new company needs to change the way they operate!

ratherbclimbing

ratherbclimbing

Location
Knoxville TN
Ok so I just transferred to a dif company that is doing a major line clearance! I'm the only one out of two crews that has any tree experience whatever! There are 5 guys on my crew including myself and the foreman! And 4 guys on the other crew! Two guys have already hit there chaps in two weeks! I'm the only climber and both foremans don't know what's going on! I've had to show all the guys on my crew how to tie basic knots use the throw line and bigshot etc... I had to go help the other crew yesterday take down some trees bcus they were either too tall or two dead and rotten..outta their comfort zone! They were poking fun first couple days now they are starting to realize this is serious! The trees I had to help with were in between 161kv and a 3 phase line! My foreman told me the other day I was going to blow up a 362 bcus I was letting the saw pull thru the tree and not forcing it! He said the saw wasn't designed to do that! Then was told not to work the throttle when back cutting I should run it wide open applying force and stop at the last second before I get into the hinge wood and get away from the tree as quick as possible before it falls! I'm in desperate need of advice! I've never seen a safety guy here! I'm wondering how to convince them some things need to change without rubbing people the wrong way or pissing the higher ups off! I'm not saying I should be the one in charge all though I was promised the foreman job when I put my two week notice in! And am the most qualified! Please help! Right now I'm okay bcus I'm the only one taking any risk with tall or rotten trees but soon they will have other guys who don't know what's up felling trees! I'm not only concerned for my safety but others as well! What should I do?
 
I'd love to see the bid tender they won. Obviously the specs were so poorly written that the local plumber could've bid. Low bid wins......

I'd be asking to sit down with the guy that hired you first. Ask him why he did. Does it have anything to do with your expertise, experience, skills? If so, does he feel that it exceeds that of the existing crew? Was he hoping you would train the others? If yes, then ask him what he feels is needed. Do the "higher ups" concur with him? Do they want to have the crews' skills developed? Can you make a presentation to them regarding what you have seen and where you can assist them in increasing the skill and safety level of the company? Be sure to also explain what the benefit will be for the company including the bottomline benefit.

At the end of the day you need to decide if this is an environment you can work in.
 
May be time to start looking for a new company. Sounds like an unsafe work environment. It will be an uphill battle to change the culture of a place when you are the new guy. Best of luck stay safe.
 
Every time an issue arises document what happens. Mental notes that are transcribed accurately as soon as possible. Dates, times, locations. Pictures always help.

Keep all of the information on personal devices/emails. If you ever send an email via company email BCC yourself at home for another record.

If you work your way up through the chain of command, have notes about what you plan on saying before you start a conversation. Then, add notes for any replies.

OSHA may be of some help. A call to the closest office is in order.
 
Re: new company needs to change the way they opera

yea I was already thinking bout looking for another job or possibly asking for my old job back but its slowing down with winter approaching...this is a rather large company and from what I gather they have a good reputation. The guy that hired me knows his stuff but he is in another state right now. I think what happened is they just hired people as quick as they could because they actually got the job and they were pressured to start! The contract they got is for one of the biggest power suppliers in the southeastern united states! Its for two years and is renewable! I have been trying to talk to the guy who hired me but he's always busy and most of the time his voicemail is full! The owner of the company was on the job but I was unsure of how to approach him and didn't want to stop working and go chit chat! I had a little talk today with the guy who hired me and he said he was working on getting some experienced guys out here to take some stress off of me! The safety is my real concern! I hope this works out..and they follow through on what I was promised! The company is growing rapidly so I believe I have a chance of advancing quickly! And hopefully then I can address some of my issues!
 
Re: new company needs to change the way they opera

It sounds like the guy who hired you is willing to listen and work to improve things. What you can do, take notes as Tom suggested then write down the recommended corrective actions, e.g., training on proper chainsaw handling. Compile this then write a proposal for implementing a training program for the crews. Remember to clearly state what the outcome in terms of improved productivity, reduced downtime, improved adherence to OSHA, etc... There has to be a real dollar benefit for the company that will show a solid return on investment (ROI) in the training. Present that to him instead of just a series of problems. He would be much more appreciative of being offered solutions. Follow the chain of command to be sure you don't undermine your position there.

It's always better to offer solutions to problems then all the boss has to do is say yes or no instead of trying to find a solution to yet another issue.
 
Re: new company needs to change the way they opera

What everyone has said so far has merit and is applicable in the long run. Question is, is there a long run plan.

You'll have to be really careful in this situation. You're basically putting yourself in the training position and have accepted some level of responsibility. If/when things go south, and they will by the sounds of it, you're the one that is going to have fingers pointed at as you are the most capable person on site. Be careful.

If you are going to stick with this company for the long run, you had better start to take steps to protect yourself. If it isn't documented, it did not happen.

Put your concerns in an email and send them to the guy who hired you and cc his boss, bcc to yourself. Keep it professional and not lay blame. The company is likely under the gun to prove to the utility that they can do the job but as soon as someone gets hurt or they take out a feeder then the stick hits the fan and you don't want the chips to hit you in the face.

Once you formally document your concerns to the upper management in the company, you can judge for yourself by the response if that company is one that you want to work for.
 
Re: new company needs to change the way they opera

Ugh. I know jobs are scarce but holy cow, this place sounds like they have a horrible culture of safety. I did line clearance for a summer during college so I have an appreciation for how dangerous it is. I think you should try really hard find different employment, and stay safe in the meantime.

Are you a patient person? How much of your life do you want to spend on trying to change the culture of a large company?

Also, please review the following link regarding the appropriate use of exclamation points http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_good_word/2007/08/so_many_exclamation_points.html
 
Re: new company needs to change the way they opera

Problem solved! I decided to address my foreman about the safety concerns I had and that's all it took. I got a complete gear setup from Sherrill. I'm training another guy to climb and perform an aerial rescue. I really think just mentioning OSHA and ANSI was all it took for my boss and the big guys in the company to listen.

Keith, thanks man I've been trigger happy for the longest with the exclamation point. Now I realize how ignorant I seemed not using the proper punctuation in electronic communication. KMA!!! "I think you should try really hard make complete sentences." I'm just messing with you man. I'm not college educated. I chose the army over going to college. Since we are subtly dropping our accomplishments in this thread!

Thanks for all the replys and advice.
 
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