limeyphil:
The drug and alchohol testing wouldn’t bother me at all, They could do it before and after every shift as far as i’m concerned. As long as it’s done by a competent professional. I wouldn’t want some spotty office oik with an NVQ in docker picking carrying it out.
The only problem i can see is, Why wasn’t the floor of the trailer cleaned by the driver prior to loading? It’s the drivers responsibility. But it’s also a hygiene issue. I wouldn’t have mentioned anything about the floor being slippy because it would show them that i’m not competant and a risk to myself and others.
The driver will only pick up a sealed trailer, the chances of the driver assisting in loading any trailer at an RDC let alone loading his own trailer is virtually nil.
The good driver would report a dirty or slippery floor just as the driver would report anything, defect or safety issue…if you don’t report it and there is a problem the finger points straight at the last person to use it.
Arse covering.
That’ll be the loader then
Exactly.
Trouble is as we all know in the real world as an agency driver you have to be careful about defecting stuff, you’re between a rock and hard place, whatever you do you’ll be wrong in some buggers books.
kr79:
How do these companys actualy make any money?
Isn’t this what happens regularly when logistics contractors take over transport, can’t spend the clients money quickly enough, more bloody petty gaffers than you could shake a stick at.
Thanks for the comments,
I’m a qualified transport and health and safety manager the trailer was sealed and also full so i couldnt check the condition of the floor before loading Iceland staff arnt allowed in the back of the trailer for health and safety reasons but ironically its OK for the driver we must be a lower form of life. When the first pallet pushed me along the trailer I altered the suspension to compensate for this the pallet i was moving when I slipped was a lot lighter as well. I wasnt badly hurt as a result of falling I was more concerned with the next driver maybe being a female hurting themselves more badly we all have a duty of care to ourselfs and fellow workers. I wasn’t arse covering just asking for the trailer to be cleaned Ive worked as a warehouse manger in a freezer / food warehouse before, it was common practice to clean the trailer when requested and also on a regular basis. These trailers are loaded by people on power pallet trucks they don’t care about the state of the floor unless they have an accident themselves. They under pressure just to load that’s it health and safety goes out the window with that until there’s an accident. With hind sight i should have refused to unload the trailer as in my risk assessment it was to slippy but in reality the store would have complained the depot would have complained to the agency and I would have been barred from the site and agency wouldn’t use me again so on the dole for xmas and what would the dole office say you caused your own loss of employment. As a driver your in a no win situation dammed if you do dammed if I don’t. luckily i don’t need the agency or DHL to much I can survive without them. If i was in the FLM position what would I have done, said thanks to the driver gone and had a look at the trailer got it cleaned and made sure the driver wasn’t hurt. Common sense has left the job it takes me 20 minutes to start work for DHL doing paperwork for there arse covering checks, given risk assessments for stores that weren’t worth the paper they are written on. Told to do deliveries at times when the risk assessments said not, to ask for a banksman and know the store wont give you one due to there health and safety policies. Its madness now, drivers are treated terribly if its not VOSA its Health and Safety. The store i made the delivery to in Leeds said i was the first driver there in a week who spoke English and knew how to operate the tail lift. The driver shortage is mostly down to low wages but also if they were treated like humans it might help. Rant over see a solicitor tomorrow there is no way im letting this drop without a fight thanks for the comments
I’m a qualified transport and health and safety manager
why you driving a wagon then, sounds to me like your an agency driver who has slipped and now trying to claimhere.com
quite simple i live on a boat and the hours suit im not killling myself working 6 days a week
I was sick of the health and safety transport legislation thats stopped people using common sense now
mac2505:
quite simple i live on a boat and the hours suit im not killling myself working 6 days a week
I was sick of the health and safety transport legislation thats stopped people using common sense now
but now your quite happy to try the elf n safety legislation to make a claim because you didn’t have the common sense to be able to unload a pallet safely off a wagon
no wonder they thought you were on drugs
mac2505:
The agency were informed i could no longer work for Iceland as i failed the drugs test. Messages were texted using the FLM personal phone not a company phone left right and center informing them of the outcome. A GP was called out to perform a second test the whole thing started at 2130 by the way at midnight the GP turned up. She asked for the Kit to test me was given one and said " this isn’t the kit we’ve been told to use" made a phone call to her bosses to check and confirmed the kit wasn’t the right one. I was retested and told i was clear of drugs. The FLM never apologized for the mistake that was it as far as they are concerned.
You really need to run this past a solicitor, most will give a free consultation.
You have been accused of taking drugs which appears from what you have stated to be false.
Save any written evidence on this and get a second opinion.
1FLEETRENEGADE:
Opiates can occur in a surprising array of drugs not just heroin etc , a good example being cocodamol…
Just saying like
We “lost” lost a driver on a routine drugs test…after some retesting by the occupational health people it transpired the positive result was triggered by the poppy and sesame seeds on the bread his mrs had got him.
teatime:
We “lost” lost a driver on a routine drugs test…after some retesting by the occupational health people it transpired the positive result was triggered by the poppy and sesame seeds on the bread his mrs had got him.
I’m sure I read a news article a few months ago where some poor bugger ended up being jailed in similar circumstances when he was stopped at some Middle Eastern airport.
There is a long thread on these forums about the rights and wrongs of company alcohol and drug testing, the end result was that most people agreed it should be done by a company doctor, NHS or the police. I stand by that now as I did then.
I act as a national sporting steward and clerk of course for motorsport events, and these are the rules we would follow;
At any time during an event a special medical examination (which may include urine dipstick
testing for drugs) may be carried out by an official event Doctor nominated by the Chief
Medical Officer at the request of the Race Director, Clerk of the Course or Chief Medical
Officer. Any competitor who refuses to submit to such a medical examination will be
disqualified from the event and details reported to the governing body.
Why doesn’t this thread surprise me. That’s what you get with them lot I’m afraid. I worked in the warehouse for 7 years and had the chance to drive for them. So glad I got out. When it was just Iceland it was great, then DHL came in and Iceland started tightening the ■■■■■ strings. All these company procedures are just to cover themselves. They don’t care about the worker. All they want is to increase targets, lower wages and make more profit
