CHSP Committee Notes, 10.02.08

Here are the Comprehensive Health & Safety Process Safety Committee notes from the previous meeting.

Not present:

Graeme McMillan, management co-chair

Present:

Maggie D’Agostini, safety manager for management
Alex Kovacevic, safety manager for hourly personnel
Patricia Morgan-Urrita, Teamster Building A rep.
Andy Phillips, Teamster co-chair and Teamster Building C rep.
Jack Stephens, shop steward, Teamster Building C rep.
Steve Yip, Teamster Building A rep.

Guests:

Brent B., plant engineer
Joe Cilia, Local 278 business agent
Vince Dyogi
Daniel Esparza, Teamster alternate Building C rep.
Jesse Grady
John Leday
Apolina Reyes
Ed Romero, shop steward
David Sanchez, Teamster alternate Building A rep.

1) 10:30 pm: Safety committee called to order.

2) Non-management committee members call for caucus and elect Andy Phillips, the Teamster Building C safety representative non-management (Teamster) co-chair.

3) Safety concerns raised (see below)

4) 11:25 pm: San Bruno Night Hub manager Graeme McMillan opens the door, looks in, and requests the adjournment of the meeting in order to enable full staffing of operation despite meeting not having completed its task of going over safety concerns.

Safety concerns raised:

EC = Employee concern
4-1/JHA = 4-1/JHA process concern
IC = Injury concern

1. Apolina Reyes’ concerns
   1. Anti-slip safety tape in walkways need repair.  Rainy season approaching.
      1. Suggestion: Get copy of building plans similar to that used by PE to lay out their trace, mark on it areas that should have floor tape, audit regularly (add to PE checkoff?).
      2. Known slip areas: path between door nearest to guardhouse in Building C.  Near building B roll-ups (site of a previous injury), etc.
   2. The pathways for the irreg carts to drive through, especially by PD-12 and PD-13 are being blocked by unused TOFC rollers thus causinga hazard to the drivers and others around the area.
2. Daniel Esparza
   1. Load stands that are in poor condition (cracked, misshapen, missing anti-slip tape, etc.) are being employed and not repaired or permanently discarded even when rejected by employees.
      1. Suggestion: Educate supervisors & hourlies to red tape defective equipment.
      2. Establish procedure to ensure unrepairable load stands are not returned to service.
   2. Unsafe feeders
      1. Uneven flooring, exposed metal (sharp), dirt, debris & pallets left in trailers (respiratory hazard).
         1. Suggestion: Red tag and fix areas; inform Brent of any other problems.
   3. Permanent load straps are damaged and can’t be replaced sometimes load strap tracks stick out causing a jabbing hazard.
   4. Chute flap handles are bent to the point that one can’t hook up the rollers to them.
      1. Suggestion/solution: solved by Brent; let Brent be aware of other future bent chute flap handles.
   5. Sort isle has an exposed metal jagged edge somewhere on sort-1.
   6. TOFCs are missing self locking mechanisms for carrier slides to be properly locked into place which result in over 450 lbs in need of lifting by multiple workers creating hazardous safety situation (Andy Phillips also had concern).
      1. Recommendation: Bargaining unit members are under no obligation to participate IN ANY WAY in the lifting of objects over 150 lbs (per Joe Cilia).  Under the contract the only way for bargaining unit members to be able to help lift something that is 150 lbs is if it can be broken up into multiple pieces.
      2. Suggestion: Installing, where necessary, the locking mechanisms that should be in place and conducting periodic inspections to make sure that they are in proper shape.
3. John Leday
   1. Unsafe hook-ups to trailers by drivers without any warning to loaders inside.
      1. Suggestion: Drivers need to be verbally warn loaders before hooking up and need to blow their horn right before they are about to hook up.
4. Pat Morgan-Urrita
   1. Walkways by doors 107 and 108 are too small and don’t create a big enough passage for people to safely get by.
   2. Water fountains that are near the revenue recovery belt are only on one side of the belt thus causing workers to climb over the moving belt in order to get a drink of water instead of walking all the way around the belt to the other side.
      1. 1. Suggestion: Get water fountains on the other side of the belt (as it is a long walk to get to the other side).
   3. Bag chute by re-wrap area has no mechanism in place to catch the empty bags that are thrown down it thus causing an unsafe situation in where bags get strewn all over the ground thus creating a tripping hazard.  This has been brought to the attention of management for months now.
      1. Suggestion: Preload needs to roll around a dumpster to receive the bags with a lockable lid to prevent it being used inappropriately as a garbage receptacle.  Turn over to San Bruno Preload Sort safety committee?
5. Vince Dyogi
   1. Power carts are being used by untrained personnel such as janitors, clerks, and supervisors.
6. Andy Phillips
   1. Over 70 lbs irreg packages are passing through the system without proper markings including being placed on the under 70 lbs belts.
      1. Recommendation: establish procedures to hold Business Development accountable for customer training, etc. (e-mail exchange with region and building manager Kirsten Wells, has been initiated).
7. Concerns pending that weren’t discussed during the meeting brought up by other employees.
   1. Minh Thai
      1. Package sorting in small sort are set at a certain set height which make it non-ergonomic for taller employees.
         1. Suggestion: Is their a way to make them adjustable?
   2. Steve Yip
      1. Left over cabinets and computer mounting brackets obstruct access to east end of sort-3 slide in the main sort.
         1. Suggestion: remove them.
   3. Alex Bermudez
      1. Brackets for purple belt motors at west end.
         1. Suggestion: bevel them.
   4. Andy Phillips
      1. Throughout the operation there are golf balls and other objects which cause slipping hazards.
         1. Suggestion: upgrade package requirements before they are accepted within the UPS system.
      2. Building A TOFC rollers are being used in Building C.  Because Building A TOFCs have lower decks they must be lifted up in order to lock them in place in Building C thus causing a safety hazard for those lifting them up due to their immense weight.
         1. Suggestion: tag all specific building TOFCs, in stencil, with their respective areas and red tag TOFCs that are in the wrong buildings.
      3. No supply of red tags to use for safety.
         1. Suggestion: order new supply of red tags.

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