#whale weekly MemeNotes

[thatrandomblogsays]

Dracula Daily first email:

Vs Whale Weekly Second Email

**edit! It seems some of you would like to follow whale weekly without having to read Moby dick (understandable, Ishmael never shuts the fuck up) I will be making an abridged version a La memes for those friends! Follow #whale weekly memenotes & #moby dick memenotes get it? Like spark notes? to stay updated!

[whale-osha-violations]

Would Jonah getting eaten by a whale count as an OSHA violation if:

A. He was a passenger and therefor not an employee?

B. He was chucked in intentionally

OR

C. Would the sailors doing the chucking be in violation since they are likely not using proper lifting techniques?

This is an interesting question! To address each point:

A: You are correct, as he is not an employee, there is no employer required by OSHA to provide him a safe workplace

B: I am not entirely sure what you are suggesting with this point, so if I misunderstood please clarify!

Intentionally choosing to do something unsafe doesn't prevent it from being a violation, and so if one or more employees made a decision that endangered them, OSHA could still get involved. However, it is good to bring up the point that he was thrown intentionally instead of falling into the ocean, since the latter would imply a lack of necessary fall protection. A decision an employee makes that doesn't create a dangerous workplace, even if it is something a customer wouldn't appreciate, is not going to be covered either as pointed out in A.

C: While there are recommended guidelines for safe lifting guidelines accounting for the amount of weight lifted and the technique used, there is no actual regulation specifically for lifting techniques other than the general guideline that workplaces should be free of harm.

So in conclusion, as neither Jonah nor the whale are considered employees, and the employees in question were not endangered in the act of throwing him overboard, it seems to me that this is not a violation

If a customer is making your workplace worse, just throw them into the ocean to be eaten by a whale. Its OSHA approved!

[thatrandomblogsays]

Whale Weekly First Email

Call me Ishmael. I’ve got demons. Whenever they get too close I hop my ass on a boat because my demons can’t swim. If I didn’t I’d start fist fighting mourners in the street. Here’s my lengthy expository essay on why I travel as a sailor

Readers:

[thatrandomblogsays]

Dracula started us off with a debate that involves researching historical recipe seasoning on whether paprika hendl was spicy or Jonathan was just British

And whale weekly kicked us off with every Hebrew speaker / possessor of a Hebrew dictionary going: that’s not the word for whale? It’s not even close? The hell Melville?

[whale-osha-violations]

Intro

Hi!

Just like the title says, I'm planning on going through Moby Dick chapter by chapter and finding anything that sounds like it may violate OSHA regulations. I will be posting updates for each chapter, regardless of whether I could find any violations, just to keep everything consistent. My goal is to eventually catch up to the whale weekly updates, and then follow that schedule, but for the moment I'm obviously pretty far behind.

EDIT: I am once again apologizing for not posting for a while. In a shocking turn of events, being employed can be tiring. But, the hyperfixation energy is back and more posts are coming! (assuming anyone is still seeing these)

I will mainly be reading sections that seem relevant to the events of a given chapter, so its entirely possible I miss a violation from time to time. In order to explain how a violation applies, I will have to explain events, and so this blog will not be spoiler free!

Finally, I am fully aware that OSHA did not exist at the time this book was written. While few or none of these regulations would have been enforceable or applicable in any way, I will nevertheless be judging as if the story is happening in present day, based on my interpretations of what is described. I am also ignoring regulations about sharing information, or anything relating to inspections or penalties.

Stay safe sailors!

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 22: Merry Christmas

Number of regulations violated: 0

In a holiday safety miracle, there were no explicit violations this chapter. A few crew members, including Ishmael, are kicked by Peleg as they set sail. While not ideal, there are not actually any OSHA regulations prohibiting workplace violence, so this chapter retains its approval.

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 32: Cetology

Number of regulations violated: 0

This is a notable infodump about whale classifications. While I am by no means an expert in marine or evolutionary biology, it is hard not to at least be frustrated at Ishmael’s insistence on calling whales ‘fish’. From my personal, modern point of view, I wish I could explain DNA sequence classification to Ishmael as a much more precise and objective taxonomic method. Getting back to the actual objective, none of these descriptions include any explicit danger, and there are no violations here! 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

[thatrandomblogsays]

Whale Weekly Dec 14th MemeNotes

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 18: His Mark 

Number of regulations violated: 0

Queequeg becomes an official part of the upcoming voyage on the Pequod, and while there is certainly some racism going on during the hiring process, the only forms of discrimination addressed by OSHA are on the basis of disability, or towards workers who make OSHA complaints, or otherwise exercise their rights under the act. So, this chapter remains violation free. 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

[thatrandomblogsays]

Whale Weekly MemeNotes Dec 5th

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 17: The Ramadan 

Number of regulations violated: 0

In spite of Ishmael’s fears of murder or stroke, there were no actual safety concerns in this chapter. His choice to bodily force open the door to their room, as well as the past suicide that had taken place at this inn, are both events concerning customers and not employees, and so their own wellbeing is not covered under OSHA. 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 13: Wheelbarrow 

Number of regulations violated: 5

Unfortunately, the recent safe streak has ended almost the moment out protagonist stepped onto a boat. While the now expected description of whaling as a dangerous business brings concerns to mind, this pales in comparison to the fact that the boom of the ship begins swinging wildly, knocking a passenger overboard and putting employees at risk. While my closest personal experience is riding a small sailboat, and so I struggle to determine how exactly this risk could be effectively and entirely prevented, I have identified a number of regulations that appear inconsistent with conditions described. 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

OSH Act of 1970 Sec. 5. Duties

The workplace and employment should be free of hazards that are known to cause serious physical harm or death

Whaling is described as ‘perilous’. That is not a workplace free of hazards. 

1910.22 Walking-working surfaces

All walking-working surfaces must be maintained free of hazards, and any hazard must be immediately corrected, or else employees should be prevented from using this surface. 

The boom of the ship is swinging uncontrollably and dangerously, despite this being a surface used by many employees. 

1917.95 Other protective measures

Anyone who has a reasonable chance of being knocked into the water while working should be given a PFD and instructed to wear it, and life rings should also be present, depending on the size of the boat. The PFD must also be approved by the US Coast Guard and maintained in good condition

The small boat is rocking dramatically, and later someone is easily knocked overboard by the boom of the ship. As the only description we get of anyone’s outfit is Queequeg being shirtless, it is reasonable to assume that no one has a PFD and there are no life rings to be used, despite someone being knocked overboard. I am considering this regulation to account for personal protective equipment as it is more specific than the regulation for general industry.

1917.112 Guarding of edges

If there is a risk of falling more than 4 feet, there must be a guardrail or safety net in good condition

Again, someone has fallen overboard and there is no railing or other measure in place to prevent this. While a similar regulation for fall protection also exists under general industry guidelines, the regulation in the maritime section is somewhat more relevant, and including both would be redundant

1917.151 Machine guarding

Rotating parts that are 7 feet or less above working surfaces must be guarded to prevent them from hitting an employee. This can include railings, covers or by preventing employees from walking in the path of the hazard

While I have no idea if and how this could be practically achieved, there is a large swinging and rotating piece of the boat that is moving around many employees out of control, and measures must be taken to prevent it from coming into contact with an employee. 

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 19: The Prophet

Number of regulations violated: 1

There are no novel safety concerns introduced in this chapter, except for the vague threats and warnings offered to Ishmael and Queequeg. While mentions are again made of various unfortunate events faced by Ahab, there is not enough description of the circumstances surrounding any of this to point to a clear and avoidable cause, besides the overall task of whaling. All in all, this chapter just further presents the general danger of the profession. 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

OSH Act of 1970 Sec. 5. Duties

The workplace and employment should be free of hazards that are known to cause serious physical harm or death

As has been mentioned numerous times, the number of injuries experienced at sea is indicative of an unreasonable threat to employee safety

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 15: Chowder 

Number of regulations violated: 0

Fortunately, Ishmael’s confusion at being served chowder at a chowder restaurant falls well within OSHA guidelines. While there is a joke about a live eel being in one bowl of chowder, I have no way of knowing what type of protective equipment anyone working in the kitchen would have, so no violations can be identified. Furthermore, as raw eel is poisonous, cooked eel is not alive, and Queequeg is in good health at the end of the chapter, we can clearly determine that Ishmael was incorrect in this observation as well. 

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

#whale weekly#whale weekly memenotes#moby dick#osha#whale osha

[whale-osha-violations]

Chapter 25: Postscript

Number of regulations violated: 0

The energy here may be strange and unexpected, but oiling the heads of kings appears to be an OSHA approved practice.  

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

[whale-osha-violations]

EXTRACTS

Number of regulations violated: 8

Unfortunately, before the first chapter has even begun, several safely violations have come up. Technically, very few of the quotes explicitly state that sailors hunting whales are employed to do so, but I thought this was a safe assumption. Most of the regulations relate to fall protection when looking for whales, or a general lack of organized response to the many emergencies that inevitably come up. If I missed anything, please let me know! The regulations are summarized below

That's all for now, and

Stay safe sailors!

Rules broken:

OSH Act of 1970 Sec. 5. Duties

The workplace and employment should be free of hazards that are known to cause serious physical harm or death

It is well established that whaling is a dangerous and often perilous profession, and many quotes discuss employees dying or being seriously harmed

1910.38 Emergency action plans

There must be a written emergency action plan communicated to all employees, including measures to account for all personnel following an emergency. There should also be procedures for attending to medical emergencies

Emergencies happen in numerous quotes, and the missing or harmed personnel are often not properly accounted for afterwards. It is unknown if and how survivors will be treated

1910.132 Personal protective equipment

Employees are entitled to personal protective equipment if necessary to prevent bodily harm

There is so much bodily harm and no protective equipment is ever mentioned

1910.134 Respiratory protection

If an employee is breathing contaminated air, and engineering controls cannot sufficiently eliminate this, they are required to have respiratory protection. A written respiratory protection program must be in place, as well as medical checks, fit testing and adequate procedures and training to maintain the respirator

One quote describes the experience of breathing a whale's unpleasant breath, and subsequent unpleasant physical sensations. This employee should be given adequate protection to counteract this experience

1917.26 First aid and lifesaving facilities

There must be a weatherproof first aid kit and a stretcher in good working condition, as well as blankets and means of communication. At least one person must be certified to perform first aid and all injuries must be reported. A coast guard approved life ring attached to rope, as well as a ladder need to be present anywhere that the employees are at risk of drowning

There are many injuries and even deaths mentioned, but we have no idea how they are treated or reported. If first aid supplies are present in any of these quotes, they have not made it into the novel

1917.95 Other protective measures

Anyone who has a reasonable chance of being pulled into the water while working should be given a PFD and instructed to wear it, and life rings should also be present, depending on the size of the boat. The PFD must also be approved by the US Coast Guard and maintained in good condition

People are on boats in rough seas and fall or jump overboard, and there is no mention of any of them wearing PFDs or anyone using a life ring or buoy to assist them

1917.112 Guarding of edges

If there is a risk of falling more than 4 feet, there must be a guardrail in good condition, or a safety net if the former is impractical

Again, sailors are able to be pulled into the water or easily jump off boats, implying a lack of railing around the edges of boats

1917.118 Fixed ladders

Employees must be facing the ladder while climbing up or down it, and the ladder must not move while an employee is on it. A ladder leading to a landing should have guard rails along the sides and extending above the landing platform, and must not be at an angle greater than 90 degrees from the ground. For a fixed ladder extending higher than 20 feet, fall protection in the form of a ladder cage, well or personal fall arrest system is required

As sailors are described as climbing down rapidly while looking at a whale, they may also not always be facing the ladder. There is no mention of any system to prevent or reduce the impact of falls from the aforementioned ladders. Furthermore, while not explicitly banned except in terms and angle and positioning limits, climbing the underside of ladders is a bad idea! (as was brought to my attention in the notes)

Note: While there are also general requirements regarding ladders, the maritime regulations have been selected instead as they are most relevant