charlatan
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Feb 7, 2015 3:53:07 GMT
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Post by charlatan on Jul 23, 2015 23:15:31 GMT
Here's my first world problem of the day: there was a water main issue today at work and for most of the day numerous buildings in my area had little or no water. My building stayed open - I work for a local government and it is extremely rare for us to close outside of regularly scheduled holidays - but it was difficult. Some people chose to take their lunches early and go out to eat and use the restroom. A couple of people live close enough to just run home when they needed to. The rest of us did a mixture of holding it/going out/using the toilets without flushing and using hand sanitizer or bottled water to wash up.
I was a little surprised when the manager, a man, didn't realize that it wasn't just a little inconvenient. He understood once I explained that it wasn't really a great thing to have to deal with and gave some examples, but it didn't occur to him until I mentioned it that people might be uncomfortable with the situation. The water was turned back on at about 2:30, so it's moot now, but I'm curious to know how many of you would be ok with staying and making due or would avoid working in the building while the water is out if possible.
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Post by moveablefeast on Jul 23, 2015 23:21:01 GMT
I have stayed and made do under similar circumstances. It's only a few hours and I've had to deal with worse.
Sure, it's annoying, but if you got to work at 8, you were only without for six and a half hours.
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Deleted
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May 14, 2024 18:36:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 23:23:38 GMT
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 23, 2015 23:26:03 GMT
we had this issue at a previous place I worked... it ended up being most of the day, and they told us 'just don't flush.' Ewww! (Did I mention there were only two bathroom stalls in each, and there were, like 45 employees?) Or, 'you can go to a fast food restaurant to use their restroom.' (there weren't any very close, and we only had a 30 minute lunch.)
It turned out to be not that long of a time, but they really didn't know at the outset how long it would be- I have a feeling there's got to be some sort of laws related to health and sanitation of the workplace to not have running water or restroom facilities, but I never researched it.
ETA: posting at the same time as GAJenny; off to review the link posted!
ETA2: the link is standards for construction, but I would bet general standards are similar. We worked in a lab setting (mostly electronics) but there should have been a sink to wash in when leaving the lab / work area, and there weren't any facilities like that available. I guess at the time we felt like we didn't have a choice, but I think the employees should have been sent home with pay, personally.
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Mary Kay Lady
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Jul 23, 2015 23:29:46 GMT
I would have stayed and done the best I could under the circumstances. If I had to use the restroom I would have left the building and gone someplace nearby to use the bathroom. While I was out I would have bought a beverage. I don't see it as a big deal.
It would be different if you worked in a restaurant or bar. Then I could see where lack of water would be a major problem.
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charlatan
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Feb 7, 2015 3:53:07 GMT
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Post by charlatan on Jul 23, 2015 23:31:17 GMT
I do think if the problem hadn't resolved itself relatively quickly we would have shut down or had portapotties brought in. Thankfully, as moveable feast calculated, we were completely out of water for fewer than seven hours. I'm not sure how OSHA handles emergency situations - normally we're well in compliance.
I didn't like it very much but I made do, as did the rest of us. We didn't have a lot of in-person traffic today but there were a handful of visitors, some of whom used the bathroom. It was a little embarrassing to have them experience unflushed toilets.
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Post by hop2 on Jul 23, 2015 23:31:25 GMT
I could not go from 9-2:30 without going to the bathroom. Not physically possible for me anymore. ( when I was a teen sure ) But now, I could not do it. I have no issue working in a building with no water provided they could cut some slack for going to the bathroom. ie: Let me run down the street/around the corner/ or whatever.
If they can't be a bit flexible, well then no I couldn't stay. Let's also say that if they couldn't be humanely flexible in that situation it would tell me that I am not respected and I would look for a new job.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 23, 2015 23:35:29 GMT
I don't use the restroom that often during the day so it wouldn't have been a bother for me. BUT I have a few very vocal co-workers that would have made sure they pulled up any and all laws/rules/regulations so they could make a huge deal about it and try to leave early with pay. That would have happened about 15 minutes after the announcement
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 23, 2015 23:36:20 GMT
ooh, good point re: visitors! Where I worked we never had outside visitors, but that puts a whole different spin on it- my workplace was FDA regulated; I can't imagine the FDA would have overlooked no running water in the entire building, had they come in to audit that day. To me, it gives the wrong impression to an outside visitor, be it a vendor, potential client, whatever... I'm surprised your manager didn't think about that.
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MerryMom
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Jul 24, 2014 19:51:57 GMT
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Post by MerryMom on Jul 23, 2015 23:49:42 GMT
In many jobs, construction, roadwork, landscaping, etc., there isn't a bathroom right there. You have to plan accordingly.
It's a temporary inconvenience, so unless the person has a medical issue that has requires several potty breaks an hour, it's not a big deal.
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charlatan
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Feb 7, 2015 3:53:07 GMT
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Post by charlatan on Jul 23, 2015 23:49:42 GMT
ooh, good point re: visitors! Where I worked we never had outside visitors, but that puts a whole different spin on it- my workplace was FDA regulated; I can't imagine the FDA would have overlooked no running water in the entire building, had they come in to audit that day. To me, it gives the wrong impression to an outside visitor, be it a vendor, potential client, whatever... I'm surprised your manager didn't think about that. We're municipal employees who work in the town hall, so he's generally concerned with being open and able to serve the public - which is an admirable thing, don't get me wrong. He's also the guy who tells everyone to make their own decisions about coming in during bad weather, because he will be there no matter what and if he's the only one there then so be it. He's usually very sensitive to his staffs' needs, which is why I was surprised to learn he thought the lack of water wasn't really a big deal.
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Post by johna on Jul 23, 2015 23:50:26 GMT
I go to the bathroom multiple times a day, some more than others. I would have not been able to stay all day.
Plus, we have nearly 600 people working in our building with probably only 40 toilets in total. I don't think that would be a great situation to be in for very long.
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Post by moveablefeast on Jul 23, 2015 23:55:14 GMT
I should clarify a bit. I work in a school and we would absolutely send the children home if there were no running water.
As a staff member or in an office I would make do for a while and continue to work.
Running water is critical for some functions but other people can go without for a few hours, with some flexibility.
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 23, 2015 23:59:57 GMT
It happened at my previous work place a couple of times when they were doing construction work in the area. As soon as they made the announcement that the water was off, I raced to the toilet to use it while there was still a bit of water left in the tank to flush (and we had hand sanitiser). One time I ended up driving up the road to Red Rooster to use the toilet there.
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Deleted
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May 14, 2024 18:36:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 0:03:16 GMT
In many jobs, construction, roadwork, landscaping, etc., there isn't a bathroom right there. You have to plan accordingly. It's a temporary inconvenience, so unless the person has a medical issue that has requires several potty breaks an hour, it's not a big deal. And there are different requirements for mobile crews and construction sites.
For the person that worked in a building without water and were told to just not flush...how do you suppose people washed their hands after not flushing.
As dramatic as I know this sounds, not having running water is a public health hazard. Is it as awful as a measles epidemic? Of course not...but it's still an issue and there are still laws in place to protect not only employees, but the public as a whole.
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Post by epeanymous on Jul 24, 2015 0:03:42 GMT
Normally I could manage, but at 36.5 weeks pregnant right now, I am running to the office bathroom at minimum every hour. We have two one-stall bathrooms for the entire faculty, so that would be . . . interesting.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 24, 2015 0:04:26 GMT
actually, if it's a construction site, there IS a bathroom right there- it's a port a potty. (and no, you can't flush, but you KNOW those conditions going into the job)
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akathy
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Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Jul 24, 2015 0:05:35 GMT
I have Crohn's so no, that wouldn't work for me.
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Post by hop2 on Jul 24, 2015 0:07:04 GMT
In many jobs, construction, roadwork, landscaping, etc., there isn't a bathroom right there. You have to plan accordingly. It's a temporary inconvenience, so unless the person has a medical issue that has requires several potty breaks an hour, it's not a big deal. construction projects ( over a certain size ) are required to provide a porta potty
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Post by padresfan619 on Jul 24, 2015 0:07:23 GMT
actually, if it's a construction site, there IS a bathroom right there- it's a port a potty. (and no, you can't flush, but you KNOW those conditions going into the job) I even saw a mobile portapotty unit driving and parking next to a road construction crew the other day!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 0:08:05 GMT
The majority of us would have been sent home for the day at the 2 hour mark. Only a bare minimum crew of management would have been left behind to man desks for very basic customer services.
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Nicole in TX
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Jun 26, 2014 2:00:21 GMT
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Post by Nicole in TX on Jul 24, 2015 1:36:45 GMT
I don't use the restroom that often during the day so it wouldn't have been a bother for me. BUT I have a few very vocal co-workers that would have made sure they pulled up any and all laws/rules/regulations so they could make a huge deal about it and try to leave early with pay. That would have happened about 15 minutes after the announcement Ha! I think I have worked with a few of those people!
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grinningcat
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Jun 26, 2014 13:06:35 GMT
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Post by grinningcat on Jul 24, 2015 1:41:41 GMT
That would have been "gotta go and I'm not coming back until service is restored so I'll see you tomorrow". I'm just not dealing with unsanitary conditions. The employer should have been more proactive.
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Post by Belia on Jul 24, 2015 1:49:31 GMT
I would have stuck it out for an hour, maybe two, just to see if it was a short glitch, then raised holy hell. That is not sanitary and not cool.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Jul 24, 2015 2:45:57 GMT
This happened at my last job several times since we were in an old building. We had to stay. We worked for state govt so we had to stay open. We just went to Wendy's which was about a block away to use their bathroom. Or there was another state office building nearby and we could use theirs. It wasn't a big deal. Plus it was nice to get up from the desk and get some walking in!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 3:18:12 GMT
In the nearest city to my small town, there was a water main break this past February that drained the municipal supply. The entire city (population just over 8,000, plus 1,500 university students) was without water for a week. Trucks brought in water to the hospitals and nursing homes, but all of the flushing still had to be done with buckets. Staff had to go outside, where port-a-johns were set up for them. Bottled water was brought in from neighboring areas, port-a-johns were set up at businesses, and the Red Cross set up shelters for people who had hot water heating systems (temperatures were below zero that week). Just think...a whole week without being able to wash dishes, do laundry, take a shower... Bradford Water Emergency
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Peal
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Jun 25, 2014 22:45:40 GMT
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Post by Peal on Jul 24, 2015 4:52:55 GMT
I could probably make it 4 hours before I threw in the towel and left. My boss is pretty flexible and as long as client files were ready for whomever he was seeing that day I'm not necessarily needed there. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he just rescheduled and left too. I work in a 10 story building so that's a lot of people not flushing. Although some wouldn't mind since they can't seem to flush when the water is on.
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Grom Pea
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Post by Grom Pea on Jul 24, 2015 5:05:38 GMT
That happened at work once when I was pregnant, so I said I'd work from home and went home to work. I didn't think I'd make it all day in my condition!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 6:26:46 GMT
Where I work right now we don't have access to water or a toilet in the store. We have to go outside and upstairs to get to a bathroom. I won't give you my opinion on that but it's a hassle for sure.
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garcia5050
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Post by garcia5050 on Jul 24, 2015 6:26:52 GMT
My building was out of water for 2 1/2 days last year. We were instructed to use the library across the street, or go to any of the 20 surrounding restaurants. The property management team said they made an arrangement with the restaurants. If you were on the medical list (the list of people who don't need to walk down 30 flights of stairs for the annual evacuation drill), you had the option to go home. Everyone else had to stay or use a sick day.
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