I love what Mike Rowe is doing with the fame he’s gained from the TV show Dirty Jobs.

At mikeroweWORKS.com, he’s launched an effort to celebrate labor. He’s convinced that decades of hard work’s being denigrated (on TV, in movies, in books, by parents who say “Study hard so you won’t have to do that”) have helped create the shortage of skilled labor and that the shortage will make it all the harder to improve our national infrastructure (Obama budget or no). He’s out to help reverse that.

He says that his 200+ “apprenticeships” on Dirty Jobs helped deepen his appreciation for hard work. Now he considers the program to be Stage 1 of his high-aiming crusade.

Stage 2 is mikeroweWORKS.com. I recommend taking it in like so:

• Watch the video below (fittingly enough, created on Labor Day)
• Read this interview (Mike Rowe interviewing Mike Rowe)

Mike freely admits that it’s all still taking shape. I hope it keeps moving toward its worthy goals. I’m glad to see that it’s getting support from Grainger.

New Pig is certainly no nut-free zone.

What makes me say that? Aside from the fact that we have plenty of oddballs? (including me)

It was reading the words “nut-free zone” in this story about a fired maintenance worker who allegedly exacted revenge on his former employer by tossing around peanuts where there aren’t supposed to be any.

This nutty act is said to have cost $1.6 million in lost production. Nutty and pricey.

The company is called Pork Farms, by the way. This Pigger loves that name.

Here’s a quote from the prosecuting lawyer:

Some people are highly allergic to nuts, and Pork Farms corporate customers demand that no nuts or products with nuts should be brought into the factory at all. All staff are strictly forbidden from bringing nuts or anything containing nuts into the factory—every member of staff knew that. In fact, it was a nut-free zone.

Nuts are allowed at New Pig. Most definitely allowed.

I got to wondering about other strict prohibitions. Is there a particular thing that every employee at your site or area knows not to bring?

Don’t give me the stuff that many workplaces ban: guns, drugs, fruitcake.

What can’t you bring to work?

Image © davidjmorgan – Fotolia.com

Jan 22, South Charleston, WV, Accidents and pesticide spill close interstate

Jan 21, Mauckport IN, Snapped strap spills 175 gallons of acid

Jan 21, Springfield MO, Semi crash on bridge spills diesel

Jan 21, Bakersfield CA, Acid spill closes off road

Click to see Map-A-Spill

Click to see products for emergency spill response

If there’s a rule about it, that means someone did it. The reason your hairdryer says DO NOT USE IN THE BATHTUB is because someone did.

Case in point: This article shows why alcohol and fire don’t mix, ESPECIALLY while on the job! Alcohol and work don’t mix, either.

Alcohol, even at low doses, significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to drive a car or operate machinery safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of aggressive acts.

Effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness and talkativeness. The immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting. “Hangovers” are another effect after large amounts of alcohol are consumed — symptoms include headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness and fatigue.

You need your wits about you when working. Never have alcohol on the job. You could very well put yourself and others in danger.

Image © yobidaba – Fotolia.com

Hey, did you see the list of Oscar nominees?!

How about that???!

No, no, not that “Wall-E” wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. Unbelievable. But no, I mean the nominees for Live-Action Short Film!

1. Some film that’s not “The Pig”
2. Some film that’s not “The Pig”
3. Some film that’s not “The Pig”
4. Some film that’s not “The Pig”
5. And “The Pig”!

Look below! Sounds touching. Can’t wait to see it. I think iTunes will have it available soon. Watch for my four-star review!

You’ve probably heard the phrase “double bird strike” in news stories about the Hudson River plane crash, meaning that birds apparently disabled both engines.

A little research taught me that birds are an ongoing aviation concern. Your delay before takeoff might be due to getting birds out of the way. I never thought about it before. We do sell bird control products, but I connected them mainly to keeping birds away from buildings, not runways.

The Bird Strike Committee thinks all the time about birds intersecting with aircraft. Its site shares great information, including best practices such as ways to get the most from bird control equipment.

You can also read the top ten myths related to bird strikes. One of them relates to our expertise in oil spill cleanup:

Myth: Bird strikes are a concern only to those who fly.

Fact: One of the reasons this is a myth is environmental consequences. For example, in August 2000, a plane that had suffered a bird strike had to dump 83 tons of fuel in the ocean so it could turn around for a safe landing.

Holy Skimming Products, Hawkman!

Image © dip – Fotolia.com

Quiz time!

Thousands of years ago, the earliest farmers bred pigs to have all kinds of different coat colors and patterns …

A. To make pigs easier to find
B. To show how much they had improved wild pigs
C. Just because they could
D. All of the above.

Answer: D. Read about it here while I go off and try not to feel like such a plaything.

Image © Blickfang – Fotolia.com

Spill of potato waste contained.

Click to see Map-A-Spill

Click to see products for emergency spill response

Crews clean up heating oil spill.

Click to see Map-A-Spill

Click to see products for emergency spill response

This article makes great points related to the recent Hudson River plane crash.

As fabulous a job as the captain did in landing the plane, the entire crew deserves credit. That includes the flight attendants who helped the passengers evacuate. They did what they were trained to do.

Nice quote from the President of the Association of Flight Attendants: “Flight attendants are often not viewed as the safety professionals that we are. I know that for at least the 150 people aboard Flight 1549 yesterday, flight attendants are now looked at in a new light and the world should be reminded that flight attendants are safety professionals whose primary purpose onboard an aircraft is to save lives.”

How many of us thought that about flight attendants before now?