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This post was last edited by jilinyuliang on 2016-11-30 at 19:36. It happened at 18:30 on November 29th. I arrived at the factory in a minibus hired by my company. Upon entering the locker room, I encountered Worker A, who was about to hand over his shift, and Worker B from another shift, who was chatting there. The two of them had already changed out of their work uniforms. Seeing me coming, worker A handed me the walkie-talkie and said there was nothing serious upstairs. Then A and B left the locker room to clock in at the time clock. I changed into my work uniform and headed to my post in the workshop. (Pursuant to company regulations, one is not allowed to leave their post during shift handovers; A has violated these regulations on multiple occasions, and the shift supervisor never takes any action.) I arrived at my post at 6:45 p.m. and began to inspect the equipment and valves on the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the workshop to check their operating status. When I inspected the fifth floor, I found that the solvent addition valve for Catalyst B tank was not closed; the drain valve was open, and the tank was already full of solvent, which had spilled into the drain hose and was intermittently flowing outside through the drain pipe. (Per the operating procedures, the catalyst tank B can contain a solvent, which is kept ready for use in preparing the catalyst for the next batch.) However, in the presence of a solvent, the solvent addition valve for catalyst Tank B must be closed, the liquid level must be below the sight glass, a slight positive pressure must be maintained inside the tank, and the drain valve must be closed. The solvent is 97% n-hexane, which is flammable and explosive, with an explosion limit of 1.2%–7.4%. I immediately reported this to the team leader via walkie-talkie, and he rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. However, since the materials in the reactor had already reacted, it was impossible to add excess solvent to the reactor, leaving him at a loss. He then instructed me to close the drain valve in catalyst tank B and to pay more attention to regular inspections, before leaving the site. After leaving the site, the team leader called the workshop supervisor for guidance; the reply was to immediately release the material inside the reactor, add the excess solvent from catalyst tank B into the reactor, then continue adding catalysts, and proceed with the next batch of production right away. By 7:30 p.m., everything had been resolved and production was running normally. I have detailedly recorded this situation in the shift handover log. At 07:45 on November 30th, after handing over my duties to the workers on the day shift, I prepared to take a car home. On the way home by bus, the squad leader said to me. On the evening of the 29th, after learning about the matter, the supervisor called A’s team leader and reprimanded him. A’s team leader then called A again and scolded him. The team leader said that A sent me a WeChat message, asking me to reply to A right away. (Pursuant to the operating procedures, mobile phones are not allowed in the workshop; only specified explosion-proof walkie-talkies and internal explosion-proof telephones may be used.) When I got home, I turned on my phone and logged into WeChat. This is what A sent me: “For catalyst tank B, when I took over, I checked the records and saw nothing unusual, so I didn’t pay any attention to it.” When I went to fill Catalyst Tank A, I checked the pressure gauge on this tank and since there was no pressure, I didn’t pay attention to anything else. It’s all about shifting shifts between people; there are never any mistakes. Unless it’s a serious issue, why bother asking the supervisor? As a result, I got reprimanded. Besides, is this something that only affects me alone? Let’s not talk about whose responsibility it is; it’s not a big deal. You just need to dispose of the solvent secretly, right? We’re all just ordinary workers; we should look out for each other. In the words of our production manager, if you had any real skills, you wouldn’t be working in this factory. It’s better to be united, right? That’s about it for the job; it’s inevitable to be careless sometimes, so be more careful in the future. You’re really overreacting. You’re not a leader anyway – what’s the point of being so serious? Yes, I know you’re a college student – serious and great. Could it be that one day you might even rise further? ” After reading this message, I felt a mix of emotions. I clearly followed the procedures step by step, yet he called it making a big deal out of nothing and didn’t hesitate to humiliate me as well. Now I send him a WeChat message to explain the situation, but he doesn’t reply either. They don’t answer the phone either. I’m really at a loss. Why do I operate carefully? For my own safety, and for the safety of the workshop equipment. Yes, today’s college students are as numerous as fish in the river; they are no longer the elite of society. As a student at an ordinary second-tier university, I have nothing special to boast about. But since I have chosen this job and am working in this position, I should remain vigilant during my shifts and operate carefully to ensure the smooth operation of the equipment. Upon detecting an emergency, report it immediately to the relevant supervisors to ensure it is resolved promptly. Is it wrong of me to do this?
Safe production is something right to pursue; it should be upheld and deserves praise. Those who are irresponsible end up losing their lives when accidents occur, as they lack a proper sense of safety. Safe production is a red line that must not be crossed. Most accidents happen during shift changes, so it’s important to conduct inspections before starting work. I fully agree with your approach – such people do not deserve to work in the chemical industry, as they lack responsibility and commitment!
You did right; safety is no trivial matter. Although interpersonal relationships in the country are quite complex.
Safety awareness is extremely important. You’ve done the right thing; one must never sacrifice safety for the sake of unity. Props to the original poster
From the monitor being criticized to the person involved being reprimanded, it’s clear how dangerous such situations can be. It’s fortunate that someone raised the issue; otherwise, people would keep turning a blind eye, and eventually serious problems would arise. Keep being yourself.
You did nothing wrong; by following the normal production procedures and reporting work as required, those who are responsible should take accountability. The handover process is not being carried out properly in your unit. Such issues must be raised during the handover, and the previous shift should handle them or come up with a solution; only after both parties agree can the handover take place. If it isn’t mentioned during the handover, once you take over, it becomes your own responsibility.
Safety first – that’s never wrong. Work in small companies, but learn to conduct yourself in large ones.
You did right; show the text messages he sent you to the company’s management.
I’m here to support you; if nothing is done, things will definitely go wrong, and by then it will be too late to regret it