The words above met me
as I punched in at the packaging plant near home. In plain English: I now work
at a box factory. Six days a week, second shift, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and
occasional overtime far into twilight.
The hours are a bit extreme,
but the work isn't bad. It may be as repetitive as repetitive gets, but folding
box lids from flat to their proper 3-D form, feeding unfolded boxes into
a machine, and stuffing boxes with more boxes--and more boxes and boxes--at
least goes by fast.
The
only thing that worries me is the subject of this post's
title: safety. Or rather, lack of safety. Earlier today, when one of the
machines jammed, my co-workers and current trainers pulled verbal straws: Who
was gonna pull out the boxes that overstuffed this contraption of twisting metal
and sprinting rubber tracks? Sure as hell wasn't gonna be me. Fortunately, my
rookie status excused me of this particular duty. As a perennial klutz and the newbie, the one least
intimate with this thing's motions and contortions, I was definitely the most
at risk of getting a finger mangled.
I see the concern you have for your safety, which is very good. Safety precautions could get difficult to follow religiously, especially when you’re job involves repetitive tasks. That’s why it’s important to train yourself (and with your co-workers) constantly in order to ensure that safety is never disregarded. And of course, don’t forget to wear your protective equipment at ALL times.
ReplyDeleteAlphonse Daigle