I was watching Undercover Boss this past Sunday about a guy named Bill Massa who just took on the CEO/President job at a company called Synagro billed as "America's largest waste treatment corporation today."
Normally I don't watch these types of shows, except for Dirty Jobs, because they are a bit too patronizing and...well kind of staged. But the word "waste" piqued my curiosity.
Just like when watching Dirty Jobs, I cringed when I saw his employees direct him to perform certain tasks or told him about conditions on the job.
Here is a bit of news. Wearing a hard hat and goggles does not mean you work for a safe company. This is similar to putting up a silt fence around a construction project and believing it to be storm water compliance.
To be fair, we only get a small window into their operation, so there is stuff we are not seeing, but what I saw was enough to tell me that Synagro needs a stronger grasp on safety and OSHA to replace what they currently have in place now. This is not to imply that things are bad, just that simple things that should be standard operating procedures were not being followed.
First. If you are going to pull a sample of raw sewage, wear gloves. Yeah its funny watching him get poop all over his hands, but it's raw sewage, you know, containing poop which contains all types of nasty disease causing bugs.
Second. When taking a sample from an auger that is still operating, requiring that you reach down into the troff, a dead-man's switch or something should be in place. Safety is only an issue if someone gets hurt, and in this case, falling into that auger would most likely be serious. Engineer out the problem, turn it off or provide something to prevent falling into the auger.
Third. That area only has one person working there and she is required to collect a sample from an operating auger, climb stairs, operate machines, drive trucks, and who knows what else. One person? What mechanism is in place for her to get help if she has an accident or gets into a bad situation where she requires help?
Forth. Note to employers: OSHA requires that you provide drinking water and bathroom facilities for your workers. I'll cut you some slack on a short-term project, but when you are cleaning out large sludge ponds which requires your employees to be there for multiple weeks, get them a restroom and give them breaks. (Mr. Massa is correcting this error)
Fifth. I am really curious as to how strong their lockout-tagout program is there, or even if they have one.
Sixth. If you are finding tampon dispensers clogging up the machine, then there is no telling what else could also be in there. Surgical gloves are not strong enough for reaching your hands into crevices to pull our clumps of dry crud. Wear the proper gloves.
Seventh. Paper dust masks? Really? With that much dust flying around and what that dust could contain? If you are not going to put folks in at least a half-face with HEPA, at least put them in a N95 or N100.
Eighth. One thing I hate about these shows is the cavalier way they portray going into a confined space, especially a permit required confined space. I am going to assume that they did everything right on this one, but I wish they would have shown Mr. Massa going through confined space training, getting a safety briefing before he went in, signing the entry form, or receiving some information on the dangers of entering the confined space other than "if the strong smell of ammonia makes you woozy, tell me, we don't want you passing out into the sludge" (or something to that effect).
Eight is a pet-peeve of mine. Confined spaces kill. Don't believe me? Watch this.
Oh, and for those of you who think OSHA just gets in the way of business, I offer this episode and Dirty "that burning you feel is the caustic" Jobs as proof that they are still very much necessary and needed.
Well anyway, here's to good leadership and a safer company under Mr. Massa. I wish them well.
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