Auburn, IN – Todd Alber of Ft. Wayne, IN was tragically killed August 9,2011 while driving his United Parcel Service delivery vehicle in Auburn, IN.  Indiana News Center reports police say high winds in the area contributed to this devastating event.

Our condolences go out to this UPSer’s family.

TODD STEPHEN ALBER, 45, died on Aug. 9, 2011, when a tree branch fell on the UPS truck he was driving. He was born on Aug. 21, 1965, in Rochester, Ind. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree with distinction from Indiana University Fort Wayne in the fall of 1993. He received many honors including Public & Environmental Affairs Outstanding Undergraduate and Scholarship Recipient, SPEA and membership in the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, Indiana University Chapter, Pi Alpha Alpha. He worked for UPS for 27 years, the last 16 years as a Driver working out of the Waterloo Center. His hobbies included fishing, golfing, nature, and football. He was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He also enjoyed spending time with his beloved Labrador Retriever, Kippy. He was planning a fishing trip to Minnesota beginning August 12, 2011, but a severe storm took his life. “If there are lakes in Heaven, we’re sure this time that he’ll actually catch some fish.” He is survived by his loving parents, Phillip Stephen Alber and Marilyn Diane (Lough) Alber of Fort Wayne; a devoted sister, Amy of Fort Wayne; an adored niece, Kayla of Fort Wayne; his grandmother, Orpha H. Lough of Rochester, Ind.; and many dear aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceeded in death by his paternal grandfather, Greshem F. Lough; and paternal grandparents, Norvannah and Marie Alber. Service is 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011 at D.O. McComb & Son’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, 1320 E. Dupont Road, with calling one hour prior. Calling also from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 at the funeral home. Burial in Riverview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to S.P.C.A. or the National Kidney Foundation . To sign the online guestbook, please visit www.mccombandsons.com

Crystal Lake, IL – Jeff Hornagold was a UPS driver that passed away in 2008 of lung cancer.  I’m proud to say that someone at UPS had the authority and compassion of honoring a good man with his final ride in a UPS Package Car.  This gives hope that higher up in the company there is a human element that cares about the people that work for this great company that is woven into the American fabric.

If someone has the authority to do this, then someone has the authority to implement OSHA ventilation guidelines at UPS so that maybe someone will be saved from lung cancer.

…room air in which contaminants are generated should be discharged directly outdoors rather than recirculated. ..

††Rest In Peace Brother Jeff††

Latham, NY – The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)  performed a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) at United Parcel Service in Latham, NY in 1978.

According to the abstract, it appears NIOSH was looking at respirable dust, and dust was below limits they were looking for.  The sentences that raise a red flag are:

One worker on the red conveyor belt reported symptoms consisted with the presence of an irritant agent, and the two NIOSH investigators experienced eye and upper respiratory irritations when in this area of the facility. The author concludes that no dust hazard existed at the time of the survey, and suggests that the irritation symptoms may be due to sulfur-dioxide (7446095). The sulfur content of the fuel oil used at the facility should be determined.

If you didn’t know when or who wrote this, you would think that a UPSer in the facility I work at wrote this recently!

The last HHE that NIOSH performed at a UPS facility was in Newport, OR in 1981.  They were looking at air quality there as well, and seeing how 30 years has passed since the last research project took place for UPSers, I think it’s about time some MUCH NEEDED attention is given to this obviously long standing problem.

Here is a quick video overview of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation program.

NIOSH was created under the same OSH Act that created OSHA back in 1971.  The difference is OSHA is an enforcement agency, whereas NIOSH is the investigative research branch that studies health effects in the workplace and makes recommendations on how to reduce or resolve issues.  NIOSH doesn’t have the authority to fine or cite an employer.  In my opinion I believe it is a win-win situation for the employer and the employee, as there is no threat of fines or citations, and if there is a statistical difference in disease rates between the general population and a certain work-group, the root cause can be identified and dealt with rather than subjecting workers who may not even realize their work environment may be contributing to health issues.

 
 
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OSHA is under the Department of Labor’s jurisdiction, whereas NIOSH is under the control of the Center for Disease Control, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services.

Livonia MI – Yesterday I met with a health and safety supervisor who I had wrote to regarding the implementation of Automatic External Defibrillators, or AED, at United Parcel Service and request for UPS to invite the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation, or HHE.

I was informed by this management official that UPS had in fact commissioned a study by a “3rd Party” that recommended to UPS that AED devices not be installed at their facilities.  I questioned who this “3rd Party” was simply because something as highly regarded and recommended by the American Heart Association, or AHA was puzzling to me.  Furthermore, I would like to know the company’s name so in the future should I need to conduct a study, I would steer clear of such a lousy decision!

I asked the supervisor if he was aware of the mechanic that suffered an asthma attack, and subsequently surmised to cardiac arrest at the Louisville, KY Worldport facility? Mr. Supervisor said “vaguely”, to which I responded that the Teamster 2727 Local in Louisville wrote to UPS requesting these devices be installed at the facility, because there was a better chance of survival with an AED then without.  He asked, “Do you know for a fact he would have lived with an AED”, quite ridiculously I replied only God would know if the person would live, he could die in a hospital.  I’m only making the point that statistics show around a 40% survival rate should an individual go into cardiac arrest with an AED used as opposed to less than 5%  survival rate without. It cannot be stressed enough TIME IS CRITICAL IN THESE SITUATIONS!

“In cities where defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 30–45 percent. Other examples show survival rates as high as 86 percent in some cases.” ~ www.cardiacscience.com/assets/012/6382.pdf

Moving on, Mr. Supervisor informed me that NIOSH was not welcomed at UPS to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation either, and that UPS had contacted Dr. Kenneth Rosenman of Michigan State University to decline his recommendation.  The customary and rehearsed response I get to the declination of NIOSH is that UPS’s insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual, performed an Air Quality Study that was satisfactory.  The basis of this response is seriously flawed as indicated below.

1. Liberty Mutual is NOT an “Independent 3rd Party”

 

2. Direct Fired Heaters, Diesel Engine Exhaust, Gasoline Engine Exhaust contain MORE than carbon monoxide (CO), which is the only air contaminant the premise of their response is based. They are in compliance NOW with respect to the carbon monoxide PEL (permissible exposure level) ONLY because the HEATING SYSTEM IS OPERATED 1/2 as MUCH AS IT USED TO BE (i.e. the heating system was previously operated during my entire 8 hour shift, now it is operated only 4 hrs 45 min, hence that is why the CO PEL is 1/2 of what it used to be.  SO instead of FIXING or OPERATING the heater in a safe manner as recommended by several experts in the field, UPS has simply opted to operate the unit for 1/2 the time to meet MIOSHA Part 301 General Industry Air Contaminant PEL.

 

3. MIOSHA Part 520 indicates a MAXIMUM of 10 ppm (parts per million) of CO from a direct fired heater. The recirculating direct fired heater at the Livonia UPS facility discharges, at times,  5x’s that amount  nearing 50 ppm CO.  This was brought up to the industrial hygienist from Liberty Mutual who VERIFIED this and said it would be fixed the next day. However when reviewing his report, he made NO mention of this condition or repair.

 

4. Even though the CO may be lower than the MIOSHA Part 301 PEL of 35 ppm 8 hour TWA (Time Weighted Average), more than 10 ppm CO is an excessive amount of CO even from a direct fired heater. In fact ANSI Z83.18, which is the specification that recirculating direct fired heaters are built for use in America says only 5 ppm CO may be exhausted from a recirculating direct fired heater. CO is a surrogate for OTHER harmful products of combustion which were not measured (put simply, if the the CO is high it’s likely aldehydes [such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, etc...], hydrocarbons,  toxic ultrafine particulates, nitrogen dioxide, etc…  are increased as well) .

 

5. A study conducted at an International Engine Assembly Plant in Warrenville, IL had inadvertently found that direct fired heaters, and recirculating direct fired heaters (this is the same type MANY UPS facilities use) added 1000% ultrafine particulate to the inside breathing zone of the building.

 

6. Ultrafine Particle Pollution has received more attention as of late and is said to cause oxidative stress, cardio-pulmonary issues, and others.

 

7. By recirculating air in the building as is recommended and standard practice at UPS, they are effectively reducing the ventilation rate (ie amount of outside air replacing inside air) below the MIOSHA Part 520 1cfm/sq.ft minimum.

As most workers on the night sort know, vehicles still move in the building after 10pm, yet the “automatic” ventilation system is programmed to go into “unoccupied” mode for the remainder of the evening, and into the next morning.  So not only are we breathing in the pollution from the recirculating direct fired heating units, we are breathing in the gasoline and diesel engine exhaust that is NOT being expelled from the building with powered ventilation as MIOSHA Part 520 requires (which is the same citation UPS is “appealing” since 3/2010), and International Mechanical Code requires, as the City of Livonia should be enforcing but chooses not to.

Diesel Health In America

So in summary, that is why we believe a NIOSH HHE is warranted, as an HHE will take an in depth look at health issues many of us have (such as an outbreak of adult onset asthma in the automotive shop), and see if there is a statistical difference between us and the general population, and make recommendations should NIOSH deem them necessary.

Liberty Mutual, UPS, and even MIOSHA has not evaluated our working conditions to properly assess the true ambient conditions we experience daily.

I WELCOME MY COWORKERS COMMENTS!
you can even use an alias!

Miniature UPS Driver

What an excellent customer relationship this United Parcel Service driver has with people (and dogs!) on his route! UPS service providers are the face of UPS and the company is WELL RECEIVED in the community because of them.  Yet the troubling fact is with the “New Technology” UPS employs on the vehicles, a report would have been generated and the driver could get pulled into the office and harassed on why he stopped and got out of his vehicle with no delivery, and other items the “Telematics” looks for automatically and reports back to HQ.

We can do our jobs better without the fear and intimidation. Ask Alston & Bird (UPS has a nice relationship with this company), Google, and Intel. Great profitable companies that are rated “Best Companies To Work For” by Fortune Magazine. Lets make a change for the better UPS. We will still do our jobs to the best of our abilities, only with less stress, blood pressure, anxiety, etc…!

Livonia, MI – Thank you for all of your support and comments here and especially on our facebook.com/brownairnet. I can’t tell you enough how much it means to all of us to get REAL safety measures and improvements for our health at United Parcel Service.

I have been extremely busy but I wanted to at least let people know in mass exactly what I passed out at UPS on my break and then what happened to me as a result of this.

5/11/2011 Handout

Without turning this into a 1000 word post (again) and getting into the many laws that were broken for various  government regulators.  I have attached the email I sent to the health & safety departments and my immediate management team.

As a result of passing this out on my break in the break areas, to supervisors (see OPEN DOOR POLICY), and EMPLOYEE OWNED TOOLBOXES, I was subsequently reprimanded for doing so.  The following day I was REPRIMANDED AGAIN for PRINTING the 4 page PreWork Communication Meeting papers on my break (again) that explained the Open Door Policy.

Main open door policy items I would like to emphasize are:

• The Open Door Policy is initiated by contacting ANY supervisor, manager, or H.R. representative. You may contact verbally or in WRITING, and you may identify yourself or remain anonymous
  
• The company WILL NOT retaliate against ANY employee in any way for using the OPEN DOOR POLICY

Without commenting on the ensuing investigations, or hampering them, I will say that either someone likes me up in corporate, or a gift from GOD was given to me on Monday. Either way thank you.

More to follow as details are able to be released. Feel free to share your comments below!

Atlanta, GA – United Parcel Service has provided a good living for many people for over a century. Unfortunately over the 100 years, and millions of employees, human compassion and dignity has taken a back seat to fear, intimidation, and earnings per share.

If UPS thinks the “military” style that it has often been labeled as identifying with as good, I say take a look at some of the new Corporate Leaders that have emerged over the last decade that are known for treating their employees with respect and are often ranked as “1 of the best places to work”, companies such as Google, Quicken Loans, and UPS often featured company Zappos.com.

 

Just look at the difference in employee attitudes at a successful company that UPS promotes regularly in its marketing, employee literature and websites

I believe UPS could adopt many of the attributes associated with new millennial market leaders with regard to employee treatment and still be as, if not more successful than it is today.

The current employees of UPS have the best chance at reforming the unethical few that unfortunately make many of our lives unnecessarily difficult.

If this were just about me, I would have quit long ago, but there are 100s of 1000s current employees and millions of future employees who are good, honest hard working people who are determined to see a few unethical people in charge weeded from the ranks.

All I can do is provide a forum for all of us to speak with 1 voice.

Just think what UPS could accomplish if ALL of us LIKED coming to work everyday, and aren’t just there for the paycheck and benefits!

Lansing, MI – How long should it take for a response from the Federal OSHA? Is 8 months and counting too long, or just right?  This is another reason why Michigan OSHA, or MIOSHA should not be repealed as State Senator Mark Jansen (R) has proposed in Senate Bill 0014. The Federal OSHA is unresponsive to the needs of Michigan workers as demonstrated in this web request on September 11, 2010:

Are companies required to follow recommendations of the MSDS? My example is as follows. As part of my job I am required to spray paint from time to time. The paint is
mixed with lacquer thinner. The MSDS for the thinner indicates the following:

8. Exposure controls/personal protection
Ventilation: Provide sufficient ventilation in volume and pattern to keep contaminants below applicable exposure units. Respiratory protection: Do not breathe vapors or mists. Wear a property fitted air-purifying respirator with organic vapor cartridges (NIOSH approved TC-23C) and particulate filter (NIOSH TC-84A) during application and until all vapors and spray mists are exhausted. In confined spaces, or in situations where continuous spray operations are typical, or if proper air-purifying respirator fit is not possible, wear a positive pressure, supplied-air respirator (NIOSH TC-19C). In all cases, follow respirator manufacturer s directions for respirator use. Do not permit anyone without protection in the painting area.

Protective equipment: Personal protective equipment should be worn to prevent contact with eyes, skin or clothing.

The company will not allow us to wear a respirator even though the MSDS clearly states not to breath the vapors, and to use a NIOSH TC-23C, with TC-84A particulate filter. I do not work in a confined space. Myself and other workers actually hold our breath and run away from the work area to avoid fumes after spraying. 1 worker is asthmatic and is especially affected by the vapors. It clearly states not to allow anyone in the paint area while painting without protection. There are PELs listed for about 20 different chemicals that make up the thinner. How can it be deemed safe to spray without a respirator if air contaminant monitoring is not performed to measure levels?

Great job Dr. Michaels (OSHA Director), about as good as our 1971 air contaminant rules you’ve done nothing about! Let me know when it’s a good time for OSHA to answer this!

Another point is companies are often cited for not having the proper “Right To Know”, or communication violations of the OSH Act.  Why bother fining for not having an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) if what is on the sheet doesn’t have to be followed?

The Federal OSHA needs serious revamping to bring worker safety into the 21st century.

Request to OSHA for Response

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