Harold's Bloody Rampage
When packaging frozen meals, care must be taken that each package is sealed all the way around. We had someone check each package. They checked them by tapping on each package firmly as it came down the line before it went into the freezer.
By touching the package on the center of the lid, if there is an unsealed segment, the lid would collapse as air was pushed out of the package. They would do about one package per second, all day long.
I tried to explain to the engineering staff there how we utilized a "tapper" device at another company. The tapper would pick up that a package was approaching the station with an electric eye, then a rod would come down and tap it like an operator's finger. If the tapper travelled too far down, the a puff of compressed air would blow the package off of the conveyor.
Since we were blessed with cheap labor willing to do mindless jobs seven days a week, we used humans to do the tapping.
It was really a frustration, that the workers thought I didn't know anything since I was the new guy at the Company. On the other hand, I was the first one to implement production downtime sheets with that Company. I am not bragging that this was a major accomplishment. It would be the equivalent of bringing matches to a primitive tribe in Brazil.
The production supervisors were constantly being beat down for the actions and poor written communication, which was written out in slop longhand on note paper. They turned in this pile of drivel every day to the tyrannical management who threw fits about everything on the journals and everything that was not in the pathetic journals.
Anyway, if a small noodle or something was on the package's seal area, the lid would not seal. This was a big problem with fettuccine, being a very long noodle that wanted to hang out of the sides.
If there was a lot of resealing to do, sometimes we would have to stop and catch them up. It was very annoying to have to stop, because production numbers were so vital. If we did not make the numbers, we would have to work on Saturday and usually Sunday as well.
The packages that did not seal could be re-sealed. We had an off-line sealer. If we cleaned any sauce off of the seal area they could be resealed on the off-line re-sealer without having to stop and feed them back into the line. The lids were manufactured with their own adhesive, so our equipment had to heat up the seal area, then press the lid and tray together.
On one occasion, there was too much resealing to do, so we had to stop running the line and feed them back through. While the crew was working on the re-sealing, under the watchful eye of their crew leader, Mike, I took the opportunity to go do some paperwork.
Mike came storming into the office, "Harold got his hand in the re-sealer and is running around getting blood all over everything!"
"Stop him!"
"I can't"
So I went out there, wondering what horrific scenario I was walking into. Since this happened to Harold, that meant that he had to have his hand in the sealer while he activated it with the foot pedal. His hand was cut severely and also burned badly by the seal bar.
Sure enough, the goof was still pacing quickly all over the place, holding his injured hand with the other one at the wrist and shaking it about, spraying blood all over the place. People were watching in horror.
I have been hurt before. So have you. Tell me that this guy was not stupid for the way he was acting.
I cornered him and led him away from the line. I instructed the crew leader to completely clean the area and scrap all of the product in the area. He was great and did a nice job of it.
A person ought to have some compassion for the injured. But I have to admit that this was very difficult for me under the circumstances. The plant was in a rural town with the hospital quite a distance away.
Once at the hospital, there was quite possibly a very long wait there for treatment. Naturally, there was no one else to run these people over there.
One time when it was early on second shift, I asked the HR manager if he could do a hospital run so I could manage my operation. He was very insulting and rude with me. They wanted nothing whatsoever to do with interacting with the people.
As a supervisor, when you got back from the hospital, you could expect quite a bit of unwanted, unpaid overtime to make up for the time lost caused by the distraction. Never would you be thanked by anyone for any part of it.
Then I had the privilege of adding insult to Harold's injury by presenting him with a write-up for unsafe behavior. Harold did not loses any fingers, and he made an excellent tapper for a long time afterwards.
FOOD PLANT SUPERVISORS: Would all appreciate reading these Rancid Tales. If you any know Food Production People, why not get them a copy?