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National PEO Blog
Fire Prevention and Safety
November 3rd, 2011
October is National Fire Prevention Month. Is your place of business compliant with both fire code and OSHA standards for fires and protecting your employees? Many companies think that because they have fire extinguishers, maybe a sprinkler system and maybe smoke alarms they are in compliance and that is all that is required.
Unfortunately, this reasoning pertaining to fires safety and prevention often results in severe burn injuries to employees and even their lives. How would you answer the following questions pertaining to fire safety and prevention in you company?
1. Are all of your fire extinguishers current with the required annual inspection and recertification?
2. Do you perform the OSHA required monthly employer self inspections of all fire extinguishers?
3. If you have a sprinkler system, has it had the required annual inspection and recertification?
4. If you have smoke detectors in your facility are they checked monthly and batteries changed every six months?
5. Is emergency exit lighting tested each month to make sure the lights will come on during a fire or power failure?
6. Are employees trained on how to use fire extinguishers?
7. Do you have a written emergency plan and evacuation floor plan drawings posted?
8. Are your flammable and combustible materials properly stored?
9. Do you conduct the annual fire prevention and safety training classes for you employees as required by OSHA?
10. Do you conduct a fire drill at least once per year?
If you can’t answer yes to all of these questions, your employees are in danger of sever injury or death in the event a fire breaks out in your facility. You can obtain training and assistance from your local fire department, training consultants or your local OSHA training and consulting department.
2012 Arizona Minimum Wage Increase
October 17th, 2011
The Industrial Commission of Arizona has announced that the minimum wage in Arizona will increase to $7.65 from $7.35 effective January 1, 2012. Since the tip credit does not change, the tipped minimum will increase from $4.35 to $4.65. The rate increase is based on a 3.8% increase in the CPI-U.
For Reference:
http://www.ica.state.az.us/PublicNotices/LABOR_MinimumWageResolution_2012.pdf
Safety Training
September 27th, 2011
Does your company have a written safety program which is adhered to and would meet the training requirements under the OSHA standards? Each of the standards has specific language pertaining to training, the type of training, etc. Even if you are doing the safety training, instruction, etc. in accordance with the standards are you doing the training in a manner that the employees can understand?
In other words are you conducting classes and training in Spanish for the Hispanic employees who speak no English or limited English?
How about employees, who are illiterate, can you tell them to read the safety procedures and operators manual to fulfill the requirement of their safety training? No. You can not send training material home with the employee and have a spouse, child or other person read it to them to fulfill the training requirement as some companies do.
The OSHA standards are very specific that it is the employers responsible to provide the required safety training in a manner and format that all employees can understand. The training can be conduct by a competent in house employee, manager, etc., independent safety trainer, consultant or even OSHA. Yes, OSHA can provide onsite safety training for employers who do not have the financial means or competent employee to provide the training. This training is performed through the OSHA department of consultation and training free of charge. However, OSHA resources are limited, demand is high and the waiting list for the training can be several weeks (in Arizona the wait time is 6-8 weeks). Due to the demand (in Arizona) the OSHA training and consultation office will only conduct 2 to 3 classes per employer per year.
When you conduct your safety training including any weekly toolbox or tailgate safety briefings, make sure you document the class with a minimum of a sign in log, with topic, date and who made the presentation. If you want to have the employees take quizzes all the better during an OSHA inspection.
OSHA is now going to check training records, the method and will probably ask employees about safety training and specific information covered pertaining to their job. How will your training hold up during an inspection?
If you do not have a copy of the OSHA standards for your company I strongly recommend making the investment and acquiring a current copy of the standards for your company. The standards are CFR1910 General Industry for all employers except construction and maritime operations. For the construction industry the standards are CFR1926 and maritime are CFR1915, CFR1917 and CFR1918.
OSHA Act of 1970 “General Duty Clause”
Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees, employment and a place of employment which are free of recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or physical harm to his employees: and shallcomply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.
Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct
This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply.
For those employers who are not familiar with the penalties that can be levied on an employer by OSHA, below gives a breakdown.
OSHA Penalties
1. Non-Serious (Other Than Serious) – Is a violation of an OSHA standard which is considered minor and may not carry a penalty with it. The violation still has to be abated. May or may not carry a penalty.
2. Serious – Is a hazard in violation of an OSHA standard which has a high probability of causing illness, injury or possible death and will have a monetary penalty attached which will be determined by OSHA.
Maximum penalty may range up to $7,000 per violation.
3. Willful Serious – Is a hazard in violation of an OSHA standard which the company or management was aware of but failed to correct or abate the hazard which would lead to imminent danger of health, injury or death to an employee. This type of citation carries the potential for very expensive penalties. Maximum penalty may range up to $70,000 per violation.
4. Failure to Abate– Is when an employer fails to abate a hazard after receiving the inspection citation with violations and penalties.
Maximum penalty may range up to $7,000 per day per violation for 30 days.
Who’s Tools and Equipment?
June 2nd, 2010
Does your company supply employees with tools, ladders, etc. to perform their assigned duties? Or does your company require employees to provide some or all of their tools to perform their duties? Does your company lease or rent tools, equipment, etc?
Well, if you think you are not responsible for the condition of tools and if they are not in compliance with safety standards because the employee provides them, you may want to rethink that philosophy. OSHA does not have specific standards stating this so this area would be covered under the General Duty Clause.
As an employer you are responsible for providing a safe and healthful place of employment for your employees. If employees bring their own tools to work to perform their job it is the employer’s responsibility to make sure the tools are compliant and all guards, safety interlocks, etc. are in place and working properly.
If an OSHA compliance inspector should happen to see a power hand tool with a defective cord, or missing guard the employer will be cited and fined for the violation. The tool that is not in compliance with safety standards poses not only a risk to the tool owner, but also to any other employee who may decide to use or borrow the defective tool. This includes ladders, hand tools, personally owned PPE, etc.
As the employer you have the responsibility to:
1. Inspect employee owned tools, accessories, ladders, etc. to make sure they are safe to use and are in compliance with current safety standards.
2. If the employee owned tools, accessories, ladders, etc. are defective or are not compliant due to missing guards, damaged cords, etc. have the employee remove them from the premises immediately.
3. Have the employee replace or have the defective tools, accessories, ladders, etc. repaired and brought back into compliance before bringing them back on the premises.
4. As the employer if an employee uses personal tools, ladders, etc. on the job and is injured or results in the injury of other employees due to the equipment being defective, in need of repair, modified, etc. you can be held responsible under the general duty clause of the OSHA Act.
This also applies to tools and equipment that you may rent or lease from another company. If it is on your site and your employees are operating the equipment and/or tools it is your responsibility as the employer to inspect it to make sure it is safe and in compliance.
As an example a client was inspected by OSHA this year and had a loaner forklift on site from the company that had their forklift in the shop for repairs. The client’s employees were operating the forklift on the site. The compliance officer inspected the forklift to find that the seat belt was missing, the horn was not operational and there was no operator manual with the forklift. Needless to say the client was cited and penalized a total of $2,000 for this violation, even though the forklift did not belong to them. The forklift was not in compliance with OSHA standards and the specifications of the manufacturer.
OSHA Act of 1970 “General Duty Clause”
Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees, employment and a place of employment which are free of recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or physical harm to his employees: and shallcomply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.
Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct
This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply. This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply. For those employers who are not familiar with the penalties that can be levied on an employer by OSHA, below gives a breakdown. This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply. For those employers who are not familiar with the penalties that can be levied on an employer by OSHA, below gives a breakdown.OSHA Penalties
This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply. For those employers who are not familiar with the penalties that can be levied on an employer by OSHA, below gives a breakdown.1. Non-Serious (Other Than Serious) – Is a violation of an OSHA standard which is considered minor and may not carry a penalty with it. The violation still has to be abated. May or may not carry a penalty.
This is the law; all other sections of the manual are the minimum standards by which an employer shall comply. For those employers who are not familiar with the penalties that can be levied on an employer by OSHA, below gives a breakdown.1. (Other Than Serious) – Is a violation of an OSHA standard which is considered minor and may not carry a penalty with it. The violation still has to be abated.2. Serious – Is a hazard in violation of an OSHA standard which has a high probability of causing illness, injury or possible death and will have a monetary penalty attached which will be determined by OSHA. Maximum penalty may range up to $7,000 per violation.
3. Willful Serious – Is a hazard in violation of an OSHA standard which the company or management was aware of but failed to correct or abate the hazard which would lead to imminent danger of health, injury or death to an employee. This type of citation carries the potential for very expensive penalties. Maximum penalty may range up to $70,000 per violation.
4. Failure to Abate – Is when an employer fails to abate a hazard after receiving the inspection citation with violations and penalties. Maximum penalty may range up to $7,000 per day per violation for 30 days.
OSHA Updates
April 12th, 2010
In March and April I attended a couple of meeting where OSHA updates were covered by the Director of Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health. His updates covered both updates in what is happening in both state and federal OSHA.
One of the first things covered was the mandated increase in compliance inspections by both federal and state administered OSHA’s. The number of compliance inspections in Arizona has increased even with a shortage of compliance inspectors with approximately 130,000 businesses in the state. Statistically they are finding that approximately 45% of businesses inspected are in compliance which is good, unfortunately, that leaves 55% of the businesses non-compliant which is not good for employees.
The use of the free OSHA training and consultation serves has increased and continuing to increase which is a good sign that more businesses are starting to take employee safety more seriously. Currently if your company wants to utilize this free service from OSHA you will have to schedule their service 4-6 weeks in advance and due to demand they are limiting the number of visits per year. However, you can still take advantage of the free training classes they conduct throughout the state all year long. You can find a schedule of training classes on the Arizona Industrial Commission web site. Go to organization, scroll down to OSHA, scroll down to the second block of titles and click on ADOSH Advocate, and open the current issue. The training schedule is listed at the end of the newsletter for the quarter. It is an excellent source of information on safety and issues.
This year federal OSHA emphasis program is targeting the OSHA 300 logs and reporting and all state run OSHA programs are following the federal program. Several times a year I get phone calls from clients asking what the OSHA 300 logs and reports are and are they required to maintain these logs. The answer is very simple. Yes! All companies are required to maintain these injury logs and summary reports annually per 29 CFR Part 1904 Recording and Reporting Occupation Injuries and Illness. During compliance inspections this year, compliance officers will be asking to review your OSHA 300 logs and summary reports for at least the past three years minimum. If you do not have the required documentation you can expect to be cited and penalized for failure to maintain the logs. In March of this year a company in Arizona was fined $300 for failing to have logs and summary reports for the past three years. If your logs are filled out improperly, inaccurately or you have failed to list some injuries you may also be looking at additional penalties. There is a change coming to the OSHA 300 logs which is suppose to take effect on January 1st of 2011 and that is the addition of reporting MSD (Muscular, Skeletal Disorders) also known as repetitive stress syndrome. If you would like a copy of the 29CFR Part 1904 on reporting, you may contact me via e-mail and I will forward a copy to you in PDF format.
More changes coming from federal OSHA to both the General Industry and Construction Industry standards this year. The final rule for crane and derrick changes is suppose to be finalized in July, eight years after the process began. Additional changes to expect in the future are to walking and working surfaces and fall protection for general industry and confined spaces for construction industry.
There is new legislation moving through Congress to bring OSHA into the 21st century and to bring legal power up to the same level as other federal agencies, such as EPA, DOT, Dept. of Agriculture, etc. In the forty years since OSHA was signed into law, penalties have only been increased one time. The average penalty for a violation under federal inspections is $1000 per violation and in many cases they are contested and reduced. The maximum penalty for a serious violation is $7,000 and for a serious willful violation the maximum penalty is $70,000. If there is a fatality at a workplace and a business owner or manager is found guilty in court of contributing to the death of the employee through non compliance the maximum jail time is six months. Some of the major changes proposed under this house bill are as follows:
· Increase the maximum penalty for serious willful violations from $70,000 to $250,000.
· Increase jail time on criminal cases involving workplace fatalities from the current six months to a maximum of ten years.
· Expanding potential criminal liability to corporate officers and directors in workplace fatalities.
· Increasing the time for employees to report work place discrimination involving a work place inspection from thirty days to one hundred eighty days.
This bill wants to send a message to the employers who ignore employee work place safety. If they do not want to be compliant under the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA Act, then there will be substantial consequences. Being compliant is just good business no matter how you look at it.
A British statesman once remarked “The only human institution that rejects progress is the cemetery”.
What Your Company Should Know About Health Care Reform
April 8th, 2010
Healthcare reform’s the topic of the day – and there’s a lot of misinformation going around. Here’s what HR people can tell employees about what’s happening now:
First off, it’s likely you’ll be fielding one question over and over: “Is our health plan going to change?”
The answer is no. The law “grandfathers” existing employer plans.
Although your plan will have to conform to mandated coverage changes outlined below – which could eventually affect your overall plan premiums down the road – the bill largely lets businesses keep on doing what they’ve been doing.
It’s certainly possible further legislative changes could affect your health benefits. But for now, it’s pretty much business as usual.
Key coverage changes
The new law contains several key plan coverage changes you’ll want to communicate to your workers.
- Effective Sept. 23 of this year, plans that offer dependent coverage must extend that coverage to children up to 26 years old – even if they’re married. As you know, up to now, most health plans dropped young adults at 19. Students could retain eligibility until 25.
- Insurers will be prohibited from denying children (defined as dependents under 19) because of pre-existing conditions. A similar prohibition will cover adults when the final reform measures wind up in 2014.
- Health plans can’t impose lifetime limits on the dollar value of coverage. On Jan. 1, 2014, insurers will be prohibited from imposing annual limits on coverage.
For more information on how this will affect your company and employees, please contact your HR Representative at 480-429-8098 or HR@NationalPEO.com
This article was brought to you by HRMorning.Com.
Insulate Your Company from Rising Health Insurance Costs
March 30th, 2010
“How many times have your employees — or even potential employees — expressed concerns about the cost of the health insurance that your small business provides. It’s an employee concern that most small business owners dread discussing because providing comprehensive health care can be a substantial cost burden. There are small business owners who can afford to provide a competitive benefits package in the short-term, but many are not aware that their rates can increase in the long-term as the result of employee illnesses that require substantial medical care and cost.
Going It Alone
Often times, small businesses implement a health insurance plan one year, only to see their costs skyrocket in subsequent years due to the health experience of their small employee base. If there have been health conditions that resulted in significant costs, insurance rates for the small group plan rise, and a once competitive plan becomes a cost burden to the company. When a small or medium-sized business obtains its own health care coverage and is faced with a significant rate increase due to the performance or cost burden generated by the small pool of employees, difficult choices emerge:
• Eliminate or reduce coverage
• Increase the employer contribution to the premium
• Increase employee premiums
Partnerships Can Help
To help protect themselves from these types of increases, many small businesses choose to partner with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). PEOs operate under a co-employment model which is based on a commitment by the PEO to share employment-related risk with clients, thereby helping to reduce financial exposure…”
http://www.blogcfo.com/2010/03/insulate-your-company-from-rising.html
Mother Natures Silent Killer
November 2nd, 2009
Hypothermia
There’s a chill in the air, leaves are changing color in some parts of the country and other parts of the country there has already been significant snow fall. Are you and your employees ready for the fall and winter environment? Unfortunately, most people don’t give hypothermia the attention that is given to heat stress. In Arizona almost as many people die from hypothermia as die from heat stroke.
The down side to hypothermia is that some of the symptoms are similar to heat stress. However, first aid is more complex and recovery is slower and longer requiring professional medical treatment being administered as soon as possible.
Everyone reading this article has had hypothermia at least once if not more. Let me prove it.
Have you ever felt cold?
Have you ever shivered?
Have you ever shivered so hard you could not stop?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you have experienced the first stages of hypothermia. Like heat stress, hypothermia is preventable when the proper precautions are taken.
What is the difference between heat stress and hypothermia? Hypothermia is basically the reverse medical condition of heat stress. With heat stress the body can’t dissipate heat fast enough, dehydrations starts and it becomes a vicious cycle. Hypothermia is a medical condition where the body loses heat faster then it can generate heat, hypothermia starts and this becomes a vicious cycle also.
Heat always migrates to a cooler environment. The average person has a body core temperature of approximately 98.6° and when unprotected parts of the body are exposed to temperatures below 98.6° body heat transfers to the cooler environment and starts to accelerate the process. As the environmental and body core temperature drop, the brain sends a message to constrict the blood vessels in the extremities restricting blood flow. The blood is then retained in the body core to conserve heat because the body can not produce heat fast enough to warm the entire body. After about twenty minutes, the brain sends another message for the blood vessels to temporarily dilate and let warm blood from the body core flow to the extremities to warm them up and bring the cold blood back to the body core and then constrict the blood vessels again. When this occurs the cold blood being returned to the core lowers the core temperature resulting in the organs working harder to heat the cold blood and maintain body temperature. Unfortunately, this becomes a vicious cycle and the person slips deeper into the danger zones of hypothermia.
Just like heat stress, the same key essentials for prevention of hypothermia and they are proper hydration, proper diet and clothing for the environmental exposure you or your employees will be exposed to. I am only going to cover the causes and risk factors for a person who may be exposed to conditions where they may experience hypothermia. The detailed symptoms and first aid are covered in specific safety training and first aid classes and will not be covered in this article.
The Primary Causes of Hypothermia are:
· The failure to stay properly hydrated which accelerates hypothermia.
· Failure to consume the appropriate amount of calories to fuel the body to generate heat.
· Failure to have the proper clothing for the environmental conditions.
· Failure to keep moving to generate heat. When muscles are working they are generating heat.
· Various medical conditions effect how the body generates heat in cold environments.
The Primary Medical Risk Factors of Hypothermia are:
· Infants and people aged 65 and older have trouble regulating body heat which makes them highly susceptible to hypothermia.
· Consumption of alcohol when environmental temperatures are at or below freezing. This can lead to flash freezing of tissue inside the mouth, top and back of the throat and trachea which can be fatal.
· The use of illegal drugs inhibits the body’s ability to produce heat and regulate body temperature.
· Certain prescription medications will inhibit the body’s ability to regulate body heat.
· People who are diabetic have trouble with cold temperatures.
· People who are fighting infection have trouble with cold temperatures.
· People who have coronary problems are at high risk dealing with cold temperatures.
Environmental Risk Factors of Hypothermia are:
· Temperatures at or below 50° Fahrenheit.
· Winds from 4 to 30 miles per hour.
· Rain, sleet, snow or freezing rain.
· Wet clothing from sweat, rain, snow, etc.
Safety Measures in the Prevention of Hypothermia:
· Eat a health meal which will supply the calories required to generate adequate body heat for the conditions that will be found in the environmental conditions.
· Eat snacks periodically to replenish calories.
· Drink warm non-caffeinated beverages.
· Do not sit or lean on cold items such as bleachers, stones, ground, aluminum, automobiles, etc.
· Keep moving as much as possible.
· Keep clothing dry.
Clothing not to wear in cold wet weather to prevent hypothermia:
· Tennis shoes provide no insulation properties when dry and accelerate heat loss when wet.
· Cotton or nylon socks provide little to no insulation when dry and none when wet.
· Blue jeans and denim jackets have minimal insulation properties when dry and none when damp or wet.
· Cotton sweat shirts provide little insulation when dry and none when damp or wet.
· Don’t wear short sleeve shirts or short pants.
· Don’t wear ponchos because they do not cover the entire leg and if the wind is blowing, rain will blow up under the poncho.
Clothing to wear for protection and prevention of hypothermia:
· Leather water repellant shoes or hiking boots. These types of shoes will repel water; they also breathe which will permit perspiration to escape while keeping the feet warm.
· Wool or wool blend hiking socks provide excellent insulation for the feet while wicking away moisture. Wool will retain up to 80% of its insulation property when wet, where cotton doesn’t.
· Wool or wool blend trousers.
· Long sleeve shirts.
· Wool or wool blend sweater.
· Coat or jacket that will insulate, repel water and wick away sweat.
· Neck scarf to insulate the neck area and prevent heat from escaping through the top of the coat or jacket.
· A wool or wool blend head covering.
· If it is raining or heavy snow, a rain suit with separate jacket and hood to keep clothing dry.
Every year in the United State approximate 600 to 700 people die from hypothermia and in Arizona an average of 23 people die of hypothermia. Every year in the United State approximate 600 to 700 people die from hypothermia and in Arizona an average of 23 people die of hypothermia.
Every year in the United State approximate 600 to 700 people die from hypothermia and in Arizona an average of 23 people die of hypothermia. Remember this, nobody ever froze to death, they died of hypothermia first. The freezing part came later if the temperature was below freezing.
Hypothermia is preventable. Enjoy the winter months and don’t fall victim to hypothermia.
ARE YOU READY?
September 24th, 2009
Last month I covered how OSHA is stepping up inspections, going for higher and more maximum penalties on companies that are not compliant in providing a safe and healthful work environment free of known hazards which may cause illness, injury or death.
Some of the comments I hear from clients are, “I am a small business, OHSA doesn’t have time to inspect me”, ”We haven’t had any accidents in years, so we must be compliant” “I’ll worry about OSHA when they show up”. These are the most common attitudes of a majority of companies both small and large and the sad part is when the compliance officer comes knocking on the door, it is going to become expensive in more ways then one. As mentioned last month if you are compliant you should have no major issues.
In August a company in Yuma, Arizona was inspected by OSHA on a referral complaint from either another government agency or entity. The company had 14 citations covering failure to enforce eye protection, failure to have a hearing conservation program and hearing protection, failure to have a lockout/tag out program, failure to have forklift operators trained and certified, forklift with inoperable parking brakes and broken propane fuel tank straps, missing guards on equipment, failure to have a written program to protect employees from exposure to lead, employees exposed to lead above the permissible limits allowed to name some of the violation. What did this cost the company in penalties? The total came to $49,000 for failure to protect employees and be in compliance with the OSHA standards and law. When all is said and done, the fines are only the beginning, because now the company will have to abate all of the violations and work hard and fast to become compliant on a schedule that OSHA establishes in the notice of violations and penalties. (Source ICA web site)
On the upside, one of our clients who install commercial air conditioning units in new commercial construction requested we conduct unannounced safety inspections of his job sites on a monthly bases. The client received written reports of our findings with a copy going to the general contractor. After the first 3 months the client started to see the light and took a serious proactive approach to our safety inspections. His proactive approach to safety for his employees paid off many times over when OSHA showed up on the large complex he was working in August of this year. At the time there where approximately 25 sub contractors working on the job site. All of the sub contractors were inspected and our client was one of 6 who were found to have zero violations.
Why was his company one of the 6 who had zero OSHA violation when all of the other sub contractors had numerous violations? The owner read our reports, asked question, made the recommended corrective actions we suggested, trained his employees, had all of the required documentation on the job site, made sure all tools had guards, ladders were safe, fall protection was being used properly, etc..
As mentioned in earlier articles and blogs, management really needs to look at a comprehensive safety program as a profit center, not a cost center. When management takes a pro-active position on safety, injuries, damage to equipment, workers compensation and liability premiums decrease and when the OSHA compliance officer comes for a visit they should have the compliance inspection report our client experienced with no violations or penalties.
The company inspected in Yuma was not proactive on safety for their employs. Don’t repeat their mistakes. Are You Ready?
If you want to read the inspection report on the company referenced to in Yuma go to the web site for Industrial Commission of Arizona. On the home page go to the tool bar at the top and click on minutes. When the archives for 2009 appears, click on the week of August 27th and scroll down to ADOSH inspections. The company referenced in this article will be the first inspection report.
National PEO now offers the OSHA General Industry 10 and 30 hours courses as well as the OSHA Construction 10 and 30 hour courses. We can conduct the training at your facility or our training facility. Contact us for additional information.
“I Don’t Need to See Your Watermelon”
September 18th, 2009
For certain, we can all agree that times are tough. Budget cuts, layoffs and increased workloads due to the recent economic downturn has no doubt affected us all in one way or another; particularly from a moral standpoint. As an HR professional I’ve been receiving dozens of newsletters and sales brochures on ways to improve moral among our workforce during these tumultuous times. But very recently I was hit with a quirky dose of human reality while visiting a local grocery store. As I was standing in the ‘quick check-out’ line with my 10 items or less, I was killing time by calculating what the total cost of my purchase would be and even kicked it up a notch by trying to factor in the tax as well. (smirk if you want but it’s an easy way to kill time without having to make eye contact with anybody). I was next in line and there were at least 5 people behind me who were also staring off into space as they anxiously awaited their turn to make their way to wherever they were going. The stoic faces and blank stares were no doubt a normal site for the cashier who, herself, was making her way through the day with as little eye contact and conversation as possible. Upon reaching the checkout stand, the cashier fired off the requisite “Hello, how are you?” and my reply “fine, how are you?” was as much a reflex response as “God bless you” when somebody sneezes. We didn’t make eye contact and barely even acknowledged each other as we went through the motions of scanning items and swiping debit cards. It was about the time I was punching in my PIN number that I caught the woman behind me out of the corner of my eye. She apparently was lifting a watermelon from her cart to place it on the mini-conveyor belt so that it, and exactly 9 other items, would roll up to the cashier by the time I would grab my bag and make my way out of the check-out procession line. But as she did this, she was interrupted by the cashier who politely said “Oh, I don’t need to see your watermelon, ma’am”. The woman behind me gently returned the watermelon to her cart without a response and everyone went back to the blank stares and stoic faces without even batting an eye. It was at that point that something strange happened. I began to chuckle a bit and the urge to laugh grew more and more until I had to literally bite my lip not to bust out in guffaw. The cashier noticed my struggle to maintain my laughter and seemed to skip a beat as she made eye contact with me, for the first time I might add. It was at this point that I felt compelled to tell her, “I’m sorry, it’s just not something you hear everyday”. “What isn’t?”, she asked with a very confused look on her face. “I don’t need to see your watermelon”, I replied with a chuckle. “It’s just not something I’ve ever heard someone say and probably will never hear it again”, I added, now laughing at a pretty steady pace. The cashier’s brain seemed to reboot for a quick moment as she was now taken completely out of her routine. She paused for a moment while glancing at the woman behind me, then, almost reluctantly, began to chuckle. As she did, the woman behind me, (with the watermelon), began to smile and the smile turned to laughter. It was about this point that the people behind Watermelon Woman began to laugh as well. Before long, everyone in our line was laughing and the laughter began to spread to the lines to the left and right of us from the people who apparently overheard the conversation. Within several seconds, most of the front of the store was laughing and making one-liner jokes about the statement and mild chuckles turned to outright and out loud laughter. All the beeping stopped as cashiers took a break from their duty to laugh and joke about this seemingly innocuous event. Though this entire scenario took a total of about 5 minutes, it was time well spent. The human will is resilient, and the human spirit is strong. Employee moral is not something that can be issued to them in a semi-transparent company-planned event. Nor is it an item to be purchased, energized or persuaded. Moral comes from our own positive energy that we each will decide to embrace or repress. The saying goes, laughter goes a long way. For me, and the employee at the grocery store, it went just as far as was necessary for that day. Blank stares were traded for friendly smiles. Rehearsed greetings were traded for playful banter. We all took a couple minutes out of our day to end on a high note and dispel the misconception that moral is dead. Take the time to remind yourself, and others, that there’s laughter anywhere you choose to find it. Even if it is securely nested in the shopping cart of the stranger standing in line behind you. Make it a great day!
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