Inspired in part by this thread, I have a question that I can’t find an answer to on my own.
My employer requires that we wear uniforms. I work as an EMT for a private ambulance company, so we’re in and out all day long. Sometimes we’re outside for long stretches.
The owner’s wife picked them out - this has some bearing later.
We have khaki pants, and short-sleeved button-down shirts, and light jackets. We are required to buy all items from our employer - the pants are very much like Dickies work pants, but of a much lower quality. The jackets are loaned to us during cold weather; we have to turn them back in when the weather gets warm. The owner’s wife would prefer that we not wear anything under our shirts, but has conceded that we need more in cold weather, and we’re allowed to wear plain white short-sleeved t-shirts.
Here’s the kicker. Our jackets are very lightweight windbreakers, with no lining. When it is cold out, we freeze. We’re not supposed to wear anything else under our jackets, as it ruins the ‘look’ that Wifey picked out. That’s the big thing - she’s all hung up on this ‘look,’ but we’re the ones suffering.
We also have knit caps, but we’ve been told not to wear them into facilities or while in the ambulances. Why? I have no idea.
Is there anything in OSHA that requires an employer to provide weather-appropriate clothing? I’ve tried searching, but I can’t find anything that relates to company uniforms. Most of what I’ve found deals with PPE (personal protective equipment for construction and firefighting) and Haz-Mat situations.
It has to be against some regulation that we wear lightweight clothing in winter weather. The owner’s wife has laid down several rules about the uniforms that seem a little nuts; no hats in facilities or the ambulances, no knit gloves, because there aren’t any that ‘match the uniform’ and they have none to issue to us that have the company logo on them, nothing else under the jackets for warmth.
We’re expected to wear short-sleeved cotton/poly shirts and a windbreaker all year round, even in snow and bitter cold.
If they’re going to require that we wear a uniform, doesn’t it at least have to be appropriate for the weather?
It’s not like we’re in the Northern Canada - I’m in Maryland, but it still gets cold here.
Technically, we’re not supposed to wear anything with long sleeves, as she doesn’t like the way it looks with white sleeves sticking out, but if we keep our jackets on, management tends to ignore it. In addition, many people have simple fleece jackets or vests that they wear underneath their jackets to keep warm, but try to hide them while at the offices.
I also found this OSHA fact sheet about Protecting Workers in Cold Weather. In general it seems to deal with prolonged exposure to the cold when people are outside for extended periods of time and are at risk of frostbite or hypothermia. I would think this would apply to EMTs, as ambulances probably can get pretty chilly inside, not to mention the time you have to spent outside when attending to patients or transferring them.
I think the section that is most relevant for you is:
Thanks, Waenara. I’d found the second page you linked to, but it seems like that’s just suggesting what to wear in the cold.
What I’m looking for is something that would show that there are regulations in place that would require an employer to provide us with heavier jackets or allow us to wear a middle layer under our jackets.
Something that says, basically, “You’re requiring your employees wear a short-sleeve shirt and a windbreaker - that’s not adequate. Get them something warmer!”
I would guess that we’re not outside for what would be called ‘extended periods’ in OSHA’s terms; we’re not road workers or construction workers. At the same time, we are outside enough that I believe we need better gear. We have to do a daily maintenace check on the ambos, and there isn’t adequate garage space for everyone to do them inside. Sometimes I can pull it inside, sometimes I can’t, and end up having to do it outside.
(The ambulances do have heat, though; we’re transporting sick and injured people. They need heat.)
If Maryland is like California, much of the relevant code is squirreled away in “case law” rather than being set out in tidy little bits that can be printed on posters.
For example, there’s a whole lot hiding behind this opening paragraph on the “Safety and Health Protection on the Job” poster:
To get an actual definition of “safe and healthful” in your area, you’ll need to contact Maryland Occupational Safety and Health - http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/mosh.html
Is your employer enthusiastically insistent that you wear these silly clothes, or is it more a matter of, Gee, guys, you better wear those clothes, because I just don’t want to deal with my wife if she sees you wearing a real jacket?
If it is more the latter than the former, perhaps your boss could arrange for MOSH to arrange an on-site visit for some consultation. Then the agency might give the recommendation (or order?) that you need better clothes, and the boss can say, “Gee, honey, I really like your uniforms, but the damn gummit said workers can’t dress for the beach when it is 30 degrees and sleeting. I guess we have to buy real jackets for the peons!”
Unfortunately, I don’t believe OSHA has rules on winter clothing, since it is of a personal nature. Beyond the basic “uniform of the industry” (like steel toed shoes, long pants, hard hat, safety glasses, in the construction trades) cold weather uniform is left up to the individual. I may be comfortable in fleece and a light jacket but my coworker may need a -60 arctic parka. A one standard for all is not going to work in these situations.
Instead OSHA relies on Cold Stress monitoring and having a cold weather plan (just like you may have a “blood borne pathogen plan”). If you are going to work in cold environment here is the recommended clothing. I you are still cold add more layers. Monitor for cold stress. If any of the indications of cold stress occur do this - (see this OSHA pub).
OSHA may also fall back to established standards where none exist for a given industry. EMTs while not specifically spelled out may rely on firefighter or construction standards. Baltimore City (county?) EMTs may have a uniform standard that should (or could) be followed by others in the same profession within the same jurisdiction. I don’t know how you could get her to play along. Try to make it seem like it is her idea.
I feel your pain. A friend who does house renovations nearly blew a gasket when the wife asked for heated counter tops in the kitchen because her “elbows get cold.” However, your only alternative may be to get rid of the wife - either by Mr Martin’s plan to “rub out” Mrs Ulgine Barrows, in James Thurber’s short story “The Catbird Seat,” or by finding her a new hobby, or adding an addition on to the house. Heck, put her in charge of building their new house. Perhaps her husband can interest in her a charitable cause that will take her time away from the business. I am sure that he loves her dearly but he may feel better if he can get some time to himself. all of you might feel better.
It’s more a matter of, “This is your uniform; deal with it.”
:rolleyes:
I did find a “Contact Us” link on the Maryland OSHA website, and shot off an email asking about regulations. It didn’t ask for any identifiying information other than my name.
I don’t want to be a whistleblower, but I’d like to have something to back me up when people are complaining and one of the bosses is standing there saying we can’t wear any more layers and that we don’t need warmer jackets.
Tell them that if a victim dies because the EMT’s hands were shaking and numb from the cold, the inevitable lawsuit will eventually land in their laps.
The only phrase that can motivate half as well as “I’ve got a gun!” is “We could be sued for this”.
I’m totally on the wife’s side on this. Because when I’m laying in the street, with a spinal injury and a few severed arteries after a bad MVA, unaware if my kids in the backseat are alive or dead, the thing I’m most concerned with is the EMT’s wardrobe. :rolleyes:
I received a reply to my email today, from the Operations Supervisor at Maryland OSHA. It asks me to call him to discuss my situation.
I’ll see what happens tomorrow.
