My name is Edward Gadsden I'm a Mechanic II with the City of Norfolk Parks and Urban Forestry Department and a leader in our AFSCME VA Fund the Front Lines Committee.
As a City Mechanic in Parks, I am charged with repair, construction, maintenance and in some instances, fabrication of both light and heavy equipment, as well as vehicles used to perform work in our department.
What that means is that having the proper PPE is extremely important.
Not only am I faced with challenges of unsafe and faulty equipment, but depending on the type of equipment and its daily function the work performed poses frequent threats to the Health and Safety of myself and Co-workers.
In our line of work, something as meticulous as a paper cut has the potential to cause great harm. Other risks like contaminants from cleaning Z Turn mower decks where we encounter hypodermic needles and such keeps us on edge quite frequently.
When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit and most recently, we were faced with understaffing due to several of my Co- workers testing positive for COVID, but what made things worst is that because the proper PPE notification guidelines were not met, our shop was closed down which caused a backlog of preventive maintenance, required duty assignments and other tasks.
Not having Permanent VOSH Standards in place costs our City time and money, but more importantly when not adhered to it can costs workers like myself and their families a long life of pain.
Having a Permanent VOSH Standard in place on January 27th would be of great benefit, as using these standards will help corral this PANDEMIC and bring awareness, consistency and structure of carrying PPE at all times, for all employees and addresses the many concerns of Essential Frontline workers across the Commonwealth.
