Mask observation

[dogmush]

" so now our welder who is grinding and air arcing has to breath it all in. "

Isn't that an OSHA violation?

That would get the "safety" director to change his tune really quickly, I bet.

Could be, but probably not.  OSHA actually  makes it pretty difficult to give your employees respirators. If the employer provides them there needs to be record keeping, training, a management program, and medical evaluations of the employees that will be using them.  It's one of the places that the bureaucracy makes people less safe by trying to make people safer.

Engineering controls, despite being less effective, are cheaper to instal and maintain in compliance, so that's where most employers go.  I actually got a warning during an OSHA assistance visit (DOD workplace is only sorta required to be OSHA compliant) for having 3M half mask respirators available to my workers.

OSHA 1910. 134 standard:
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134

[Bogie]

I'm thinking the guy with the car full is picking them up... Or something... All different colors.
 
Oh, and I got karen'd again today by a guy in a vent mask...
 
"Why aren't  you wearing a mask?"
 
"I'm not an 80 year old cancer patient - and why are you wearing that thing with the vent?"

[MechAg94]

CNN Praises Taliban For Wearing Masks During Attack
https://babylonbee.com/news/cnn-praises-taliban-for-wearing-masks-during-attack

Inspired by their example, the Biden Administration has invited the Taliban to the White House to record TikTok videos in hopes of convincing Trump supporters to get vaccinated.

[Perd Hapley]

I have observed that most of the blue & white masks come from the country that gave us this disease in the first place.

[Bogie]

Got Karened again today... Guy insisted I hop to it to find him a special oil for his special whatever... Went and grabbed it from the warehouse section...

"Isn't there a mask mandate here?"
 
"I work a very physical job, I've had my shots, I've had the 'Rona, and while I'm here sweating because I just ran, and I'm supposed to be staying off my broken foot, how would you like to pay for it?"
 
(oh, and my doctor's physician assistant seemed amazed that my widebody didn't trigger ALL the alarms on the bloodwork from the other day... Moving brake rotors, etc., all day will do that for you...)

[K Frame]

Have a coworker who is pushing back hard against corporate mask and vaccine policies (new policy is that if you want to work in a corporate office, you have to be vaccinated by October 11).

We've already got the all mask, all the time policy when you're near other employees (now you have to be masked if you're in the same zip code as another employee, pretty much).

He's so far refusing on both accounts. I overheard that the matter's been escalated to HR.

[MechAg94]

Have a coworker who is pushing back hard against corporate mask and vaccine policies (new policy is that if you want to work in a corporate office, you have to be vaccinated by October 11).

We've already got the all mask, all the time policy when you're near other employees (now you have to be masked if you're in the same zip code as another employee, pretty much).

He's so far refusing on both accounts. I overheard that the matter's been escalated to HR.

So far as I have heard, it doesn't appear that judges are backing up striking down the stringent requirements (if it ends up the legal route).

[K Frame]

So far as I have heard, it doesn't appear that judges are backing up the stringent requirements (if it ends up the legal route).

That's for HR and corporate attorneys to figure out.

[MechAg94]

That's for HR and corporate attorneys to figure out.

I can to correct myself as I got my words/thought twisted up.  Other than religious exemptions, I haven't seen any judges go against mask/vaccine requirements.

[dogmush]

One of my coworkers has decided to go to the Lawyers and HR over our mask mandate as well.  He cam back today from a month off and pitched a fit.

He is claiming an unspecified (to me anyway) medical condition  that requires unhindered breaths and is asking for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.

We'll see what happens.

[K Frame]

I forgot (well, I didn't, really, I was at work and didn't want to mention it) to note that there's an exception for eating/drinking at your desk.

So, this guy, who sits at the desk right next to mine, has a trick...

He's got a big-assed bag of sunflower seeds and keeps a big wad of them in his cheek and spits the hulls into a cup on his desk...

Apparently he's claiming that he's exempt from wearing a mask because he's "eating."

I think there's going to be an open seat next to me pretty soon because his boss is just about ready to can his ass from what I understand.

[RoadKingLarry]

Have a coworker who is pushing back hard against corporate mask and vaccine policies (new policy is that if you want to work in a corporate office, you have to be vaccinated by October 11).

We've already got the all mask, all the time policy when you're near other employees (now you have to be masked if you're in the same zip code as another employee, pretty much).

He's so far refusing on both accounts. I overheard that the matter's been escalated to HR.

Ran in to a former AT&T co-worker yesterday. He told me about the pending vaccine mandate. From what he is hearing there will be a mass exodus of craft workers (union labor) locally if it goes down.

[Perd Hapley]

On the one hand, we have vast numbers of jobs going unfilled.

On the other hand, large corporations are going to start kicking out people that want to work, all because they won't go through every step of the covid dance? 

OK

[Bogie]

Here's the fun part.
 
The masks don't block the 'Rona viruses. Especially if they don't seal to the face.
 
And you're indoors.
 
So, you'll have clouds of the damn beasties. Whether folks are wearing the masks or not.
 
I wonder how many of the folks who are freaking out have already caught it, not noticed, and just beat it...

[Bogie]

FWIW, a friend who works at Barnes told me "The 'Covid is in the news, but it isn't in the hospitals."
 
St. Louis' casedemic curve continues to look like last summer's...
 
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/covid-19/data/index.cfm

[MechAg94]

Here's the fun part.
 
The masks don't block the 'Rona viruses. Especially if they don't seal to the face.
 
And you're indoors.
 
So, you'll have clouds of the damn beasties. Whether folks are wearing the masks or not.
 
I wonder how many of the folks who are freaking out have already caught it, not noticed, and just beat it...

And they say that may be true whether people are vaccinated or not.

Do they really know yet how this is spread?  There was a whole lot of conflicting information and "studies" last year.  It was all confused.

[Boomhauer]

On the one hand, we have vast numbers of jobs going unfilled.

On the other hand, large corporations are going to start kicking out people that want to work, all because they won't go through every step of the covid dance? 

OK

I came here to say that but you beat me to it.

[TommyGunn]

FWIW, a friend who works at Barnes told me "The 'Covid is in the news, but it isn't in the hospitals."
 
St. Louis' casedemic curve continues to look like last summer's...
 
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/covid-19/data/index.cfm

When it gets hot, and especially humid, people go indoors, where it spreads easily, so it spikes in hot climates.  In the north, when it gets cold, people also go indoors,  so look for maybe a spike in THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN - - - - oooops, covid 19 when and where it gets Cold too.  Hopefully more people will be vaccinated by then and the numbers won't be so high,  but expect spikes.

[K Frame]

Ran in to a former AT&T co-worker yesterday. He told me about the pending vaccine mandate. From what he is hearing there will be a mass exodus of craft workers (union labor) locally if it goes down.

The latest (as of 2 days ago) is that as of right now the vaccine mandate doesn't cover the unionized groups and that negotiations are ongoing with the unions to figure this out.

[RoadKingLarry]

Being that the unions are historically notoriously libtarded I would not be surprised to see them go along with vaccine mandates.

[dogmush]

Here's the fun part.
 
The masks don't block the 'Rona viruses. Especially if they don't seal to the face.
 
And you're indoors.
 
So, you'll have clouds of the damn beasties. Whether folks are wearing the masks or not.
 
I wonder how many of the folks who are freaking out have already caught it, not noticed, and just beat it...

Untrue.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536

[TommyGunn]

Untrue.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536

Interesting,  but other "studies"  disagree.  I'd like to think masks are atleast somewhat effective, given how often I've had one plastered across my face this past year making me feel like I was preparing for a career as a bandit .....    

[bedlamite]

Masks aren't required at work. We have one person that could be described as spherical that "wears a mask to protect everyone" except that she always has it hanging from one ear, so her orange fingers can stuff Cheetos into her face.

[Bogie]

So, you are worried about West Nile Virus mosquitos entering your yard.
 
So you erect a 10' fence all the way around it.
 
And it's chain link.
 
And sometimes, at random, you take a few sections out.
 
My "former lab rat" self is NOT impressed.

[tokugawa]

So, you are worried about West Nile Virus mosquitos entering your yard.
 
So you erect a 10' fence all the way around it.
 
And it's chain link.
 
And sometimes, at random, you take a few sections out.
 
My "former lab rat" self is NOT impressed.

This is misinformation.  Everyone knows you need TWO chain-link fences to keep out mosquitos.