Ministry of Health and Labor safety

Hello all, bare with me here while i go on a rant...
instead of going into detail im going to give the short version.
Ive been working at my new workplace now for almost a year.
workplace deals with scrap of all kinds.
place got a new machine that results in mass amounts of dust and particles going in the air and in the building.
asked supervisors why theres so much dust and told that they dont think its that bad.
called ministry to complain early this year.
case is still open but machine has still been running.
called back 3 times never got a call back saying whats going on
called again finally talked to someone who basically said they dont have the hygienist results yet.
yet im still going to work everyday breathing this stuff in.
why would this take so long?
why is it that if i workplace has to do air quality tests they use a third party and the ministry is just sent information without even being present when the test is being conducted? how does the ministry know the test was conducted properly ?

who is above the ministry ? who else can i talk to about this cause clearly these guys arent doing anything about it.

I think you will quickly learn that nobody really cares about your safety but you, industry has money and generates money and you are just a cog in the machine.

They will likely tell you to wear a mask and that's about it. The more your rock the boat the more they will want to find a way to get rid of you.

This comes from 18 years of industrial/construction experience.

Get a new job if they care that little or take the onus on yourself and wear a respirator

Sometimes you have to take care of yourself if others won’t

The person above the ministry is YOU! Demand that they give you proper PPE or try to find a job at another scrap place as there are others around.

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Originally Posted by dean.f

I think you will quickly learn that nobody really cares about your safety but you, industry has money and generates money and you are just a cog in the machine.

They will likely tell you to wear a mask and that's about it. The more your rock the boat the more they will want to find a way to get rid of you.

This comes from 18 years of industrial/construction experience.

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x2 for this^^

I also worked construction when I was in university, my boss was old school, no safety at all, no tie-offs at height, no hard toe boots, no air masks. I just got another job and never looked back.

yup im at that point now. but i find it very shameful that this government has a ministry for this type of thing and its like they arent doing anything about anything? whats the point of this branch of ministry ?
i shouldnt have to find another job, i have the right to a safe and healthy workplace , if thats not the case report it to the ministry and something should be done about it. what a joke of a world we live in today by many standards, it blows me away. im in my late 20s and its just incredible.

What do you think the ministry should do for you? Have them scrap new machine? The fix they will give is to mask you up. Just wear a respirator or move on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GuyJR

What do you think the ministry should do for you? Have them scrap new machine? The fix they will give is to mask you up. Just wear a respirator or move on.

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never said scrap the machine. they run different types of things in the machine thats inside the building. from straight copper to wire to aluminum to insulated wire. some of these things give off way more dust and harmful particles than others.

i would like them to test the air quality while these different things are running in the machine and see if its okay or not to breathe in all day ?
have you ever been in the vicinity of copper pipes being shredded? it doesn't just get in your nose and mouth. it burns your eyes and skin.

i dont think this machine should be situated inside.

they dump things from outside with a crane into the hopper that crushes and shreds everything and spits it out inside the building.

would like the ministry to do their job and give me an answer to the questions and issues ive raised.

They are busy investigating workplace deaths and dismemberment on a daily basis and don't have the resources to act as quickly as people may prefer. We are in a construction boom which ties up officers and and administrators.

Keep in mind you have the right to refuse unsafe work without fear of reprisal. If you can't resolve the issue after a work refusal, they will show up.

Have you checked what the safety regulations actually say? If they say filters are required then they would have to put them in.