Sorters? Wax?

browntroll

Well-Known Member
Every building is supposed to have wax concentrate that they dillute with water and put in a spray bottle. If for some odd reason they don't have any, ask the center manager to order some. The concentrate ups uses is essentially Pledge (the furniture polish).

A couple of points based on what I've read in this thread:
Hourlies shouldn't be up walking on metal chutes anyway. Yes, it is done everyday and when I worked inside picking off 30 feet above the concrete below, I often found myself jumping up and down on packages inside a spiral chute because there was no other way to get to the packages. If you can't reach a jam in a metal chute with a hook, you shouldn't be up walking on the chute because there is no safe way to do it. You're taking a risk walking on slippery slanted metal, usually high off the ground.

Next thought: If you're a sorter/pick off, aside from the sort aisle, how hard you work and how well your night goes often depends on wax. You often have to push harder for the same result without wax. That being said while we should give the company nothing, it's understandable that people would consider spending their own money on a can of pledge to cut down on the strain on their body. I considered it when I was a pickoff but never actually spent any of my own money. I did however bitch and moan when I ran out of wax until I got some. Squeaky wheel...
this is what im wondering about. its common for ppl to walk on really slippery and slanted/spiral slides to break jams but on our safety thing it says not to.
one of the picks off i do has a combo of 3 feet of slide with the rest(7ft) being rollers, i dont have a hook/stick and i was never given one. everytime i bring up any
safety stuff to my sup i just get ignored or problem never gets sovled. we used to have a wax machine to mix everything for us but they took it away so now i have to
ask my sup but like i said he doesnt like me so i rarely get any. my slide always jams up from not having wax so i push boxes down the whole shift.
 

TooTechie

Geek in Brown
I never did this position but if the sup doesn't give you what you need couldn't you just keep stopping the belt to piss off the sup?
Then you run into a work as directed situation after they tell you to stop turning the belt off and let it run. Then you say fine and let stuff go past you because it can't fit in the chute...then you end up screwing yourself out of a pickoff position and end up loading feeders in 10 degree weather. There's no good answer to it.
 

browntroll

Well-Known Member
Then you run into a work as directed situation after they tell you to stop turning the belt off and let it run. Then you say fine and let stuff go past you because it can't fit in the chute...then you end up screwing yourself out of a pickoff position and end up loading feeders in 10 degree weather. There's no good answer to it.
then they see you are the only one that doesnt suck or is actually willing to do the pickoff/sort right and put you back
without solving anything at all.
 

Oak

Well-Known Member
Back when I was in lumber and moulding manufacturing we used a product called Waxiglide for machine table lubrication. It was pretty pricey.

We also used Johnson paste wax to wax the machine beds where the wood slid on the beds entering the machining areas. The paste wax was applied each time the machine was shut down at break. It helped tremendously. Usually lasted an hour or so (at several thousand lineal feet per hour) before the waxiglide pump was needed.

It's not like UPS would give anyone a stick with a sponge attached to wax the slides before a shift started.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
I wish my building had sorter positions, the robots took our jobs. I'd love an extra dollar an hour.

The wax works TOO well here. Sixty pound box down an over-waxed chute.... get the friend out the way.
 

Notcool

Well-Known Member
Every building is supposed to have wax concentrate that they dillute with water and put in a spray bottle. If for some odd reason they don't have any, ask the center manager to order some. The concentrate ups uses is essentially Pledge (the furniture polish).

A couple of points based on what I've read in this thread:
Hourlies shouldn't be up walking on metal chutes anyway. Yes, it is done everyday and when I worked inside picking off 30 feet above the concrete below, I often found myself jumping up and down on packages inside a spiral chute because there was no other way to get to the packages. If you can't reach a jam in a metal chute with a hook, you shouldn't be up walking on the chute because there is no safe way to do it. You're taking a risk walking on slippery slanted metal, usually high off the ground.

Next thought: If you're a sorter/pick off, aside from the sort aisle, how hard you work and how well your night goes often depends on wax. You often have to push harder for the same result without wax. That being said while we should give the company nothing, it's understandable that people would consider spending their own money on a can of pledge to cut down on the strain on their body. I considered it when I was a pickoff but never actually spent any of my own money. I did however bitch and moan when I ran out of wax until I got some. Squeaky wheel...
Exactly, I have to do the same thing to break jams in the shoot and have to walk on rollers. It is dangerous. I have slipped a few times, luckly I caught myself.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
Every building is supposed to have wax concentrate that they dillute with water and put in a spray bottle. If for some odd reason they don't have any, ask the center manager to order some. The concentrate ups uses is essentially Pledge (the furniture polish).

A couple of points based on what I've read in this thread:
Hourlies shouldn't be up walking on metal chutes anyway. Yes, it is done everyday and when I worked inside picking off 30 feet above the concrete below, I often found myself jumping up and down on packages inside a spiral chute because there was no other way to get to the packages. If you can't reach a jam in a metal chute with a hook, you shouldn't be up walking on the chute because there is no safe way to do it. You're taking a risk walking on slippery slanted metal, usually high off the ground.

Next thought: If you're a sorter/pick off, aside from the sort aisle, how hard you work and how well your night goes often depends on wax. You often have to push harder for the same result without wax. That being said while we should give the company nothing, it's understandable that people would consider spending their own money on a can of pledge to cut down on the strain on their body. I considered it when I was a pickoff but never actually spent any of my own money. I did however bitch and moan when I ran out of wax until I got some. Squeaky wheel...
Sheperd's hooks all disappeared a while ago...which is why we climb slides and chutes to break jams.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
And UPS is all about safety and safe work methods.
But of course...esepcially since once you break the jam...even if the belt is shut off...the boxes come sliding down at you where you're standing 20 feet off the ground. One of these days, I'm gonna blow out my knee climbing the chutes....I have little doubt.
 

joeboodog

good people drink good beer
But of course...esepcially since once you break the jam...even if the belt is shut off...the boxes come sliding down at you where you're standing 20 feet off the ground. One of these days, I'm gonna blow out my knee climbing the chutes....I have little doubt.

How are your knees holding up? Mine feel a little stiff in the cold damp weather but doing a lot better.
 

bleedinbrown58

That’s Craptacular
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