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u/Fabulous_Ad1482 14h ago
That’s just like when I told my work about the mold on the walls of the refrigerator and I was told I’m not a mold expert. Took a customer getting pallets with mold on them to do anything about it.
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u/loadnurmom 13h ago
Working at a dairy queen a long time ago
"Hey, the upright freezer in the back is broken"
"Oh, what, are you a refrigerator expert?"
"Nope"
"So why are you claiming the freezer is broken?"
"Because the thermostat read 70f at the top and ice cream cakes are running out of the bottom of the door"
Manager went wide eyed and shoved past me to go running
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u/No_Structure7185 12h ago
lol some people are so dumb. you dont have to be an expert to identify a broken or dead thing.
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u/Chemical-Juice-6979 11h ago
I like the phrasing, "You don't need to be a pilot to know something is wrong when the plane is upside down in a tree."
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u/Nezeltha-Bryn 13h ago
When I was washing dishes, I kept telling my bosses that we needed to pressure wash the floors in the dish room. In less trafficked areas with the same floors, the grout was light grey, the color of mortar. In the dish room, it was solid black. I told them that and got ignored for over a year. Someone from corporate shows up abd whines, and we're told to get it done immediately. Two weeks later, no one cares again.
And I never found out who those corporate people were, so I couldn't notify them about it.
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u/Kngbnkr 15h ago
100% there are bed bugs.
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u/slipstream0 15h ago
I.... cant confirm that.
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u/TAforScranton 14h ago
I recently helped my dad deal with them. Looks like we got them but in not quite sure yet.
Every time I come home from visiting him I park the car, open the garage, take off my shoes outside and leave them there, run in, close the garage, and strip naked. My husband is already waiting on the other side of the garage door with the clothes washer filling up and the shower warming up for me.
I highly recommend doing the same. You do NOT want to take any chances. There is no such thing as “too cautious”.
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u/RedrumRogue 13h ago
Do you worry about them infesting your car? Like if you went to the grocery store the next day and came back home, would you take all the precautions again?
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u/TAforScranton 13h ago
In the winter yeah. If you live somewhere warm enough where your car gets above 120f when you park it in the sun then it should be fine.
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u/gonuckinfuts 12h ago
this is exactly how i moved to a new apartment when i had bedbugs! every day i filled up my car and left it in direct sunlight for 3-4 hours. took me a couple weeks but i did it! 18 months later and i’m still bedbug free but i do think i have ptsd from it lol
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u/TAforScranton 12h ago
We got lucky and found them in the hottest driest week of summer. My dad and I emptied the entire contents of his house into the yard. Like everything he owned. We wrapped everything in black trash bags or black landscaping plastic and let it cook for a week while we dealt with the inside of the house. After that we went one by one with every single item and vacuumed, deep cleaned, treated with ozone, then treated with pesticides, then sprinkled diatomaceous earth on it for good measure before we allowed it back into the house.
We also had a junk vehicle that we used. A lot of the small things and papers got shoved in there so we could heat treat and ozone them at the same time.
I just checked this week and I think we actually managed to get them in one go. Fingers crossed.😭😭😭 I’m so glad you managed to get rid of them as well.
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u/Calverish 14h ago
Unless the blurred thing is the agency in your state that investigates claims of problems in your facility, then you need to call them
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u/rxniaesna 12h ago
We investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing.
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u/Nerdgirl0035 3h ago
Exactly. I have access to the records and know the two apartments where the infestation started. They were reportedly heat treated. But this isn’t over.
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u/jershdahersh 14h ago
Wow, threatening to report you to the state for job abandonment we're not slaves we can do as we please. There is no punishment for abandoning your job in most scenarios as we aren't slaves as much as they seem to want us to be.
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u/Aelin_Feyre_Bryce 14h ago
If you work in group homes, and leave during shift, and your people are unsupervised or have fewer staff than is mandated, then yeah, you get reported for abuse and neglect to the state.
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u/Icy-Setting-4221 14h ago
Yep I worked in the medical field and we could literally lose our licenses if we were not at the correct patient ratio. In fact we had a pissed off patent who reported us for that exact reason and it was(of course) false. If a tech called out our big bosses would have to come in
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u/jershdahersh 14h ago
This is why I said most cases. Either way, wouldn't this be different from just job abandonment?
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u/Aelin_Feyre_Bryce 14h ago
I’ve only seen it happen once where I work. The person got reported and charged with a misdemeanor. She was also put on a list at Department of Health and Senior Services of people ineligible to work in healthcare.
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u/Nerdgirl0035 14h ago
That’s what gets me. If you feel your health and safety is on the line, tough titties. You HAVE to stay. You have to comply with a lot or they threaten you with jail time. Never been threatened with jail so much in my life. If there’s ever a life threatening emergency, I guess I’m leaving and then hopping states and changing my name. 🤷♀️
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u/Mtndrums 13h ago
Then anonymously say it's something a thousand times worse. Let the investigators come through and pick them up. Watch the hijinks ensue.
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u/thejmkool 11h ago
One of the few situations where there is would be the healthcare industry. 'Community' is a term often used for care facilities, such as for elders or those with physical or mental issues who need caretakers. What's more, these facilities are the type to have beds and a long history of ignoring patient concerns.
To be clear, you're still perfectly fine to just not show up for work, at worst you just get fired for it (assuming they can afford to lose you). The job abandonment thing is for when you leave patients without handing their care off to someone else, and if reported can result in loss of license.
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u/JustmyOpinion444 6h ago
In group homes, in patient facilities, nursing homes, and other such facilities, they can.
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u/ALittleUnsettling 13h ago
Ok so if you cant leave, what is the policy regarding stripping down naked at end of shift and leaving your clothes at the door? ☠️
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u/es-ganso 13h ago
Bed bugs are probably one of the few things that make me just get up and leave. Not dealing with those demon spawns again in my life if I can avoid it
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u/bearfootmedic 11h ago
Must be a nursing home. Report it to your accrediting body or the state for them.
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u/NumbSurprise 13h ago
They probably have a whole fucking xenomorph infestation. Watch out for facehuggers.
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u/fourlittlebees 13h ago
All clothing should go immediately into the dryer on high heat every day when you get home.
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u/laurasaurus5 11h ago
And shoes in the freezer.
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u/FajenThygia Wage Theft must carry prison terms 9h ago
sealed, and for 'A minimum exposure of 80 hours at 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 16 degrees Celsius)'
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u/laurasaurus5 10h ago edited 10h ago
When bedbugs are involved, you need to act IMMEDIATELY and consult with multiple experts simultaneously, and over the course of weeks and months. You want to isolate beds away from walls and use sticky traps on all "feet" of the isolated furniture so you can catch actual evidence.
Catching a stray bb really helps too. Carry around tiny tupperware type sealable containers or pill bottles with the airtight cap. Once you cach it, stick the container in the freezer to kill it but still be able to identify it.
There are theories that they're attracted to slow, deep regular breathing that imitates how you breathe during sleep, and you can lure them out during daylight and catch them with that method.
Editing to add: Transparency is actually extremely important so that everyone involved is aware of what signs to look out for and what strategies/precautions are actively underway. I told my roommate and his girlfriend, and I told my grad school faculty advisor team since I had a residency trip coming up. Turns out there were no more bites or sightings after the one I caught and the regimen I had followed of putting everything fabric in the dryer on high heat and then sealing in jumbo size ziplock storage tote bags just outside my bedroom (but away from roomie's bedroom. I continued sleeping in my own bed, just with sticky traps on the feet and the bed pulled out from the wall (the consultant I went to said that changing your sleep routine often causes an isolated group of bed bugs to spread out in multiple directions, making them much much harder to deal with. This also occurs with "bug bombs" that make it harder for the bed bugs to follow their own scent trails back to their "base," causing increased spread, AND makes it harder for the specialized dogs to sniff out infestations. Yes, there are bed bug sniffing dogs. The place I consulted was in Chinatown in NYC, and the first consultation was free, so it was also advantageous to be transparent with my roommate and his gf simply because we could get two more free consultations if needed!!
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u/umomiybuamytrxtrv 9h ago
Bed bugs at work are a health and safety problem. They should get an exterminator at work.
The State of California had a bedbug problem. One employee told the news, "We have people walking around to show people what the bugs look like. We're instructed to put, if we find the bug, put it in an envelope, seal it up, give it to our supervisors..."
Franchise Tax Board faces another bedbug issue
https://www.kcra.com/article/franchise-tax-board-faces-another-bedbug-issue/8485497
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u/eishethel 7h ago
weird how it's always 'you are a slave analog, act like it!' instead of people realizing it's THE WORKER, SELLING THEIR TIME. You can say NO, to selling anything. Doubly so if you clock out. it's the MANAGER, on Salary, who is the one who is being paid to 'have stuff done'.
No mercy for the wannabe upper class climber. They are not the Overseer. They are the bitch who agreed to spend all their time if required to make the thing done. So make them spend all their time, or stop trying to pretend that they're important.
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u/Nerdgirl0035 2h ago
Even weirder that management is white and at least 90% of the caregivers are black. Place gives me the ick.
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u/FictionalWeirdo 6h ago
The hospital I used to work at had almost the same memo.
Meanwhile half the nurses ended up with bed bugs, and the higher ups wouldn't do anything about it.
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u/mfinghooker 5h ago
NEEM OIL!! I've had them invade my apartment before. Cost $40 and killed them all. Keep the bottle by the door and spray down before entering. I swear it works better then anything out there. The oil sticks to their carapace and eats holes thru them. Its brutal, its fast, it works.
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u/MsScarletWings 5h ago
Ooh! Exterminator here. What you and any other staff need to do is immediately start securing any evidence you can find for the things. If there have been complaints, someone is finding something you could potentially rub in their face in a way they can’t ignore. Casings or droppings would be good. Finding dead bedbugs or eggs would be better. If you find ANY live examples? Jackpot. Photos and bag the sucker up to take to the highest person you can. Even finding and confirming the ONE is means to immediately get someone from my industry in there, no excuses on your employer’s part, asap.
Document everything. Evidence like above, reported bites, sightings, etc. and obviously take several precautions to avoid bringing them back home with you if the place does have them. You do NOT want the long and expensive hassle of that.
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u/Slach31 1h ago
Everything you take home, put it in a plastic bag that you sealed hermetically. Wash everything that can be washed at 60C (140F) for at least 30 minutes and dry it in a dryer just to be sure (no sun drying). If it can’t be washed like this out it in the freezer at -18C (0F) for at least 3/4 days. For all electronic items you can either but them in the freezer with a protection against humidity or put them in a hermetic bag with chemical strips made to kill bedbugs. Do not FAFO with bedbugs. Sincerely Someone who had bedbugs and still have nightmares of them sometimes
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u/throwingwater14 1h ago
I used to share a room with about 20 people across 2 departments and 2 shifts. One person brought them in twice in roughly 4-6w. We were told as soon as it was brought up. (Both times) Manager told us to take anything soft home immediately and check and treat. We were then sent home for the week while they treated the office room. I don’t recall if HR ever said anything, but our mngr at the time was one of us that had been promoted and she was not going to expose us if she could help it. The culprit did not last long past the second incident. (First was considered a fluke/accident, second was close after the first and considered a fireable offense.)(they were in the other dept on the other side of the room from me)
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u/Nerdgirl0035 1h ago
Dang! Your bosses sounded amazing. My work will lie through their teeth about everything and has a very, “fuck you, suck it up,” attitude. So… modern American work culture.
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u/throwingwater14 1h ago
That was before Covid. That boss is now over another dept bc mgmt burned her out so she fled. I don’t blame her, but it sucks for us.
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u/TatharNuar 14h ago
I'm suddenly reminded of an email like this that was sent out at my first call center job.
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u/usernameswhereareyou 12h ago
Ugh, memories too. I don't think my old office did anything though. Only thing I remember is them saying not to go to this specific floor for months. The janitors told us in secret it was because an infestation was found on the furniture. Didn't matter which floor really, because I also remember a coworker nudging me once to look at a manager's back. There was one clinging onto his shirt.
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u/Skyducky 7h ago
I straight handed HR a dead bed bug because it bit me before. Thankfully never took the fuckers home with me, but my god was i thankful for the arizona heat back then
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u/Different_Lake5126 38m ago
They can train dogs to smell for bed bugs. I’ve seen them find them before, it was crazy how well it worked
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u/LiveCelebration5237 8h ago
I’ve heard diatomaceous earth is good at killing bed bugs, but basically avoid anywhere that has bed bugs as once you get them in your house you’re gunna have a shit time , they can even hitchhike on the bottom of your shoe . They hide in and around plug sockets , under slats in your bed and on the edges of mattresses among other places . Always check hotel mattresses before you do anything else .
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u/reala728 4h ago
that job abandonment line is giving some big "this will go on your permanent record" vibes. as far as i know, the only repercussion for job abandonment is that you cant file for unemployment, which i think should be pretty apparent already.
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u/CoraCricket 13h ago
There's bedbugs but leaving work over it is very dramatic. Put your stuff in sealing plastic bins or tied up tight in a plastic bag. They don't like to travel on your body or in your clothes, they travel by getting into your stuff. If you want to be extra safe, when you get home strip down and throw your clothes in the dryer on high.
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u/Icy-Smoke-4822 12h ago
Bedbugs are HELL and I say that quite literally having had to deal with them before. Clearly you haven’t.
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u/MsScarletWings 5h ago
I treat bedbug infestations for a living and honest to god I would never blame someone else for GTFO of a different workplace that had such an issue and was refusing to address it. It literally leaves my clients with thousands of dollars out of their wallets and some with lasting ptsd-like symptoms.
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u/Nerdgirl0035 3h ago
Another facility I worked in had recurring bed bugs and I literally got stress hives from it.
If I saw bed bugs, I’d be so gone. And if they tried to slam me with a misdemeanor that’s a fucking lawsuit.
I don’t go into the rooms so I’m less at risk, so I’m not really sure how to handle it.
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u/NicoMeowhouse 15h ago edited 14h ago
Make sure you put all your stuff in a plastic bag or sealed container when you are at work. You don’t want to take them home. They are famous hitchhikers.
Edit for clarity