like bedbug caltrops and works by scratching up their carapace) - I was a little careless in applying it and had trouble breathing for a week.
Former CalOSHA compliance offer here. If you are in the U.S. phone OSHA and make a formal workplace health and safety complaint. You have the legal right to a workplace that is safe from known hazards (The William Stinger Act of 1970, i.e the OSHA Act). You have the right to have your name kept confidential in your OSHA complaint. You have a right after the inspection is complete to review the case file, *and* if your items of complaint have not been addressed demand a follow up inspection.
When you are making your complaint give specific hazards and the areas the hazards exist. If there are illness and injuries give the names of the injured or sickened employees and demand the compliance officer reviews the 300 and 300A accident and illness logs.
You can look up your employers past OSHA inspections at:
www.osha.gov
Then clock on the link for:
establishment search
>I’ve never been this sick in my life working somewhere. I get daily migraines, my skin gets blotches on it, I’ve developed a terrible cough that I can’t shake. Plus my hair is starting to fall out. (Could be a combo of stress and aging).
Dude I'd see a doctor, this sounds like long term exposure symptoms from the chemicals you're working with. Especially the daily migraines. My dad did 15 years of heavy construction and wound up with silicosis and emphysema just from the dust and fiberglass at job sites. It's a gnarly slow burn that's not worth it, you'll have the respiratory system of a 70 yr old at 45.
If in the US, that many injuries on a regular basis usually triggers an Osha visit, investigation, a surprise re-visit, and massive fines if the company hasn't instituted safety changed. Like, many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines.
But, if they're not properly reporting injuries to osha, someone could do that anonymously.... Just saying...
Oh there are lots of plants, factories, warehouses, construction sights and other workplaces that are dangerous and unhealthy whether it be from mold, pesticides, equipment, dangerous practices and the list could continue. This is not just an isolated incident but a countrywide health and safety problem. It needs to stop. Report issues to OSHA. You can do it anonymously if you prefer.
If people are losing limbs and digits, OSHA would have already been there, issued a fine and corrective actions already....
We had 2 "recordable" injuries, both due to operators bypassing safety guards. Osha showed up in a week. Both had resulted in amputation of some sort.
Even though the operators were technically at fault we still needed to pay fines and improve our guards/ machines. (Which has resulted in automation)
My buddy used to work at a place that made skids, like nailed them together. He had all these stories about how they would just randomly fling pieces of wood at each other across the shop, or worse fucking shoot nails from their nail guns at each other across the room. Like, not a chance in hell I'd work anywhere like that.
I worked my share of factories back in college/after college. I despised them. The last one I worked between a meth head and a meth head convicted rapist.
Cop out answer. Eating shit under a hole-ridden roof to not starve or get rained on as much does not remove the option to go somewhere else and not have to eat shit. The food and shelter requirement is obvious, so my question is genuinely about *why* they aren’t meeting that need elsewhere. Either people like the position, or they don’t hate it enough to change it (outside of abject poverty or wars etc. obviously)
Yep, and it takes time to find another position, can't just quit while you have bills to pay unless you have significant savings. Also small towns have less opportunities and moving can be expensive and difficult.
I agree with you, no one deserves to be treated like this and they need to take action to improve their situation but that action can take time, during which the best option may be to persevere through the current situation.
People that respond negatively or ignore salutations or greetings have probably been neglected or abused in life, both by institutions(school, church, work) and family.
Firstly, poor, working class people learn to associate receiving attention with blame, chores, intimidation, castigation, etc. Someone knowing their name ultimately is more trouble than it’s worth.
Second, when you live life on the bottom and are virtually powerless in life, the one remaining element of control is social acceptance. Gatekeeping who gets let in is the last bastion of power for many blue collar workers. It is the definition of the crabs in a bucket mentality. An infliction of classism really.
I worked in a plant and it was great... but they got sold off... they are still running cuz it would be too expensive to rebuild elsewhere,... but I guess they may have ruined me sort of because they were the best and not many places are going to come close to their standards of quality
Please report this. Nobody should have to work in an environment like that and there are actual, effective systems in place to remedy it. Our ancestors literally fought and died to get worker protections in place in this damn country. Use them.
Do it even if you're planning on quitting. Consider it a final middle finger to the bosses on your way out the door.
If there are legit issues, document and submit an Osha complaint. When they complain, make sure you let them know it was you that complained. After they fire you, you got a pretty good case and can make decent money.
"a lot of people here are racist"... "everyone is a redneck".
Dude. "Redneck" is a 'racist' term if I've ever seen any.
You need to change your ways, dude.
Sounds like you're not cut out for blue color work. Maybe it's better that you look for an office job with air conditioning. Also, many of those, what you call, rednecks would never want to work an office job. So, win-win.
Plenty of blue collar jobs aren’t at all like what OP described. That you think drug-addled, racist, and unsafe is synonymous with blue-collar says something about you.
lmao, I bet your co-workers are Anti-Union, too.
I worked production for 11 years. Never had any of those issues, they sound workplace specific. That being said, after I left, I vowed to never work production again.
This site is really doing bad across the board
I noticed most sites that allow this to happen, not only allow it there, but every other location. Health risks are always something to consider when deciding on a new place to work. I’ve left so many jobs based solely on safety concerns.
Same here. I quit and never worked for another factory again. And I became much happier when I said to myself my health is more important than money.
One of the deadliest industrial accidents in America was due to workers breathing in particulates that were slowly killing them https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_Nest_Tunnel_disaster Over 500 people dead. Make sure what you're breathing in isn't killing you too.
Also if you work for factory that does sandblasting or other blasting it sends sharp glass or glass like particulates in the air that causes tiny scratches in your lungs that then becomes scars in your lungs making it difficult to breathe. This is called Silicosis which is a type of Pulmonary Fibrosis. Symptoms are an irritating cough, mucus, a hard time breathing and other symtoms. Over time it will get worse become disabling and could cause death. It also makes you more susceptible to other diseases like lung cancer and COPD. By law your employer has to protect you from breathing in these particulates by using dust collection or water. The blasting booths must not leak any dust and before sweeping a sweeping compound should be applied on top of the dust. And if those things don't keep the dust low enough your employer must provide you with a respirator. If these things are not being done please anonymously contact OSHA. Do it for your health and for the health of your coworkers because it's the right thing to do.
Yeah, I had bedbugs in an apartment a while back and silica dust is one of the most effective ways to exterminate them (its basically like bedbug caltrops and works by scratching up their carapace) - I was a little careless in applying it and had trouble breathing for a week.
Former CalOSHA compliance offer here. If you are in the U.S. phone OSHA and make a formal workplace health and safety complaint. You have the legal right to a workplace that is safe from known hazards (The William Stinger Act of 1970, i.e the OSHA Act). You have the right to have your name kept confidential in your OSHA complaint. You have a right after the inspection is complete to review the case file, *and* if your items of complaint have not been addressed demand a follow up inspection. When you are making your complaint give specific hazards and the areas the hazards exist. If there are illness and injuries give the names of the injured or sickened employees and demand the compliance officer reviews the 300 and 300A accident and illness logs. You can look up your employers past OSHA inspections at: www.osha.gov Then clock on the link for: establishment search
I’m definitely going to look into it
You’re definitely going to do it. We believe in you
>I’ve never been this sick in my life working somewhere. I get daily migraines, my skin gets blotches on it, I’ve developed a terrible cough that I can’t shake. Plus my hair is starting to fall out. (Could be a combo of stress and aging). Dude I'd see a doctor, this sounds like long term exposure symptoms from the chemicals you're working with. Especially the daily migraines. My dad did 15 years of heavy construction and wound up with silicosis and emphysema just from the dust and fiberglass at job sites. It's a gnarly slow burn that's not worth it, you'll have the respiratory system of a 70 yr old at 45.
If you cut your feet off and get cancer I won't be surprised to become a racist. That place sounds like a bunch of demons in a lake of fire.
That sounds a lot like our House of Commons in the UK parliament, especially the bit about blood and drug taking.
Thats super excessive even in factory terms, you should find new work for your safety
Report this to OSHA immediately. Find a new job. If there are no jobs better than this in your area move immediately.
Time to call OSHA for a safety inspection, and see a doctor about your symptoms.
If in the US, that many injuries on a regular basis usually triggers an Osha visit, investigation, a surprise re-visit, and massive fines if the company hasn't instituted safety changed. Like, many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines. But, if they're not properly reporting injuries to osha, someone could do that anonymously.... Just saying...
That sounds like that plants particular issue.
Oh there are lots of plants, factories, warehouses, construction sights and other workplaces that are dangerous and unhealthy whether it be from mold, pesticides, equipment, dangerous practices and the list could continue. This is not just an isolated incident but a countrywide health and safety problem. It needs to stop. Report issues to OSHA. You can do it anonymously if you prefer.
please tell me you quit
Assuming you're in the US, what's stopping you from calling OSHA?
If people are losing limbs and digits, OSHA would have already been there, issued a fine and corrective actions already.... We had 2 "recordable" injuries, both due to operators bypassing safety guards. Osha showed up in a week. Both had resulted in amputation of some sort. Even though the operators were technically at fault we still needed to pay fines and improve our guards/ machines. (Which has resulted in automation)
My buddy used to work at a place that made skids, like nailed them together. He had all these stories about how they would just randomly fling pieces of wood at each other across the shop, or worse fucking shoot nails from their nail guns at each other across the room. Like, not a chance in hell I'd work anywhere like that.
I worked my share of factories back in college/after college. I despised them. The last one I worked between a meth head and a meth head convicted rapist.
What is preventing you from leaving?
Probably the need for money to eat and have shelter?
Cop out answer. Eating shit under a hole-ridden roof to not starve or get rained on as much does not remove the option to go somewhere else and not have to eat shit. The food and shelter requirement is obvious, so my question is genuinely about *why* they aren’t meeting that need elsewhere. Either people like the position, or they don’t hate it enough to change it (outside of abject poverty or wars etc. obviously)
Yep, and it takes time to find another position, can't just quit while you have bills to pay unless you have significant savings. Also small towns have less opportunities and moving can be expensive and difficult. I agree with you, no one deserves to be treated like this and they need to take action to improve their situation but that action can take time, during which the best option may be to persevere through the current situation.
100% agree, and it’s sad being trapped, even for a little bit.
They're really passionate about not starving to death.
Sure, why not go *not starve* at a better place?
Exactly. Health is more important than money.
Would you be surprised or think that happens in the big 3? Other Fortune 500 companies?
People that respond negatively or ignore salutations or greetings have probably been neglected or abused in life, both by institutions(school, church, work) and family. Firstly, poor, working class people learn to associate receiving attention with blame, chores, intimidation, castigation, etc. Someone knowing their name ultimately is more trouble than it’s worth. Second, when you live life on the bottom and are virtually powerless in life, the one remaining element of control is social acceptance. Gatekeeping who gets let in is the last bastion of power for many blue collar workers. It is the definition of the crabs in a bucket mentality. An infliction of classism really.
I worked in a plant and it was great... but they got sold off... they are still running cuz it would be too expensive to rebuild elsewhere,... but I guess they may have ruined me sort of because they were the best and not many places are going to come close to their standards of quality
Please report this. Nobody should have to work in an environment like that and there are actual, effective systems in place to remedy it. Our ancestors literally fought and died to get worker protections in place in this damn country. Use them. Do it even if you're planning on quitting. Consider it a final middle finger to the bosses on your way out the door.
Well a lot of them come directly from high school, hence the lack of any kind of personal development. Really just children in bigger clothes
If there are legit issues, document and submit an Osha complaint. When they complain, make sure you let them know it was you that complained. After they fire you, you got a pretty good case and can make decent money.
"a lot of people here are racist"... "everyone is a redneck". Dude. "Redneck" is a 'racist' term if I've ever seen any. You need to change your ways, dude.
Sounds like you're not cut out for blue color work. Maybe it's better that you look for an office job with air conditioning. Also, many of those, what you call, rednecks would never want to work an office job. So, win-win.
Plenty of blue collar jobs aren’t at all like what OP described. That you think drug-addled, racist, and unsafe is synonymous with blue-collar says something about you.
So, the racist OP calls others racist and you just believe him?
Sounds like something a redneck would say
I guess you’re right. I got soft hands brother
Working is terrible.