6/2/2016 OSHA finds USPS Des Moines postal sorting facility located at 2323 Forest Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa failed to train workers in emergency plans, blocked exits and routes, had inoperable fire doors
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Des Moines Area Office cited the postal mail sorting facility for two repeated and two serious safety violations.
The citations follow a December 2015 OSHA investigation of a complaint alleging various safety concerns at the facility. The investigation found:
- Workers exposed to slip, trip and fall hazards as conduit extended into the carriers’ walking path.
- A mechanical fire door was inoperable.
- Emergency exit routes and doors were blocked.
- Workers not trained on the Emergency Action Plan.
OSHA cited the USPS for similar hazards in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 at locations in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois and Texas.
Quote: “By failing to train workers in what to do in an emergency and allowing fire doors to be inoperable and exit and traveling routes to be blocked, the U.S. Postal Service is putting its workers at risk in the event of an emergency in the facility,” said Larry Davidson, OSHA’s area director in Des Moines.
Proposed Penalties: $119,900
View Citations here.
[gview file=”https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/newsroom/newsreleases/OSHA20161113.pdf” save=”0″]
OSHA levies $46,200 in proposed penalties against U. S. Postal Service in Des Moines, Iowa
USPS cited for using defective forklift at main post office in Des Moines
The number one safety issue in my facility is intoxication. Operating equipment while intoxicated, operating machines while intoxicated, walking the floor, etc. These same employees (and bosses) are relatively sober when they punch in. They’re there to party, as if high school never ended.
It’s the reason for the absenteeism, the injuries, the hostile work environment, the missent mail, everything. We were talking about it today, 60% of what I do in a given shift involves covering for the drunks or fixing their mistakes.
This organization is failing and deserves to be privatized. Because of the corrupt unions that cover for this behavior and incompetent management that condones it. I only keep my mouth shut because of the overtime that is ultimately generated.
None of these violations are serious. These inspections are a joke. It is employees that block exits. And who doesn’t know how to get out of the building? All these ninnies that are complaining are lucky to have a job. They don’t know what a dangerous workplace is.
keep in mind the criminal po mismanagement gets cover from the 4 corrupt postal company unions: American Postal Workers Union, Mail Handlers Union, Letter Carriers Union, & Rural Letter Carrier Union………….do you really think it strange in last 30 years these unions can only get 1% yearly raise’s while the po mismanagement gets 5-10% yearly raises and criminal PFP bonus money……..hey want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn, NY real cheap? ever go to the union and complain or submit a safety violation………and get pushed out of the union office and being called a “trouble maker”! calling your congress person is just another whole equation of the culture of federal government corruption. first two govt agency’s I would sell off would be the Postal Circus and VA Death Hospitals! and why not!
EAS didn’t get any raises for about 6 years . Only 2 years ago did raises start again.
Postal management will discipline any low employee for any un safe work practice, while rewarding any one in management that ignores safety regulations! Low life employees are called in over Jr. high school piddle shit, while management is disciplined by being promoted to higher level pay!
That’s BS.
The Postal Management doesn’t care about this it doesn’t come out of their pockets.
OSHA will never see a dime from these criminals!
Every facility in the country is like thatthey couldn’t care less about the employees
Again management fails to do their job
That plant manager, MDOs, postmaster, will be promoted to General Postmaster for OSHA violations. That is a culture of post office, with 0% accountability. Post office will use it own lawyers to defend that management.
Is anybody getting fed up with this deliberate behavior on part of management to ignore the safety and health of its employees? Sure, they put up childish posters, put insulting comments on their “CommTalk” on the scanners, and try to pretend they are doing what needs to be done, but if someone bakes a shit cake but puts yummy frosting on top, the shit will eventually be exposed. In this case management is the frosting trying to gloss over serious health risks, and denying culpability even in the deaths of employees they are solely responsible for.
We know who eats the shit. The employees are always the ones to suffer, be it from methane leaks, carbon monoxide leaks where the poor maintenance man who reported the leak and incredible fire hazards was canned and smeared with charges of being a terrorist by management. So not wanting to die of carbon monoxide poisoning at the hands of postal management makes you a domestic terrorist in the eyes of those worthless jerks. Have any of them in the greater St. Louis area district been disciplined or removed? HAHAHAHAHAHA.
So now Des Moines is added to the list. And how many offices out there are just as bad but the employees are afraid to say anything? This may sound mean, but knowing management like I have for over three decades, you as craft employees have to be the ones to blow the whistles, and take action on your own because the only thing management will do is lie about whatever the problem is and harass the living shit out of anybody who makes trouble. So do it with plenty of fellow workers because it’s harder to fire or harass a whole office. Don’t be a chickenshit where your health and safety is concerned.
EAS didn’t get any raises for about 6 years . Only 2 years ago did raises start again.
Never seen anything approaching what u r talking about in 30 years in 5 different plants.
my understanding is that the USPS doesn’t pay fines because of their status as a government entity?
USPS is the only government agency to pay fines.
How about fining the ignorant tools and thugs who allegedly
manage these facilities. When are they going to be held
responsible for their actions? Fire them all