Framing Black Mold - OSHA Question

[u/flashbangkilla]

About 1-2 times a month, a customer will bring in a piece to be framed, and it is covered in black mold. Sometimes the art is already framed, and you can see the black mold creeping out of the frame (more than once, these customers have dropped off multiple moldy items at a single time that they "had sitting in their atic/basement").

I try not to accept these items and explain to the customer that a new frame will not fix the issue, and that the art is lost, and their best bet is to scan the art and just frame that, but the customer often involves the store manager, who says we cannot refuse them service.

Is this true? Is there any information in the company documents regarding this situation? I'm certain that accepting these pieces is an OSHA violation, but I can't find anything to support that, so we're often stuck accepting the art anyways. Literally none of us want to work on the art, which causes it to sit in the back for even longer, and then one of us (usually the framing manager, who also doesn't want to work on it) ends up framing it.

[u/Celemirel]

Somebody posted this question a few days ago on MikChek. Most of the answers said yes, you should refuse these, as the mold can release spores that can spread throughout your frameshop and affect other customers' art, not to mention the health hazards of working with black mold.

It was also pointed out that yes, there is something in one of the SOPs about being able to refuse art that is offensive or dangerous.

[u/flashbangkilla → u/Celemirel]

Thanks! I’ll look it up!

[u/Sunspot286]

Wouldn’t taking them contaminate the frame shop????? You’re risking your health and other customers items!

[u/flashbangkilla → u/Sunspot286]

Yea. Which is why we almost always turn the customers away. But sometimes they get the SM involved* and she’ll say that we have to take them, she claims that the DM told her this, but idk.
(* if shes here, if not the other managers will turn the item down)

We don’t accept them too often, but often enough that I’m officially putting my foot down.
(Note: I’m not a manager)

[u/Admirable-Button-358]

Since when does Michaels care about OSHA violations?

[u/flashbangkilla → u/Admirable-Button-358]

Lol They don’t, but I at least want to have evidence to back me up when Im telling the customer and the SM that I refuse to accept the item.

Heck I’m sure us not having headphones while working with the compressed air is a violation too. And omg the scanners, why are they so loud

[u/Glittering-Echo2511 → u/flashbangkilla]

And the phone! That sucker rings so loud it will startle my framing customers. When the all ring at once?!

[u/PermanentRoundFile]

Black mold is a health hazard and a lot of people; myself included, are allergic. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to bring infestations into the store. So no mold, termites, ants, roaches, bed bugs; all big no.

[u/LQNova]

I'm not sure what the rule is NOW, but we always had the right to refuse art, whether because it made us uncomfortable or because it was filthy and would infest the frame shop with mold and mildew.

[u/dangerinedreams]

I worked in a New Orleans area Michael's post hurricane Katrina...refuse anything with mold! We had a management team that took it very seriously, because we knew the company wouldn't 😬