I had to introduce someone to George Bush's America today...

[jmowreader]

The sad thing is, it was necessary.

This morning I got to work and one of my managers asked me to pull a bunk of oriented-strand board and four skids of concrete block so the Traveling Rug Sale we've got going on this weekend would have material to make tables from.

I got the OSB out to them. Then I went for the block.

As I was driving down the aisle with the block, I happened to look down...someone had hit one of the uprights on a racking unit so hard it bent the leg about nine inches to one side. Sitting on the shelf in question was about fifteen tons of concrete.

MASSIVE safety problem.

When you hit the racking with a lift truck, you're supposed to report it to management before the next time you clock out. It's especially imperative that you tell a manager when you damage the store fixtures--we really don't care if you just bump into a rack; there's really no way to avoid doing that in several of our aisles. But if you bend up the racking, we need to change it out so it won't collapse. (Racking systems are not designed for controlled collapse. It would have pulled down all of the racking on that side of the aisle and probably taken the racking on the other side of the aisle PLUS both sides of the next aisle with it.) Not reporting the incident before the next time you clock out is a termination offense.

I know he didn't report it because the first thing a manager would have done is told him to get all the product out of both of the bays that connect to that upright.

I got two of my crew to get the two bays cleared off while I finished up with the rug merchants. I reported the incident to a manager. I found a new upright that would fit (plus four new beams for the bottom shelves, just in case the old ones had stress cracking at the connector pins) and set it aside to be installed tonight. Then I started looking for the loss prevention people so I could watch the surveillance video of that aisle for the last few days.

Apparently word got around to this associate that (1) I looked pissed-off enough to kill someone over this, (2) I know how to do it and (3) I was working on finding out the responsible party...and he found me. "Jim, you know that bent upright? I did it."

Off we go to the store manager, who asked for my input..."we've had a lot of customer complaints about this associate, we've had a lot of co-worker complaints about him, and he committed a termination offense by not reporting the damaged upright. The biggest problem is that he left all the concrete in the bays, which could have caused the whole rack to collapse. I don't think he can work here anymore." And now I've got one less associate.

I tolerate many things--things I probably shouldn't, like putting banded lumber at salesfloor level and leaving it that way (which is a minor safety problem as well as making it impossible to buy any of the wood)--but not this.

[Maat]

1. Well, I understand.

Safety is foremost.

[Wickerman]

2. you did what you had to do

I'm sure it felt like crap, but when a screw up is that massive you can't turn a blind eye.

[jmowreader]

4. I mean, I liked the guy and everything

but that vision of the whole concrete aisle coming down and squishing twelve people just wouldn't leave my mind.

[nankerphelge]

3. Sounds like...

you didn't have any other choice. That seems negligent, at best.

[pimpbot]

5. I thought you meant...

That the dude that didnt report his accident was indeed how things operate in "george bushs amerika". Noone takes responsibility for their actions. If i can get away with it, why report it?

[salin]

6. if the person was aware of procedures than he, sadly, set

himself up. Sadly, a whole lot of folks don't see the bigger picture of the safety issues /dangers that they create for others. They have been lulled into this self-serving mania that the safety procedures are viewed as pains in the butts things they have to do - due to whiney people and therefor esp if it is towards the end of a shift, why bother - no one will notice. No sense of responsibility per the worst case scenario were to come about due to their negligence. I am sad to say that I believe that right now this is the predominant perspective of many of our fellow citizens.

[LoZoccolo]

7. Nah, that's his doing, not Bush*'s.

He and the Bush* administration sound like two peas in a pod as well...messing stuff up and not taking responsibility for it, pretending everything's alright.

[The Traveler]

8. You did the right thing. (n/t)

[two gun sid]

9. As a high voltage electrician, I think you did right. Safety First!

but, I also think the store should do something about the fact that in some of the aisles bumping into the racks is unavoidable.