4 ms·

because tornado;s are not hurricane, and you literally only get a few minutes notice... not days like you do with a hurricane Unless you think every business

by syshum 5y ago

because tornado;s are not hurricane, and you literally only get a few minutes notice... not days like you do with a hurricane Unless you think every business should shut down every time there is a tornado watch issued, which hell they issue those like candy the entirety of spring and summer around here we would never get anything done if we shut down for every tornado watch

HarryHirsch 5y ago
Operating procedure at a former workplace in Texas was that during a Tornado Warning sheltering in a designated tornado shelter was mandatory. The question should be: was there a tornado warning, and was there any employee not in a tornado room?
- BeetleB 5y ago
  > Operating procedure at a former workplace in Texas was that during a Tornado Warning sheltering in a designated tornado shelter was mandatory. See my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29526164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29526164 It was mandatory where I worked too. That most people didn't seek shelter was not a fault of the employer.
  - genocidicbunny 5y ago
    It absolutely was the fault of the employer. There are plenty of things the employer could have done to make seeking shelter the more attractive option. Halt and Safe all the machines. Push back any imminent deadlines to account for the shutdown so the employees can avoid worrying about any consequences from a production delay. Provide adequate shelter that employees would feel comfortable with. Yes, you can't force everyone, but I would bet that most people would take shelter given the right incentives/exception from negative consequences.
    - BeetleB 5y ago
      In my job, shutting machines wasn't feasible (well, they could kill the Internet I suppose). As for the rest, no one would get hurt by imminent deadlines, etc. We worked on the timescale of months, not hours or days. I can assure you: Not a single person in my building was concerned about missing deadlines if they went to the shelter. As I said, people are people. Most people I know drive over the speed limit, because everyone does it, and because the likelihood of it hurting them is low. Same principle here. I'm all for everyone going to the shelter, just as I'm all for severe penalties for going over the speed limit. Most people, though, are OK going over the speed limit but not OK with people not sheltering when there's a tornado. It's almost always the case that such people have never lived in a tornado zone and cannot comprehend the dynamics of the situation.
  - HarryHirsch 5y ago
    That most people didn't seek shelter was not a fault of the employer. Funny you say that. One my my current responsibilities is chemical safety (it's written in the offer letter), and recently I contributed to a colleague getting called on the carpet by HR. I have no doubt that were there any serious injuries in any laboratory HR and counsel would wish to talk to me, and I have no desire for such a conversation.
- syshum 5y ago
  Sure, that is pretty standard I am not sure how you think that disproves some of the comments in and around this thread saying people were "not allowed to call in" or "why was the facility open" or other things like that Warnings happen minutes before, and last 15-30 mins, maybe an hour. These are not long lasting events. Notice you did not say that your workplace "shut down" or "told employees to go home" or anything like that They are to shelter in place, Arriving employee go to the shelter, employee getting off shift are prohibited from leaving. That is normal procedure at most companies

by syshum 5y ago

HarryHirsch 5y ago

Operating procedure at a former workplace in Texas was that during a Tornado Warning sheltering in a designated tornado shelter was mandatory. The question should be: was there a tornado warning, and was there any employee not in a tornado room?

BeetleB 5y ago
> Operating procedure at a former workplace in Texas was that during a Tornado Warning sheltering in a designated tornado shelter was mandatory. See my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29526164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29526164 It was mandatory where I worked too. That most people didn't seek shelter was not a fault of the employer.
- genocidicbunny 5y ago
  It absolutely was the fault of the employer. There are plenty of things the employer could have done to make seeking shelter the more attractive option. Halt and Safe all the machines. Push back any imminent deadlines to account for the shutdown so the employees can avoid worrying about any consequences from a production delay. Provide adequate shelter that employees would feel comfortable with. Yes, you can't force everyone, but I would bet that most people would take shelter given the right incentives/exception from negative consequences.
  - BeetleB 5y ago
    In my job, shutting machines wasn't feasible (well, they could kill the Internet I suppose). As for the rest, no one would get hurt by imminent deadlines, etc. We worked on the timescale of months, not hours or days. I can assure you: Not a single person in my building was concerned about missing deadlines if they went to the shelter. As I said, people are people. Most people I know drive over the speed limit, because everyone does it, and because the likelihood of it hurting them is low. Same principle here. I'm all for everyone going to the shelter, just as I'm all for severe penalties for going over the speed limit. Most people, though, are OK going over the speed limit but not OK with people not sheltering when there's a tornado. It's almost always the case that such people have never lived in a tornado zone and cannot comprehend the dynamics of the situation.
- HarryHirsch 5y ago
  That most people didn't seek shelter was not a fault of the employer. Funny you say that. One my my current responsibilities is chemical safety (it's written in the offer letter), and recently I contributed to a colleague getting called on the carpet by HR. I have no doubt that were there any serious injuries in any laboratory HR and counsel would wish to talk to me, and I have no desire for such a conversation.
syshum 5y ago
Sure, that is pretty standard I am not sure how you think that disproves some of the comments in and around this thread saying people were "not allowed to call in" or "why was the facility open" or other things like that Warnings happen minutes before, and last 15-30 mins, maybe an hour. These are not long lasting events. Notice you did not say that your workplace "shut down" or "told employees to go home" or anything like that They are to shelter in place, Arriving employee go to the shelter, employee getting off shift are prohibited from leaving. That is normal procedure at most companies