Safety Equipment

[OntarioVanMan]

Ok, all you so called professional expediters! Question:

How many wear their safety vest and steel toed boots walking onto a ship/receivers dock?

Do you wear them or carry them in case your told? You should not have to be told it's LAW in most states!

Earplugs...have those as well?

Do you have your own safety glasses? If not, why not?

How bouts in the summer...some ship/rec don't allow shorts especially the steel plants.

Are you prepared to be ejected and forfeit your load for not having them?

I've witnessed quite a few drivers snorting when told to put on safety equipment...cursing all the way.

In the bible belt I seen a driver ejected/refused entry for having a T with an in appropriate message.

 

[LDB]

You forgot your own hardhat. About once a year a facility will require one. I choose not to use the loaner they have that has who knows how many different evidence contributions from prior wearers as well as potentially a contribution of lice. I have all but the vest. I probably should get one of those also but have never been asked to wear one so far.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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[Moot]

I have boots but not steel toes. I have some Caterpillar issue safety glasses that fit over my specs blurring my vision and causing my bifocals to do funny things. And I always have long pants with me. I don't do the vest thing because the neon green clashes with my electric grape sport coat.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Leo..
I don't have one (shame) but most places have those ones that have disposable inner liners. But I should get my own.

I have them clip-on safety toes.

Moot...My vest kinda blends in with my tie dyed T-shirt!!

 

[Moot]

Far out man!

 

[LDB]

I've had one place hand me a hardhat with no temp liner and I just thank them and tell them I'll be back in a minute. Besides, why would I want a beat up plain hardhat when I could wear this?

http://www.discountsafetygear.com/fimetehahat.html

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
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[OntarioVanMan]

Thats cool! I may order me one.

 

[nightcreacher]

i always wear steel toed shoes,once in blue moon wear hard hat, and safety glassses,I do have my own,never was asked to wear a vest

 

[RichM]

Like Steve I always wear steel toed shoes. We had ourown hard hats and safety glasss if needed. There is no way I would put on one of those hard hats hanging on a rack. Never had to wear a vest but in some chemical plants they would issue you a resperator just in case.

One thing that I hated was having to wear a hair net at food processing places. One time the other half took a picture of me wearing one,if I can find it and scan it into the EO system I will send it to Mikes photos of the day.

 

[Doggie Daddy]

JMO,but I think the safety vest is more of a Canadian thing.If you notice,all of the Canadian trucks have them attached to their passenger seats.

Also,the only time that I ever was required to wear one was in Canada.DD.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Actually...Auto Components in Utica Mi, DC in Delaware and Ford Louisville I was made too...BUT maybe I just hit the hard nose UNION shift...

My last carrier we did alot of Pillsbury! hairnet and all talk about the doughboy!! Did you know pizza pops are made from hazmat materials?

 

[Doggie Daddy]

> Did you know pizza pops are made
>from hazmat materials?

I did not know that,what's a pizza pop? DD.

 

[fastman_1]

I have it all Hard hat, Glasses,Steel Toes and a vest, Never wore any of them, Never asked but if I am I'm ready.






































Owner/Operator since 1979
Expediter since 1997
B Unit Semi Retired
Somedays are Diamonds and Somedays are Stones
Home is Wherever you Park.
The Price of Freedom is Written on the Wall.

 

[piper1]

>Did you know pizza pops are made from hazmat materials?

Yes, For a year in college I ate 6 or 7 a day and then couldn't see my toes.

Doctors are working on a cure..........

 

[ATeam]

>Ok, all you so called professional expediters! Question:
>
>How many wear their safety vest and steel toed boots walking
>onto a ship/receivers dock?

Steel-toed shoes every time. Vests when required (rare).
>
>Do you wear them or carry them in case your told? You should
>not have to be told it's LAW in most states!

We carry our own vests for use on the street during liftgate deliveries. When vests have been required on docks, the shipper or consignee has provided them. Again, this is very rare, maybe happened once or twice in four years.

>Earplugs...have those as well?

Yes.

>Do you have your own safety glasses? If not, why not?

Yes, we have our own safety glasses.

>How bouts in the summer...some ship/rec don't allow shorts
>especially the steel plants.

With every pickup and delivery, we wear the same uniform. Steel-toed shoes, long pants (not blue jeans) and a FedEx Custom Critical shirt. While FedEx has uniform short pants, we wear long pants, even in hot weather. It is an act of public kindness to keep our untanned legs under wraps.

>Are you prepared to be ejected and forfeit your load for not
>having them?

Not an issue.

Not mentioned above is hard hats. We carry those too.

>I've witnessed quite a few drivers snorting when told to put
>on safety equipment...cursing all the way.
>
>In the bible belt I seen a driver ejected/refused entry for
>having a T with an in appropriate message.

The story I love about such things is from the shipper that requires drivers to put on shoe covers before entry to the dock area is granted. A box of them is mounted on the wall for drivers to use. Some drivers do not read signs well. More than once, it has happened that when the buzzer rings and the shipper opens the door to admit the driver to the loading dock, the driver is standing there with no covers on his shoes and one on his head.

Some locations require drivers to put on hair nets, beard covers or face masks (depending on the facility) before entry is granted. It seems some drivers are confused when they see shoe covers. They put them on their head instead of their feet.

The challenge for the shipper is to keep a straight face and his smart remarks to himself when an eager driver presents himself for entry with no shoe covers on his feet and one on his head.

 

[LDB]

Some plants will not let you on the property with facial hair. I've been to two of them. The respirators will not seal as well around beards and since there's definite potential for an inhalation threat they only admit clean shaven individuals.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[davebeckym]

Went into a super clean, dust free, computer chip facility. Had to cover face, head, and shoes.

They were into lunch and invited me to sit with them. One of the guys opened the pizza box to get another piece, and there was a cockroach eating some pizza. Didn't flinch or stop eating when the top was opened....much better than the trash he'd been eating.


No matter how clean a place is, you can't kill em all. Frank Katz sent an email that said, "A cockroach can live for 9 days without it's head, before it starves to death".

Pizza, anyone?

 

[Moot]

In my LTL days I would get a delivery to an oil refinery about twice a month. I was always denied access because of my beard. I'm not talking ZZ Top beards. But a short neat trimmed beard. The reason for the no beard rule was as Leo mentioned, in case of emergency a respirator wouldn't properly seal. Didn't seem to matter that I have no training in the use of a respirator or wouldn't know where to find one.

Every time I attempted a delivery I would check in with the guard. He would call receiving and explain the situation. If it was something they desperately needed and could be moved by hand, they would send a pickup truck out to the street to fetch it. Otherwise it was returned to our dock and the next time it went out for delivery a redelivery charge was added.

I think the real reason for the no beard rule was a whizzing match between the union and management. I would also deliver to another refinery across the river with no problem.

 

[greg334]

Moot,
It really is a safety issue. Some beards will cause leakage and with some of the chemicals out there, death is easily reached if even a small amount is breathed in.

See with the varying style of facial hair, mutton chops, full beards, goatees, etc.. trying to manage which one someone can have opposed to one that would cause leakage is not possible so the rule is easily understood, no facial hair.

 

[Moot]

A safety issue at one refinery and not another only a few miles apart and within the same state? Also I have no idea how to use a respirator or where I would find one on the property. I did know where the gate was and how to make drive over anything in my way that may impede a hasty exit in case of emergency.

I still believe it was a whizzing contest. Management imposed the rules. The union fought it. Management insisted it was a safety issue. The union concurred and claimed if it is a safety issue then it should apply to all persons on company property.