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Being forced to wheel fat people

Being forced to wheel fat people

Old Nov 8th 2013, 4:55 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
...What would they do? Fire all of them? I doubt it.
Yup.

Something similar in a big hotel in Boston a couple years ago, caused a bit of a stink when the hotel sacked all the cleaners because of a similar ultimatum.

Don't know if they got rehired after the news backlash though....but being fired for cause means no unemployment insurance in MA :/
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 4:55 pm
  #32  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Their business isn't based at a hospital anymore unfortunately, they have around 5 offices, none have porter facilities. When they were based at a hospital they had porters. Hence now them asking people like my wife (who should be assisting with surgery instead) to wheel them in from the parking lot.
OK, so my first guess was closer - short of staff so they're delegating to existing departments.

Maybe they could employ more ambulatory fat people to push the non-ambulatory ones, for exercise
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 4:56 pm
  #33  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
MA
If it was Texas I could tell you that you don't have a leg to stand on ... not sure about Massachusetts. I do know that certain positions in hospitals and clinics are only offered to those who can lift specific amounts or have sufficient strength to move heavy people. Not all heavy people are necessarily "fatties". It sounds like they should never have hired her so maybe you have some recourse there.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:04 pm
  #34  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Speedwell

Your wife was hired to do a job. If she has problems with the job, she needs to bring it up with her managers.....
I think that was what the problem is about though. The goal posts being moved. Which happens when you don't have a contract.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:04 pm
  #35  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

From your post, it seems that the issue is more about your feelings than it is about her feelings. You can easily get a bad back by doing thing around the house but do you stop your wife from doing those things?
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:06 pm
  #36  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Leslie
If it was Texas I could tell you that you don't have a leg to stand on ... not sure about Massachusetts. I do know that certain positions in hospitals and clinics are only offered to those who can lift specific amounts or have sufficient strength to move heavy people. Not all heavy people are necessarily "fatties". It sounds like they should never have hired her so maybe you have some recourse there.
Wife has been there for 5+ years, this has never been a requirement until they moved out of their hospital premises. Now they just expect staff to perform the duties the hospital porters did.

That's not remotely justifiable, and I'm amazed the bosses could even remotely think this is acceptable. Corporate abuse & hypocrisy alive and well the cynic in me would argue.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:07 pm
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Bob
I think that was what the problem is about though. The goal posts being moved. Which happens when you don't have a contract.
Exactly. Goal posts have been moved without any conversation or contract adjustment.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:09 pm
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Michael
From your post, it seems that the issue is more about your feelings than it is about her feelings. You can easily get a bad back by doing thing around the house but do you stop your wife from doing those things?
No, it's about her coming hone upset and frustrated about this. Her frustration impacts on me accordingly, hence resentment to her employer that they are putting my currently able bodied wife in this position. It is unacceptable to me. Plain and simple.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:12 pm
  #39  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Wife has been there for 5+ years, this has never been a requirement until they moved out of their hospital premises. Now they just expect staff to perform the duties the hospital porters did.

That's not remotely justifiable, and I'm amazed the bosses could even remotely think this is acceptable. Corporate abuse & hypocrisy alive and well the cynic in me would argue.
So, the job description has changed and she can't perform the job anymore. You should research MA employment law in this particular area before making waves. In Texas she'd be SOL but might be able to get unemployment ... maybe.

Does she not have a manager that she can have a reasonable conversation with?
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:15 pm
  #40  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Yep, just another thing that irritates me about corporate America - complete lack of health & safety consideration for employees. If anything happens to my wife as a result of pushing one of these fatties, I wonder if the employer doesn't expect me to hit them with a lawsuit within the week? Does that not even cross their minds?
There are actually quite a few requirements here, they just don't jump out (OSHA - and for a hospital failure to adhere would be serious).

What training has she had? Does she have access to Safety programs (they have to have these - I have to have them and I'm at an Engineering company, in fact re-writing them has been my main focus for the last 2 weeks but anyhows...).

The issue at hand is the manual lifting requirement, regardless of what the weight is due to. If they are being asked to lift or move loads that are too heavy there should be procedures in place to provide alternate strategies or to provide someone else who is capable of that specific manual lift requirement to do that aspect.

Do they have weekly/monthly meetings? If so, the best course of action would be for you wife to raise that someone hurt their back and ask what they could do to make sure no one else is hurt. This should set off alarm bells for the Health and Safety officer (the person in charge of complying with OSHA) without anybody getting the blame directly.

At least, that's how I'd go about it.

Last edited by Bink; Nov 8th 2013 at 5:19 pm.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:18 pm
  #41  
 
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
... Maybe they could employ more ambulatory fat people to push the non-ambulatory ones, for exercise.
Maybe they could just buy a couple of motorized wheelchairs, ... or a small forklift!



/helpful
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:19 pm
  #42  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Bink
There are actually quite a few requirements here, they just don't jump out (OSHA - and for a hospital failure to adhere would be serious).

What training has she had? Does she have access to Safety programs (they have to have these - I have to have them and I'm at an Engineering company, in fact re-writing them has been my mine focus for the last 2 weeks but anyhows...).

The issue at hand is the manual lifting requirement, regardless of what the weight is due to. If they are being asked to lift or move loads that are too heavy there should be procedures in place to provide alternate strategies or to provide someone else who is capable of that specific manual lift requirement to do that aspect.

Do they have weekly/monthly meetings? If so, the best course of action would be for you wife to raise that someone hurt their back and ask what they could do to make sure no one else is hurt. This should set off alarm bells for the Health and Safety officer (the person in charge of complying with OSHA) without anybody getting the blame directly.

At least, that's how I'd go about it.
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:25 pm
  #43  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Maybe they could just buy a couple of motorized wheelchairs, ... or a small forklift!

http://www.seiequipment.com/images/DHForks.jpg

/helpful
They should just cut to the chase and get one of those hay ride tractors, move them all at once
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:26 pm
  #44  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Some time ago, I had to deal with this on a Tour.

No "Obeseicle" or similar. She expected either myself, or my elderly passengers to push her around, in her extremely wide and heavy wheelchair.

Employees at the Theatres visited, were told by their employers not to push wheelchairs due to risk of injury. You can see why.

It's a delicate situation, but, she is now on our "Do Not Travel" list unless accompanied by some serious assistance.

Photo does not show the face, thankfully.


Jim
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Old Nov 8th 2013, 5:30 pm
  #45  
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Default Re: Being forced to wheel fat people

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Exactly. Goal posts have been moved without any conversation or contract adjustment.
Meh, in the UK even badgers can move goalposts.
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