Author Topic: WHO IS LYING? (Read 2862 times)

deerjackie · « **on:** September 25, 2008, 11:30:49 AM »

A piece of big diesel powered equipment gets used by 3 different people 24 hrs a day.4 hrs into the 3rd shift the operator brings it to another workers attention that it has been damaged to the tune of 500 bucks. 2nd and 3rd shift swap out at 10 pm so its outside and not daylight.no one will come forward with the truth to the boss and its causing a lot of dis-trust amoung co-workers as to who can be trusted.the equipment is used away from other workers for periods at a time so damage could be done without a witness.which operator is responsible? 1st shift 6am-2pm? 2nd shift 2pm-10pm? 10 pm-6am? this is not a game or a joke! give me your opinion please.thanks

bilmac · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2008, 12:22:13 PM »

Bosses who insist that blame must accrue from everything that goes wrong is wrong. Accidents happen. A guy who runs an outfit like this will never have a good outfit.

Graybeard · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2008, 12:28:52 PM »

Four hours into a shift is NOT the time to find out something is damaged unless the damage is such that it can't be seen visually. I would assume it is the responsibility of each operator to do a thorough inspection prior to operating the equipment each shift. Visual damage should be reported prior to operating it. Same as when you rent an item.

It isn't my place to set policy on how damage is handled but I do agree damage to heavy equipment is gonna happen and likely should be built into the pricing of jobs not taken from the pocket of workers unless it is just plain negligence that caused it.

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #3 on:** September 25, 2008, 12:48:17 PM »

The wonderful company that I work for makes employees pay the deductable if they damage a company vehicle!
I say split it 3 ways in your case unless one guy squeals

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #4 on:** September 25, 2008, 12:50:05 PM »

oh yea... $500 is not much damage especially when a diesel is involved

billy_56081 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 25, 2008, 12:51:05 PM »

Must not be much of a boss. $500.00 aint much damage and heck its tax deductable anyways. Part of is always put toward wear and tear and damage.

bluebayou · « **Reply #6 on:** September 25, 2008, 06:27:01 PM »

I am sorta with Graybeard on this one. Four hours into the shift would make me question the 3rd shift operator.

The power equipment at my job, forklift, electric pallet jacks, scissor lifts, etc, all have pre operational checklists. If you didn't do the checklist.......I am sorry.

The guy operating the machine is accountable for the damage to the machine. We don't dock anyone's pay for damages, but I believe in accountablility. If nothing else, the guy who damages a machine and doesn't tell someone is risking the next guy (maybe me!). There has to be trust, not just for the $500, but for the fact that someone could get hurt.

williamlayton · « **Reply #7 on:** September 26, 2008, 01:38:26 AM »

Unfortunately the third shift gets the liability.
I say unfortunately because there is no apparent check list too account for the timing.
Somebody got had and somebody got off. Listen around, the truth will come out sooner or later---mouths have need too work.
I hate folks that will not accept responsibility.
Gutlessness, even in the face of liability, is poor character.
Blessings

Singleshotsam · « **Reply #8 on:** September 26, 2008, 05:03:25 AM »

$500.00 in the tune of anything diesel is a drop in the bucket. My opinion is that if all 3 shift workers are good workers, then regardless of who did it, they will make up the $500.00 very quickly. Good workers are hard to come by. Who knows, maybe the guy who did it is tight on money and afraid it will get him docked in pay or fired. I'm lucky in the fact that all of the techs I supervise are honest about doing any damge to trucks, buses, trailers ect.

Yesterday we had a school bus company tell us we damaged a bus. They sent us pics. We did not document any damage prior to repair, so were fixing it for them even though myself or the service manager did not think we were liable. The body shop claims it will cost us about $300.00. We can make that back from the customer in the next 2 repairs. Important thing is that they keep coming back.

Thus is the pain of doing any type of business i'm afraid...

atitagain · « **Reply #9 on:** October 05, 2008, 03:26:05 PM »

If 3rd shift noticed the damage, and is not responsible for causing it, My guess is that 2nd shift may have caused it and is not willing to fess up.
"IF" 2nd shift did not cause the damage, then he/she/or they, should have reported it earlier and/or should have been responsible for inspecting the machinery at the beginning of the shift.
While at the same time, 3rd shift should have inspected the machinery and noticed the damage prior to shift start.
If these responsibilities are well known, then the LAST shift to start without inspecting the machinery, is likely to be blamed.
At which point, if no one will admit to the damage, 3rd shift will be looked at the hardest as responsible.
It may not be fair, but it happens.

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 06, 2008, 07:14:54 AM »

Possibly no one. You don't mention what type of damage is involved. If it is body damage on a large piece of equipment (a large dent may cost $500). The accident may not have even been felt at the time it occured and unless the operator made a visual inspection of the equipment prior to and after his shift (which it appears non of them do) he may not have even known.

jvs · « **Reply #11 on:** October 06, 2008, 11:09:45 AM »

Quote from: deerjackie on September 25, 2008, 11:30:49 AM

A piece of big diesel powered equipment gets used by 3 different people 24 hrs a day.4 hrs into the 3rd shift the operator brings it to another workers attention that it has been damaged to the tune of 500 bucks. 2nd and 3rd shift swap out at 10 pm so its outside and not daylight.no one will come forward with the truth to the boss and its causing a lot of dis-trust amoung co-workers as to who can be trusted.the equipment is used away from other workers for periods at a time so damage could be done without a witness.which operator is responsible? 1st shift 6am-2pm? 2nd shift 2pm-10pm? 10 pm-6am? this is not a game or a joke! give me your opinion please.thanks

Exactly when does this piece of equipment go down for Preventive Maintainence when a Mechanic can check out the equipment and fix it?

Parts wear out and damage occurs from use, and to get all of the workers to basically fight amongst themselves is nothing but a ploy by management to keep everyone so involved as to what everybody else is doing that management does nothing else but listen to all of the problems within shifts. It kind of makes you so mad that you don't have time to do anything but work for fear of somebody turning you in. IT IS a Management ploy.

I can guarantee one thing, unless the workers themselves put an end to this form of management, it will only get alot worse. This type of boss probably knows nothing about the job of managing people or equipment, and uses the workers themselves to fill him in as to what may be going on. The best thing for everyone to do is DON'T Fall for this unless you want to work under those circumstances.

This is why Unions have power in the workplace, to put an end to this style of management.

I would tell the boss that HE is the expert or he wouldn't have the position, it's up to him to find out what happened instead of creating an atmosphere where his workers are ratting on each other for the shift.

Unfortunately, I think this type of boss is happiest when fights break out among the workers, that way he can pull the right strings and fire anyone he pleases.

Stop this practice or heads will eventually roll.

deerjackie · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2009, 08:39:58 PM »

No heads have rolled and there are still 3 people who have question marks on their forehead.some say it is a cover up and some say its a greedy coward? who knows.but the company was good enough to not penalize the 500 dollar safety bonus of everyone as they have before for damage that was done and no one would take responsibility for it.I have a new co-worker on my shift so one of the question marks have been removed from the picture on my shift anyway.is 500 dollars the price you pay to get someones non-trust?makes you wonder?

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #13 on:** July 13, 2009, 02:34:59 PM »

Quote from: Hairtrigger on September 25, 2008, 12:48:17 PM

The wonderful company that I work for makes employees pay the deductable if they damage a company vehicle!
I say split it 3 ways in your case unless one guy squeals

Not legal or just. Two are innocent.

I've been on different sides of a similar situation. The companies I've worked for that valued loyalty would just fix it and shut up about it. Some would watch the help a little closer.
I almost lost a job once because the piece of equipment I was running blew an engine. The only thing that saved me was the head mechanic being on the job site; I'd been reporting in to him about this machine's alarming increase in oil usage, and that I was having to top it off several times a day. He told my foreman that he'd been on the company owner to shut it down for an engine replacement for about a year and a half.

I notice that you don't mention what kinda machine it was, or what kinda damage. Some damage is obvious neglect or carelessness, and some damage just happens. IT's actually a good thing for a foreman or company president to wreck a machine once in a while; if they'll own it, they'll understand that it can happen to anyone. Unfortunately, a lot of the "higher ups" will just be an ass to the help about damage costs until they die.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 13, 2009, 02:46:08 PM »

The boss is making the big bucks on the job. The risk is his. He should have picked better employees.

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #15 on:** July 13, 2009, 02:47:50 PM »

Stuff happens to even the best, most consciencious employee.

deerjackie · « **Reply #16 on:** September 06, 2009, 11:10:43 AM »

and they should fess up to it.they are not going to get fired for the mistake but lying about it is a different story.

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 06, 2009, 04:31:25 PM »

Deerjackie,

I don't know what world you live in, or just how dirty your hands get at work, but blue collar workers get fired for mistakes every day, and not just their own. For instance; I was hired to run equipment on a government job on an army base. Some idiot mismarked the location of an underground line and I got fired for hitting it with a ditch witch. The job paid $22.50/hr, with ten hours of overtime a week. I was still on my probationary period,so I didn't even get unemployment.

deerjackie · « **Reply #18 on:** September 07, 2009, 06:10:02 PM »

you HAD a good job. the job is moving semi trailers in and out of docks at a production plant in a yard tractor. it is easy to jump the pin but to drive the trailer thru the tractor muffler is absurd. some one was in too big of a hurry and not man enough to fess up to it.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 08, 2009, 01:32:20 AM »

THe liability for the equipment repairs is the companys. They could get sued if they dock an employees wages. Part of the profit from the buisiness is for the repair of the equipment. The rewards of profit as a buisiness owner is tempered with the risk of loss and liability.

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #20 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:46:08 AM »

Quote from: deerjackie on September 07, 2009, 06:10:02 PM

you HAD a good job. the job is moving semi trailers in and out of docks at a production plant in a yard tractor. it is easy to jump the pin but to drive the trailer thru the tractor muffler is absurd. some one was in too big of a hurry and not man enough to fess up to it.

Yeah, that wasn't an accident; that was someone being an idiot.

deerjackie · « **Reply #21 on:** September 08, 2009, 08:59:05 AM »

i agree. hope it never happens again. it sure has gained the dis-trust of 3 employees.the company does not garnish wages. they take safety bonuses until its paid for when non-cowards fess up.its a good company or i would nt be there going on 11 years but 1 rotten apple can ruin the whole basket.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #22 on:** September 08, 2009, 09:17:02 AM »

if the safety bonous is paid to others they are on very shakey ground .

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #23 on:** September 08, 2009, 09:29:54 AM »

That could depend on the ethic background of the employees.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #24 on:** September 08, 2009, 09:42:48 AM »

not really , if it is part of the pay , either thru. contract , agreement or tradition it cannot be with held without the employee agreeing if all other employees are paid . The risk is the employee waiting a few years quiting or getting laid off then going after it with intrest .

deerjackie · « **Reply #25 on:** September 08, 2009, 10:59:43 AM »

the bonus is a safety bonus that you get for having no accidents.it is not part of the pay. it is exactly what it is, a bonus.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #26 on:** September 09, 2009, 02:49:04 AM »

If an employee is told that if he preforms in a certian way as a single or in a group IE in a safe mannor and will be rewarded if he has no accident then it is part of his pay . I deal with this stuff . A bonus is extra pay for extra work , service or action . Sometimes here we see employees get a bonous to bring in new employees , some to sign on etc. try holding back that pay and they will go to the state EC and they you pay along with intrest .

billy_56081 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 09, 2009, 03:25:55 AM »

Your employer is setting themselves up for legal action if the make their employees pay for equipment damage. The not paying a saftey bonus to an employee until the damage is paid off is illegal. A saftey bomus it paid monthly, quarterly, ect. To take the saftey bonus from an employee for an incident from a previous time period would be illegal under employment law.

As I said before the liability for damage by an employee falls on the employer. That is why the employer carries liability insurance. The employer reaps the profit and risks the liability. To protect themselves the employer needs good screening of its hires and can terminate poor performing or dangerous employees.

You are worrying about something that is managments responsibility not yours.

deerjackie · « **Reply #28 on:** September 09, 2009, 05:28:07 PM »

it has been resolved as of today. case closed. all worked out fine.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #29 on:** September 10, 2009, 10:14:06 AM »

Worked out how?

Don't leave us hanging...