How dare you, Wearing earbuds is equivalent to putting up a 'do not
disturb' sign. He didn't not want to be bothered, and clearly you were
bothering him, probably by wanting him to do work.
On 5/12/2023 1:25 PM, Chuck McCown via AF wrote:
I warned an employee wearing noise cancelling earphones that they were
a safety hazard yesterday. Today I noticed he had them on again, I
pointed to his ear. He went off on me, complaining that everyone else
had earbuds. I told him that many times I started talking to him and
he either acted like he was not hearing anything or he chose to ignore
me. Yadda y adda, yadda. He quit a few minutes later. Good worker
but lousy attitude. 43 years old and had worked about 20 different
places.
So I adopted an open ears policy. If I am the asshole, that is fine.
I am a boomer and proud of it.
Whadya y’all think?
*Should Employees Be Allowed to Wear Earbuds?*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)
does not have guidelines on earbud use in the workplace. However, OSHA
has issued recommendations regarding earbud use while on the job. Of
course, wearing earbuds in some work environments poses more of a
threat than in others.
Earbud Dangers
The dangers of wearing earbuds while on the job are similar to
non-employment use of these devices. People wearing earbuds simply
cannot hear emergency signals, but it goes beyond that. Overall,
earbuds may pose a safety hazard because the employee is less
cognizant of their surroundings and is not paying attention to their
safety.
No Earbuds Allowed
OSHA urges employers to forbidTop of Form
Bottom of Form
the use of earbuds when workers are operating any sort of heavy
equipment. Anyone working on a manufacturing or construction site
where heavy equipment is used should not have earbuds, headphones, or
similar devices on their heads. For example, even if the forklift
operator is not wearing earbuds, a fellow employee in the vicinity
using these devices could end up getting hit if they cannot hear the
machine. Along with earbuds, the same warnings hold true for
smartphones.Manufacturing machinery such as milling machines emit
noises that indicate problem conditions or unsafe conditions.Operators
of machines need to be able to hear what is going on with the machine.
Other Earbud Risks
In most manufacturing industries, various energy-related hazards
exist. These may include chemical, electrical, or fire hazards.
Failure to hear a warning device due to earbud use not only puts that
employee at risk if they cannot hear warnings from coworkers but may
be at risk as earbuds also affect evacuations or the realization that
equipment is not functioning properly. For maximum safety, no employee
in a manufacturing setting should wear earbuds, even if they are not
in an area of heavy equipment use. That includes those working in
warehouses. Earbuds are never a substitute for any type of hearing
protection on the job.
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