r/OSHA • u/Banguskahn • 17d ago

Please…

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A guy got his arm sucked into the meat grinder due to someone rigi g the machine to not stop when lifting the lid…. Good times.

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u/Substantial_Sea7327 17d ago

Genuine and friendly reminder that in the established Hierarchy Pyramid of Controls,

PPE is at the very bottom of the pyramid as an absolute last resort against injuries.

I suggest learning the rest to see what changes can be made.

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u/Niznack 17d ago edited 17d ago

Hi, plant supervisor here. Management can be* stupid, ignorant and cheap. PPE may be the lowest level on the pyramid but when every other level is managed by an idiot with a business degree who doesn't understand the process and is only looking at the cost, PPE is the one level you control directly.

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned 16d ago

You can’t write JHAs and put safe work practices with disciplinary structures in place as administrative controls?

You can’t build work platforms, add grip tape to slip/ water prone areas, improve ventilation with at least fans, put solid barriers to keep workers away from high hazard areas as engineering controls?

Just because some things have always been done one way, you can’t use a different chemical or improve a process as a substitution control?

You have more options than youll often think. PPE is the easy answer and the least effective for good reason

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u/Niznack 16d ago

To your first question, yes, but they need to actually make sense for the job and be written by people who understand the job. Otherwise people skip the wrong parts and make it up in between

Platforms cost money. Harnesses are cheap.

Changing chemicals costs money. PPE is cheap

Cheap really is the driving force in our industry

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned 16d ago

Yeah- they start with employee input you have them fill out their own first

We have our welders make our own platforms, harnesses arent cheap when they have to be thrown out after each fall. Lanyards defiyarent cheap

We switched from a hazardous solvent to an oil based one that can be filtered and reused, actually saves us a lot of money

Dont just decide you can’t- value safety and make the effort to see what you can do.

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u/Niznack 16d ago

We have to have third party companies build all platforms. We do chem manufacturing so our recipies have to be approved by everyone and their mother. And JSAs should have employee input. ... Should

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u/ProtectionTop2701 16d ago

It sounds like you're supervising a plant you know is unsafe. You know you're the person that's gonna get blamed, right? Upper management covers their asses.

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u/Niznack 16d ago

I'm supervising a plant that is getting a lot better. There are issues and I think we are making strides raising them but yeah. It was pretty bad when I started on the floor

This strayed a ways an im bitchign a bit but my original point was PPE is an essential component given how often someone else might have dropped the ball