I'm Sorry, OSHAman, It's Actually All My Fault

The other day, to everyone's great surprise, a gentleman representing the federal organization of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) came into the pawn shop and asked to speak with the head manager.

OSHAman informed my manager that there had been complaints filed against the store and that he was there to check things out. They spoke for a while and then my manager gave OSHAman a tour of the pawn shop, particularly the back area. He took several pictures and then asked to speak with a few employees.

I was somewhat disappointed I didn't get to talk to OSHAman, only because I was curious to see what he would say, but I was also relieved because I probably would have said something wrong and gotten the store into trouble for no reason. That's how I roll.

Anyway, my fellow employees who were interviewed said that OSHAman asked them if they felt safe while working at the pawn shop--if they were fearful that things were going to fall on them or if they were ever exposed to hazardous materials. Neither of them had such concerns. In the end, OSHAman didn't find any legitimate issues with the store, which is great, but that raises the question of who filed the complaint.

There had been an employee who had been let go about a month back. He wasn't a horrible worker by any means, but he frequently messed up the paperwork on paycheck advances and he was normally late arriving to work. Anyway, I remember the day he was let go. He was late, of course, and in a very foul mood because I think he knew it was coming. We were behind a counter and looking at the list of things that needed to get done for the day and he criticized one our manager's handwriting, stating that he wrote like a "f***ing five-year-old girl." I disagreed with him and said it looked more like a boy's writing to me, but he didn't appreciate the joke. He was later called into the office to speak with the head manager and then I never saw him again.

It seems likely that this disgruntled former employee was the one who sent OSHA after us. And, I haven't shared this with my managers or co-workers, but I actually think the two complaints that were filed--that the store is unsafe because things could fall on employees and that workers are exposed to hazardous materials--were my fault.

I can remember two instances with this former employee. One time, he was crouched down and rearranging a display shelf and I was reaching up to a higher shelf to move something. I accidentally knocked over this cutesy birdhouse decoration thing and it was sent over the edge of the shelf and it hit him on his head. The second instance involved me spraying Windex onto a paper towel, only the Windex didn't so much go onto the paper towel as it did into this former employee's eyes. I'm still not sure how that one happened.

Anyway, it's ridiculous that he would file complaints about such silly things. I mean, those were freak instances that he must have exaggerated in his complaint. Although, it is strange that both of these complaints stemmed from things I did. I'm both disturbed and somewhat proud of this.