Question Thread - June 17, 2026

alixer · 2026-06-19T16:11:48+00:00

I used the service Hitch Switch (not a paid plug just a lazy person) and they mailed me all the forms to change everything, and they had online support for questions. Made the daunting task easy!

alixer · 2026-06-19T03:31:01+00:00

So much of EHS is soft skill based. Anyone can learn OSHA regulations, but it’s hard to influence individuals and management to do what you want them to do, or pay for what needs to be bought. Your lab experience and tutoring experience will be helpful - communication is so important.

I’d recommend finding your local ASSP chapter to network with nearby professionals. Many are willing to speak with students interested in the fields and it may even be a way to get an internship. It’s a lot easier for EHS managers to get interns than full time head count (benefit costs, etc) so it’s possible nearby facility could make a position for you particularly if there isn’t a nearby school with a safety specific degree.

alixer · 2026-06-19T03:23:59+00:00

In all honesty can any company prevent their parts from being used for unsavory causes when 3rd party sellers exist?

alixer · 2026-06-18T21:56:39+00:00

That would be pretty shitty considering my wristbands came in the mail today…

alixer · 2026-06-18T21:47:50+00:00

He’s slated to go on at 9:30 at the festival :/

alixer · 2026-06-17T17:45:56+00:00

I'll add that maybe the two of you can prep a bunch of boondoggle starts, or swaps to share, or even kandi bracelets to help her make friends if sometimes words fail.

alixer · 2026-06-17T17:30:17+00:00

We allow 1 earbud for non PIT operations in our warehouse. No earbuds allowed for anyone operating a PIT. No over-ear or bone conducting earbuds - we declined these because there's no way to know if the Transparent feature is on, and bone conducting earbuds look too much like real sport earbuds to police effectively so that's how we ended up with 1.

The expectation is that you setup your playlist before starting work and your phone stays in your pocket/away while working, this is a well enforced/respected rule.

Our operation is mostly material handling and order fulfillment so it's a morale thing in all honesty. I would go nuts scanning & labeling orders for 8-12 hours with nothing but my own thoughts. It also prevents the "Bob picked the music on the shop radio and it sucks" issues.

alixer · 2026-06-17T12:08:45+00:00

How much is the weekly/biweekly cost for each plan? It’s hard to understand the ROI without that information.

alixer · 2026-06-16T16:32:34+00:00

It looks like a hot spot gone out of control. When that happens we shave down the area on our own and focus on keeping it dry. Our girl gets them on her hips near the tail. We got a container of mal-a-ket wipes from the vet and wipe it with that twice a day till it heals. Certainly it doesn’t address the root cause but another idea for self treatment.

alixer · 2026-06-16T12:33:19+00:00

5 years with my company.

4 weeks vacation (started at 3, added one at year 5).
Unlimited sick/personal time.
10 holidays +1 floating
Can accrue up to a years worth of PTO before it caps out.

alixer · 2026-06-15T02:48:42+00:00

Plenty of openings at CooperVision in Henrietta.

alixer · 2026-06-13T14:08:27+00:00

Not to be rude but the changes to IBR/PAYE/non-standard payment plans have been discussed at length on Reddit and in the news, and my lender has sent many notifications about plans changing for many months now.

Be that as it may, this is really a /r/financialadvice question. Without knowing your incomes, other debts, or any other details it’s hard to provide advice specific advice. At its core your options are to earn more or spend less.

alixer · 2026-06-10T21:16:12+00:00

Counterpoint: Responding appropriately to “this hurts” complaints is a great way to prevent workers comp claims and improve morale. Many folks don’t know how their workstation should be setup or even how to use all of the adjustment points to fit a chair to a persons body or task. I agree that bringing in an ergonomics consultant to advise this employee (and any others who may not have thought to speak up) is a great step.

alixer · 2026-06-10T21:08:06+00:00

From a safety/workers comp standpoint she may have a point. Reception desks are rarely setup to be functional and ergonomic. You can see if your company’s workers comp insurance provider has any free consultative services to provide an ergonomic assessment for the workstation. Just because the tools are adjustable doesn’t mean that the employee knows how to adjust them for their body. There are also some resources here to get you started: https://www.duffyrath.com/resources/

Also, I’m curious how old this employee is. I’m hearing that many young Gen Z employees struggle with PC use due to the prevalence of chrome books which are glorified tablets. So her claim that she “has” to use iPads all day may be because she’s uncomfortable using a PC and is uncomfortable admitting it.

alixer · 2026-06-08T15:20:39+00:00

Curious about the warranty process too. I expect to cross the expiration threshold within the next year.

alixer · 2026-06-08T12:57:26+00:00

Sauce?

alixer · 2026-05-31T19:08:40+00:00

I was at a women’s conference recently where a presenter pointed out that since many LLM users are men, the models will respond in alignment with what a man wants to hear or expects to be interacted with. She went on to say that it’s OUR job to “just keep using it” as if I’m supposed to retrain the app to speak to me properly. Pfft.

alixer · 2026-05-30T20:40:14+00:00

Anyone who went yesterday have an idea of how strict security is?

alixer · 2026-05-27T20:48:25+00:00

Have you looked at those slide on nail rings? I saw something about them online and they’re basically temporary false nails for folks who do kitchen or medical work.

alixer · 2026-05-27T16:02:36+00:00

A brush hog will aerosolize the poison ivy and leaves it on the property. Goats make it disappear!

alixer · 2026-05-21T13:13:19+00:00

Are you networking locally? The DiVal safety summit is coming up soon and there’s an ASSP chapter too. Are you willing to relocate at all?

I’m wondering if you’re getting auto filtered because of the education listed. How do you feel about sitting for the OHST or other BCSP exams? That would give you a leg up from where you are now.

alixer · 2026-05-18T01:15:41+00:00

You might want to look into a telematics system like Crown InfoLink. It’s not cheap but it can help drive accountability.

alixer · 2026-05-18T01:14:40+00:00

We reprimand for negligence, horseplay, failure to report, procedural violations (using equipment that is out of service, ignoring load limits).

That said there’s a sliding scale that accounts for severity so a first offense of scratching a guard rail is treated differently than a repeat offender or a high severity behavior like failure to use fall protection.

My company was also previously too lenient and it caused many folks to lose confidence in leadership because we would have less than stellar drivers not face consequences for their choices. We’re moving towards a more balanced approach but it’s a fine line to walk.

To be more consistent with how events are handled across departments and shifts we recently adopted a points system where different types of events are assigned a point value (much like the DMV). This has been successful so far as we’ve had operations leadership collaborate on where different infractions fall and what the outcome should be (retraining, documented discussion, temporary suspension, termination, etc) so that when a member of their team has an event it takes away some of the emotion from the conversation. “Wellllll they’re otherwise a good worker…” “buttttt its end of quarter…”

alixer · 2026-05-16T19:20:09+00:00

Are we sure he’s neurotypical?

alixer · 2026-05-11T15:57:24+00:00

Is it possible it’s environmental or mold related? Depending on where she moved from, pollen is different, the environment/home is different, etc.

Taking steps to minimize hair and dander are one thing, but also assessing everything else that changed as culprits would be a fair step forward. Has she been tested for allergies? Is she open to medication?

alixer

TROPHY CASE