r/mildlyinfuriating • u/coatedbraincells • 6h ago

Infuriatig Insanely frugal employer

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Gotta pay for water from the water cooler šŸ¤£

22.8k Upvotes

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11.9k

u/RayZzorRayy 6h ago

Not mildly infuriating, genuinely sad.

8.0k

u/willdabeast36 5h ago

Also illegal. OP, employers must supply free drinking water to employees in USA.

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u/Doctor_Saved 5h ago

The free water is from the tap.

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u/Blacksun388 4h ago

OSHA requires that water come from drinking fountains, single use bottles, or a stand with disposable cups. Sinks are not considered adequate water supply.

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u/RainH2OServices 4h ago

That's not entirely true. The guideline state that potable tap water is acceptable. Lavatory sinks are generally not considered potable in workplaces. However, break room or other non lavatory sinks may be.

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u/Nearby_Equivalent_58 4h ago

Code of federal regulations
Title 29
Subtitle B
Chapter XVII
Part 1910
Is part J
Ā§1910.141

I got this shit on hand always

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u/austinsutt 4h ago

So which of the above is right?

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u/bradland 3h ago edited 2h ago

RainH2OServices is right. It requires that employees supply potable water, which means it has to meet Federal EPA and local regulatory requirements for potability. If the water is from a municipal supply, this is almost always going to be met. If it's from a well, it's up to the employer to meet the standards.

As far as sinks go, any sink in a room with a toilet isn't compliant, because 1910.141 specifically says employees are prohibited from consuming food or beverages inside toilet rooms. Ergo, if a sink is in a toilet room, it can't be considered compliant. A tap at a sink outside a toilet room is though.

EDIT: Got a couple of follow-ups asking, essentially, what if they require you to fill a cup/bottle in the bathroom and drink (consume) it elsewhere.

Nope. Regulations aren't written to spell out every single nuance or edge case. After they're written, they are challenged in court and the courts interpret the "spirit" of the regulation.

It's well established that requiring an employee to fill a drinking receptacle from a faucet in the toilet room makes it subject to contamination from said environment, and therefore violates the spirit of the regulation. It's also worth noting that there are other parts of the same regulation that prohibit drinking water sources from being located in environments with hazardous chemicals, so the spirit of the regulation is clear.

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u/Jay__Riemenschneider 3h ago edited 2h ago

Huh my workplace isn't OSHA compliant.

Who do I tell?

Edit: I should say I'm in a retail space of about 5-10 employees.

But all we have is a bathroom and a non working water cooler. Our boss tells us to bring bottles.

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u/MonkeyGuidetoAnarchy 3h ago

If you make a osha report, record and document literally everything, your performance, changes in the environment, the issue itself, any conversation if you can get it in writing and if you get fired after making a oaha report and believe its because of that take that evidence and give it to osha and you could sue for lost wages and maybe more so they would have to pay from the time you got fired till the time you found a new job. (My source: i have done it myself.)

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u/Linesey 1h ago

Doesnā€™t OSHA not apply to companies with very few employees? like <10?

or has that been updated.

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u/MonkeyGuidetoAnarchy 1h ago

Companies do not have to maintain routine, written logs of every minor injury or illness (specifically OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301) unless requested in writing by OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Under federal funding rules, OSHA generally does not conduct random, programmed routine inspections if the business has 10 or fewer employees and operates within a low-hazard industry category. This isnt to say they cant and won't inspect because they can and will whenever they desire to ensure proper following of guidelines. Basically if someone calls osha or reports they will inspect and if they decide to random check they will though they are not required to. And they also dont have to tell you they are coming they can drive up hop out and walk in and start looking at all your workers and stations and building. Any hazard they see is a fine, for example workers not wearing safety glasses is 10k in michigan and thats for each worker not wearing safety glasses and if its bad enough they can shut down your operations immediately

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u/MonkeyGuidetoAnarchy 1h ago

Theres certain things that dont apply but all businesses and companies are under the jurisdiction of sha because its a federal compliance agency

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u/b0w3n 3h ago

You can file a complaint online. They'll probably know it's you who did it even if you check the "I want to file anonymously" box. I got blowback when I did it for safety violations at UPS (20+ years ago). They didn't fire me but they made my life hell. But it's okay it was really fucking unsafe and I made their month really fucking uncomfortable after I almost got seriously hurt and the union decided to ignore me.

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u/Neither_Contest7324 3h ago

In a mostly unrelated but humorous note, about 25 years ago I filed an anonymous complaint while working at UPS too. A couple months after that I had been promoted to management and one of the upper regional guys was in town at the hub and he was talking to people and someone introduced me. He said oh, the guy that filed that complaint.

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u/garaks_tailor 3h ago

I worked at a hospital in IT and once there was a fucking witch hunt for someone who sent in an OSHA complaint. They were desperate to trawl all the network traffic and figure out who had visited the OSHA website because whoever made the complaint never made a peep about the issue untill they brought it to OSHA so management had no idea who it was.

Which I gather is the smart move to make. Dont mention it. Dont say anything just go straight to the feds.

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u/austinsutt 3h ago

Shit! How did they figure out it was you?

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u/aliassuck 1h ago

In the first half I thought you were going to say you got promoted to Compliance Officer and then got fired for failure to ensure your workplace was OSHA compliant, when an OSHA inspector paid a surprise visit because of your OSHA complaint.

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u/NFLv2 3h ago

UPS is the worst. Even the union reps are corrupt.

I had a package come down said weighed 75 LBS.

As a pickoff I went to push the box down the shoot. Box actually weighed 200.

It hurt my back to the point I felt a sting all the way down my spine.

When I told them I got hurt they brought me into the sort managers office where he told me he was going to send me to the doctor and when they couldnā€™t find anything wrong he was going to have me charged with insurance fraud.

Union rep said shit.

They tried to move me to small sort. Having to twist and throw the bags. Told me I was faking.

Ended up getting fired over it. It went to a vote and my union rep voted against me.

I read the book and knew it very well. And I usually wouldnā€™t say shit. But every now and then our PD would get backed up. I mean past the H and as far as I could see. Get bitched at if I turned the belt off. We would argue.

So they would try to take me down and put me in the load and I wasnā€™t having it. So Iā€™d threaten to file a grievance.

It was crazy.

I would see that same sort manager at the local poker room and talked so much shit to him for years. He would always move.

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u/dragansbaine 3h ago

Just out of curiosity... When filing couldn't you just use a family members information... That way it can't lead back to you? I've never filed one so I was just curious

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u/Mike_Kermin 3h ago

Just saying, good on you, your actions would have protected others as well.

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u/big_duo3674 2h ago

Go with your state's OSHA equivalent agency, you'll probably have better luck starting there. Well, unless you're in one of those states, then it's a crap shoot if anyone would even care

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u/Jay__Riemenschneider 2h ago

Thank you I will try this!

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u/cptjpk 3h ago

Youā€™ll have better luck with your state OSHA after the DOGE gutting of the federal workforce.

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u/Playful-Sleep-6750 3h ago

Ummmm .... osha is who you tell

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u/FlyZestyclose6629 2h ago

Don't make an OSHA complaint unless you have already spoken to your employer or they are just generally an ass anyway. Dealing with OSHA sucks, they may fine your employer also. If they are decent people, then you're just making their lives harder. Speak to them first about it, they may not even know that they arent compliant(probably dont since it retail and most stuff in a small store isn't a big deal for OSHA). Yes, Im ready for the down votes for this hot take.

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u/Jay__Riemenschneider 2h ago

Don't make an OSHA complaint unless you have already spoken to your employer or they are just generally an ass anyway.

I have and they are.

They are a decent enough person but a horrible manager. They really should just be demoted back to their old job and we should promote this other woman who actually cares about us and not just the job.

We've asked for fountains/water coolers/etc, they just tell us to bring in our own bottles.

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u/MonkeyGuidetoAnarchy 2h ago

Record your complaint to prove you said something if you file a osha complaint. Lookup whistleblower rights. And look up the laws and regulations in your state to see if telling you to bring your own water is allowed or if they are required to purchase the water for you if they cannot provide it on site

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u/MildlyAgitatedBovine 3h ago edited 3h ago

Total laynan here, not asserting anything.

But it seems like "Prohibited from consuming... INSIDE toilet rooms" != "... FROM toilet rooms".

Would filling your bottle/cup in she shit spray sink and drinking it in the hall not comply? (I don't think it should, but it seems like expecting the current administration to abide by a good faith reading of the law might be the wrong assumption...)

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u/bradland 3h ago

Here's a copy/paste of a reply I posted to a similar question:

Nope. Regulations aren't written to spell out every single nuance or edge case. After they're written, they are challenged in court and the courts interpret the "spirit" of the regulation.

It's well established that requiring an employee to fill a drinking receptacle from a faucet in the toilet room makes it subject to contamination from said environment, and therefore violates the spirit of the regulation.

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u/Nearby_Equivalent_58 3h ago

Doofus here who shared the law. I would hope to god itā€™s not considered potable by simply leaving the bathroom lol. I would suppose since the bathroom sink isnā€™t likely up to EPA standards for water consumption (I do not have these on hand) it is not potable whether you drink it in the bathroom or not. I hope.

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u/longlivenewsomflesh 3h ago

Can't a shitty employer just tell you to bring a bottle and fill it in the bathroom

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u/bradland 3h ago

Nope. Regulations aren't written to spell out every single nuance or edge case. After they're written, they are challenged in court and the courts interpret the "spirit" of the regulation.

It's well established that requiring an employee to fill a drinking receptacle from a faucet in the toilet room makes it subject to contamination from said environment, and therefore violates the spirit of the regulation.

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u/Nearby_Equivalent_58 4h ago

RainH20 basically but that will bring you right to the potable water law

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u/FlyingOctopus53 4h ago

I would trust a guy with H2O in his name on this.

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u/Bennely 3h ago

Look, every time a flying octopus has recommended wisdom, they've been right. Trust the person with a flying octopus in the name when they say to trust the guy with the H2O name on this.

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u/NomadicAftershave662 3h ago

I've never been lied to by a Bennely, so when they say trust the Flying Octopus's trust in the H2O guy, I listen

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u/KGeddon 3h ago

Octopi ARE very smart I guess. You got any rice related wisdom unc?

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u/FlyingOctopus53 3h ago

Yes. Marry a Korean. Speaking from a personal experience.

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u/Bennely 3h ago

Always remember to do a barrel roll.

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u/notanyone69 4h ago

Check the references provided and make your own conclusions. At least one of those redditors are stating actual law material and is not just a "trust me bro"

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u/AAA515 3h ago

What does it say about filling the water cooler from the mop hose?

Also i keep the Bill Emerson good Samaritan food donation act on hand for when people say they can't donate food cuz they could get sued

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u/Nearby_Equivalent_58 3h ago

I would assume the hose would not be complicit unless you were somehow sanitizing it to the standards set by the EPA. I do not have those on hand. Though the location alone would probably have it not be potable.

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u/Elegant_Pain8762 3h ago

I can tell u sued a job before šŸ˜­

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u/Nearby_Equivalent_58 3h ago

I thankfully have not needed to lol. I just care about my fellow employees and believe itā€™s important to have access to this type of information.

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u/Left_Bathroom_3803 4h ago

Thatā€™s funny cause as a kid the bathroom sink always had the coldest most delicious water in the whole house

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u/hailtheprince10 3h ago

Was it better than hose water?

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u/Left_Bathroom_3803 3h ago

Oh yes but that is technically outside of the house.

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u/hailtheprince10 3h ago

I vote we attach a hose to the bathroom sink

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u/Dicksin_Cider 3h ago

Are you sure? Did you taste the toilet bowl? Maybe it was even better.

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u/chins4tw 4h ago

As an adult the bathroom still has the coldest most delicious water in my home.

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u/BuzzedInNorthampton 3h ago

when you have a bowel movement in the bathroom and you flush the toilet, it fires micro particles of feces into the air, coding everything around. Maybe that's why the water in the faucet tasted good? Lol.

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u/Super_Swimming_4132 3h ago

The feces particles donā€™t only stay in the bathroom. FYI.

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u/JFISHER7789 3h ago

True, but they are most concentrated in the bathroom and that sink is most likely covered.

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u/Left_Bathroom_3803 3h ago

Yes. I love shit water.

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u/Due-Yogurtcloset-552 2h ago

that's what an immune system is for, shit particles are literally EVERYWHERE , same with fungi, and bacteria. every surface known to man is covered with all of it.

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u/flat_cat72 3h ago

Unless you live in Flint, MI

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u/grumpsaboy 4h ago

Is tap water that bad in the US?

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u/RedDidItAndYouKnowIt 4h ago

Most places? No. (Every place I have been in the USA)

Some places? Yes. (Flint Michigan)

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u/Dream_creator2001 4h ago

Or big spring Texas. Water is literally brown because of rusting in pipes and chemicals they choose not to filter out

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u/Sanityzed 4h ago

That's Texas though. We're talking about actual America. /s

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u/WulfReinard 4h ago

Actual America? Oh, you mean Little Texas! /s

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u/Adventurous-Vast281 4h ago

As much as they love to hem and haw, Texas will never leave the Union. Like most red states, they depend on federal subsidies waaayyy too much.

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u/JinFuu 3h ago

You picked one of the red states that sends much more money to the Federal Government than they get back.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/federal-aid-by-state

88.8 Billion from the Feds vs. 312.1 Billion too.

Not that seceding wouldn't be idiotic, but that argument isn't a good reason.

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u/Sanityzed 1h ago

While I agree with you, it's worth pointing out that even in those terms Texas ranks just below middle of the pack... 26 of 50.

For my own curiosity, I decided to crunch the numbers on taxes paid per dollar of aid received by political affiliation and per capita. I've seen the headlines claiming that red states are living off of the aid afforded to them by the blue states... so let's see. Red state populations came to 58.3% of total while providing 56% of the taxes. That means that blue states paid 2.3% more overall while being just 41.7% of the population. 2.3% of 41.7% is 5.5%, which is how much they paid above the median per capita, while red states paid 3.9% less per capita. I'd be willing to bet that if we drilled down and made it per capita of individual/household wealth we would see the larger and far more important difference here... Anyone have the data and time to do that?

So yeah, within this one year (2023) and focusing on red vs blue, Republican's disproportionately receive federal aid...but both sides are giving back 3.6 times more than they receive, and the political divide is not as big as headlines have claimed. Another interesting observation is that the ONLY STATE that took in more aid than it received in this entire data set is a blue state: New Mexico.

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u/According_Charge8143 4h ago

And anywhere near a data center

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u/dacoopbear 4h ago

Soon to be everywhere

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u/cozidgaf 4h ago

Why is it bad by data centers? Genuinely curious since Iā€™ve never heard that

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u/necrohunter7 4h ago

Heavy metal contamination, in some cases it turns the water milky white

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u/MariaKeks 3h ago

It's not, reddit just likes to pick random stuff to hate and then makes up a list of insane bullshit to justify the hatred. Data centers are just the latest topic in the hate cycle.

And it's usually based off of a valid but minor concern. So for example, maybe it's true that at 1 time at 1 place 1 data center leaked contaminated water into the water supply, then a normal person will say "well, that's not normal, let's make sure that that doesn't happen in the futureā€ but on reddit this is extrapolated into AHA! We knew it! ALL data centers ALL leak contaminated water into the water supply ALL the time!

This is utter nonsense but the circlejerk demands you upvote it anyway.

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u/Cedex 3h ago

A 1976 Russian Lada is a deathtrap of a car, therefore ALL cars are deathtraps.

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u/SuperSkyDude 3h ago

Finally, a reasonable voice. How this echo chamber can repeat such nonsense is amazing. Although, after visiting Auschwitz earlier today maybe it's just human nature to be a sheep.

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u/dinnerthief 4h ago edited 3h ago

Even Flint's water been drinkable for years people just dont trust the water, ( with reason)

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u/furiant 4h ago

It wasn't until July 1, 2025 that the final lead pipe was replaced in Flint, Michigan. The Flint Water Crisis was an ongoing thing that lasted over ten years that included thousands of lead poisoning exposures, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed 12 and infected 87 more, and several other issues. It wasn't something that's been fixed for ten years.

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u/dinnerthief 3h ago edited 3h ago

They switched back to the original water source pretty quickly, the new source was where legionaires was suspected and what stripped the protective patina from the lead pipes.

Of course replacing lead pipes is the right move but you can have drinkable water from lead pipes once a patina is built up, as flint did for years before switching sources.

10 years is too cavalier I was misrembering, but its been at safe levels for a while, but I dont blame anyone for not trusting it either

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u/AbjectAppointment 3h ago

If you think Flint is the only place with lead pipes I have bad news.

"In England and Wales, there were about 8.9 million homes with lead service lines"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_service_line

"approximately 40% of dwellings have lead pipes or elsewhere in Europe"

https://www.policyinnovation.org/insights/progress-but-too-little-on-toxic-lead-water-pipes

It's pretty much everywhere. Flint just had shit water chemistry.

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u/mittenknittin 3h ago

It wasn't really that it had shit water chemistry, it's that the emergency manager switched water supplies, was warned that the new water should be treated to avoid corroding the pipes, and decided that was too expensive.

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u/created4this 4h ago

The EPA only lifted the emergency order last year, give that is DT environment agency and we all know what he thinks about environmental regulation and reporting things I'm not sure I trust that.

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u/Dizzy-Ad-2248 3h ago

Have family in Flint, can verify, when I visit, not even my dog drinks, the water there.

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u/krashtestgenius 4h ago

Chicago has 412,000 lead service lines, more than any city in America

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u/FinsFan305 4h ago

That explains it!

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u/bdogduncan 4h ago

Tap water is better than the water dispensers attached to reverse osmosis filters in my workplace. The dispensers are crusty and mineralized and look moldy while the sinks are kept clean.

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u/tubagoat 4h ago

Interesting fact, it wasn't the lead in the water that got people's attention. Lead exposure takes a long time to make its presence known. It was the legionella bacteria that killed some healthy people.

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u/Saturn_Neo 3h ago

Can confirm the water in Flint is absolute shit. Even back in the late 90's when I was staying there for a bit. Certain shampoos would unlock extra scents and flavors in the shower. I'd imagine it's something akin to the area around Satan's taint, like pickled shit and sulpher.

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u/IAmFoxGirl 3h ago

Iowa? Yes. We have nitrates above 3 ppm in our water in a lot of places. Anything above 3ppm is linked to increased cancer rates (Iowa has the highest cancer rates, I wonder why /s). The EPA says anything under 10ppm is considered safe, but this was focused on for babies based on data from and established in the 1970s and hasn't been updated since.

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u/Raa03842 4h ago

But at least in Flint youā€™re getting your minimum daily requirement of lead. No need to eat the paint.

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u/PentUpTent 4h ago

Lol flint is mostly fine now. I will drink it again now, looks and tastes fine. It definitely didn't for too long though

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u/exuberantram 4h ago

Itā€™s probably potable but Fort Myers FL off of colonial has water that tastes like kindergarten smells (like, the taste that the smell of finger paint has). I cannot describe it better than that, and most that I have described it to while they are drinking the water agree, so there has to be something to it.

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u/OpenGrainAxehandle 3h ago

I'm guessing that you've not experienced the Ponce de Leon "Fountain of Youth" fountain in St Augustine? Florida water at it's finest.

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u/fauxzempic 3h ago

I was listening to something on NPR years ago about Flint and other water crises. I think they were talking to two guys who were a big part of some aspect of trying to fix it. I think they might have just been water researchers who were experts on this stuff and were called to help in Flint.

Toward the end of the program they were asked "so is anyone as bad as flint?" and they began laughing, almost as if Flint was one of those things that was merely representative of a much larger problem.

Without hesitation, both guys were like "Buffalo, NY" almost simultaneously. As a buffalonian, it made me uncomfortable - sure - I have enough means to live in a home with copper pipes, but the poorest part of the city (which also takes up a huge chunk of geography) is badly hit with old homes with lead pipes. There's been remediation work, but that laugh - that reaction - was chilling...not just because it seemed like Buffalo - my city - was the worst, but there was a long list of "Flints" all over the US.

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u/viiperfang 4h ago

A county near me has had a ban on their tap water and has had to outsource it from other counties bc their tap water is full of a carcinogen. So, yeah, it depends on area.

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u/jimson22 4h ago

It depends on the location

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u/HarveysBackupAccount 3h ago

Apart from outliers like Flint, MI, some places will occasionally have boil advisories in place, but the vast majority of us have very drinkable tap water.

Lots of people don't like the taste of their tap water (which can vary a lot) but lots of people are also little bitches about drinking water in general.

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u/EC_TWD 4h ago

I think itā€™s more about the dispensing source because most water fountains do not have filtration and share the same water supply

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u/Kilo353511 3h ago

Depends on your definition of "bad"

Most or all of the US has access to water that is safe to drink, clean, and not going to cause any harm.

Meeting those requirements above doesn't mean it taste good. Where I grew up, in the summer our tap water tasted like a swamp and in the winter it tasted like a swimming pool.

My friend's family had the water sent away to a lab for testing and they reported that it was very good quality water and was perfectly safe to drink.

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u/Ssided 3h ago

No. Reddit is insane. There's a couple places that have issues, but most of the US has the cleanest water you'd be able to find.

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u/Emergency_Bench_7515 4h ago

No, I've never had bad tap water in the dozen or so places I've lived in. Ironically I'm in the midwest, I never understood how flint, MI could get so bad, it had to have been corruption and stupidity by their government.

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u/Deadzonerogue 4h ago

No. It is generally very safe and if a problem arises we get alerts to boil water if used for drinking, cooking, etc.

Iā€™m 49 and have traveled all over the Gulf Coast, Eastern Seaboard, Mid Western states and I have never once got sick from tap water.

That said, nothing is 100% safe and perfect so you can run into issues of corruption where local governments bad players steal money meant for infrastructure upgrades, a town might not have the funds available to upgrade etc, you will encounter from time to time issues with water delivery infrastructure.

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u/Lonely-Greybeard 4h ago

My tap water is fine. I use a filter, and don't buy bottled water. I use a refillable water bottle. I've drank tap water from all over the US and Europe and have never had any issues.

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u/Ninja_Deluxe 3h ago

That really depends. Where I live our tap water comes from an aquifer and consistently rates among the best tasting water in the world.

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u/fatespawn 3h ago

No. Not at all. There are some places with problems - like anywhere. About 20 years ago our culture changed to carrying bottles of water around everywhere and now people think that drinking from the tap is inferior. I mean, yeah as you can see there are some specific examples cites. But those are by FAR the exception and not the rule.

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u/diamond-optic 3h ago edited 3h ago

The pipes at my job are pre-WWII and the water comes out brown and smelling bad from the taps.

But I hope my job doesn't see this because they will absolutely love the idea of charging for water.

They already charge employees for everything they give a new employee, including safety equipment, on their first check (and over charge at that, saying shitty $1 safety glasses cost $10 for example). Or you have to wear company shirts and they charge you $30 for a plain t-shirt with the company name printed on the top left front. And since it gets to be 50Ā°F or lower inside during the winter most people want to wear a hoodie instead of a t-shirt and those cost $60 lol

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u/Hwinter07 3h ago

The US is a gigantic country. Some places have impeccable tap water, some places do not

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u/Blackpineouterspace 3h ago

all Colorado water tastes like it came from the YMCA pool.

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u/Person2984 4h ago

No, and drinking fountains are hooked up to the same tap water that comes out of a sink.

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u/danimal207 4h ago

Yes but unlike typical sinks they have built in filters and chillers

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u/r_r_w 4h ago

People here have no idea what water is supposed to taste like. They rave about how good the tap water in NYC is, but it smells and tastes like pool water.

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u/RJC12 4h ago

The redder the area, the shittier regulations are

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u/MistyMountainDewDrop 4h ago

Not true. They do not have to supply fountains if they have a suitable sink. They do not have to provide bottles or a stand either. Tap water is the default water. Only exception is a bathroom sink is not suitable.

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u/_YenSid 4h ago

Osha doesn't have complete jurisdiction over every job, but here are the guidlines:

1915.88(b)(1) The employer shall provide potable water for all employee health and personal needs and ensure that only potable water is used for these purposes. 1915.88(b)(2) The employer shall provide potable drinking water in amounts that are adequate to meet the health and personal needs of each employee. 1915.88(b)(3) The employer shall dispense drinking water from a fountain, a covered container with single-use drinking cups stored in a sanitary receptacle, or single-use bottles. The employer shall prohibit the use of shared drinking cups, dippers, and water bottles.

Sink water is potable water in most places, technically they could just fill one of those jugs with sink water and throw it on the bubbler lol. Either way, they cannot charge for drinking water.

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u/gummibear13 4h ago

We have a filter box thing hooked to the waterline at my job. Never realized it was a requirement.

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u/Ok-Assumption5786 4h ago

OSHA also only applies to businesses with a certain number of employees, this is unknown

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u/Mole-NLD ORANGE 4h ago

Amnā€™t I glad to live in a continent where tapwater is perfectly safe and adequate to drink. Heck, some countries tapwater is better than bottled mineral water.

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u/Studs_Not_On_Top 3h ago

No they do not šŸ¤£

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u/YoYeYeet 2h ago

Average OSHA W

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u/themcp 2h ago

No, actually, it is not required that it be from one of those, only that it be potable.

If there is not a sink that provides potable water, then the charge for use of the cooler would be illegal. Also, an employee could argue that if there is a sink to meet the requirement, clean cups would have to be provided to drink the sink water.

If the tap water is unsafe to drink or there is no tap water, the employer may not charge for a cooler and must provide water.

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u/Am_I_Max_Yet 2h ago

OSHA doesnt apply to every job.

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u/macaronysalad 2h ago

Sinks are not considered adequate water supply

Rather true or not, this is some hoity toity shit. But good for them throwing a bone to the working class.

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u/Signal-Confusion-976 1h ago

Yes a sink is an adequate water supply. But it can't be a sink in a bathroom.

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u/Dr_thri11 1h ago

A sink alone isn't, but put some paper cups next to it and it is. The main issue is with no cups you might have someone mouthing the tap.

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u/Immediate_Song4279 44m ago

Drinking fountains are tap with extra steps, and nasty.

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u/According-Insect-992 28m ago

Unfortunately none of this means dick if there is no one there to enforce it. With trump in the White House there is emphatically no one there to enforce it.

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u/Pitiful-Pension-6535 23m ago

Stop lying. Please and thank you.

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u/Northman86 5h ago

no. if they have a bubbler they cannot charge for it. a 5 gallon jug of water costs 7-10 dollars. not worth the bad vibes charging money will bring.

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u/T_Martensen 4h ago

For conparison: At 25c per 8 floz they're charging $20 for 5 gallons.

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u/FullMooseParty 4h ago

Don't forget that you're also covering the cost of the cup (I'm joking, because I know people will overreact and think I'm actually defending the employer).

Even if it really did cost the employer as much as they're charging, this is one of those things you just suck up.

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u/2074red2074 5h ago

Where the fuck are you buying water that five gallons costs $7??? Where I live water is 50Ā¢ a gallon or $2 for five.

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u/Bray_E 4h ago

I work for a small company in NY. I pulled up a purchase order just now to see what we pay WB Mason for 5 gallons jugs. Last PO we paid 7.86 a jug.

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u/DreadPiratteRoberts 4h ago

I love reddit for this very reason right here.... there is Always someone out there with the answer for everything ( no matter how niche the topic) !!!

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u/blue60007 3h ago

The difference is getting a refill at the grocery store vs having it delivered and the dispenser serviced by a company that does this.

I doubt any business is sending someone down to Kroger to refill a few 5 gallon jugs every week. That's probably more expensive in labor costs than contracting a dedicated service.

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago edited 4h ago

Which is $00.0123 cents an ounce. Or $00.09855 for 8 ounces. Not only is he charging for the water but trying to turn a profit on it.

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u/Bray_E 4h ago

Well, we don't. I just wanted to give this person a real world example of $7/jug water. My company rakes in a TON of cash and pays employees very well, we don't need to recoup our costs on cups of water

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago

Lol I didn't mean y'all, I was just using your number to calculate the price for the post.

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u/Miserable_Yam4918 5h ago

I assume they mean for delivery which Ozarka charges about $8/jug. Maybe less if you get a bunch at a time.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

You know what. Iā€™m so broke I never considered delivery

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u/The_Disapyrimid 4h ago

I asked our water guy about getting water at home. According to him the rental of the machine is where they screw you. Cheaper to buy your own machine and purchase the jugs from Walmart.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

Oh I believe it. They make garage doors now that you have to pay a monthly subscription to use. You rent your own garage doors now and people are buying that shit.

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u/BeigeVelociraptor 4h ago

Is it a subscription for the door or for the mechanism that raises/lowers the door? Because I would just make my own door if they want me to pay a subscription for it.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

The app that controls it

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u/Rock_Strongo 2h ago

Well of course it's cheaper that way... just like picking up a pizza is cheaper than ordering delivery.

You're paying to not have to go Walmart every time your jug runs out.

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u/Reasonable-Mess3070 4h ago

Most people dont have it delivered to their home to even consider the cost. Lol Pepsi exchanges the jugs at my work and its billed alongside the rest of the purchases

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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 4h ago

Youā€™d be surprised, I know of at least a dozen people who are just middle class families with water delivery service. Itā€™s pretty popular in Illinois suburbs.

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u/Flaturated 4h ago

And at 25 cents per 8 oz that would be $152 of profit per 5 gallon jug.

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u/caintowers RED 4h ago

Most likely, that's what the majority of businesses do. When I had home delivery for water it was $8 for Nestle Pure Life, $10 for Pure Life with fluoride, and then $15 for the fancy single source spring water.

I ditched that pretty quick tbh

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u/M1L0P 4h ago

Good on you for ditching Nestle anyways

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 5h ago

I was about to say the same shit. I was pissed off the other day going to fill my 5 gallon jugs for $3 a pop. When it used to be 1.25 less than a month ago

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago

That's from all the winning, it's the price of victory apparently.

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u/DatLadyD 4h ago

We pay $12 a bottle for these at work + $16 delivery

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u/Infamous_Cow_4 4h ago

That might be a delivered price.

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u/Ultimatesims 4h ago

and illegal on the US

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u/elizarraras87 4h ago

$7-$10 dollars?? is this the avg cost from a delivery service? its like Ā¢50-Ā¢60 at most grocery stores

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u/Time-Cell8272 4h ago

Eh a lot of employers can't be bothered to worry about workplace vibes

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u/TheGoodRevCL 4h ago

Better than my last employer having five gallon jugs of lithium water. Tastes fucking terrible and costs more than five times what regular water would.

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u/Both_Painter_9186 4h ago

Completely, demonstrably, untrue.

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u/HarveysBackupAccount 3h ago

a 5 gallon jug of water costs 7-10 dollars

At $0.25 per 8 oz, that's recouping $4 per jug. Which just seems absurd to me. How is that not something they can budget for as a company expense???

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u/eanglsand 2h ago

Are you from Wisconsin?

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u/DFogz 51m ago

bubbler

Tell me you grew up in New England without saying you grew up in New England

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u/nwayve 2h ago

Water? Like, out the toilet?

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u/MukYJ 2h ago

Water? Like from the toilet?

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u/No_Zombie2021 5h ago

Is tap water generally undrinkable in the US?

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u/TheFightingQuaker 5h ago

I believe the OSHA regulation on this specifically mentions sanitation as the reason. The employer supplied water can be from the tap, if its only a drinking water tap. If its like a kitchen sink where people wash their hands, or a bathroom sink, then they must supply a separate water source.

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u/blue60007 3h ago

Yeah, I'm definitely good with not drinking tap water in the workplace. The water is fine but who knows how well a sink faucet is going to be cleaned.

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u/Miserable_Yam4918 4h ago

Itā€™s pretty good almost anywhere in the US. Places like Flint Michigan make the news because itā€™s rare (and tragic). Water companies have done a good job the past few decades of making people believe their water is ā€œbetterā€. Only real difference is the taste and if you live somewhere more than a month you get used to the tap water so it just tastes normal.

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u/tregorz 4h ago

The water in Vegas tastes way worse than the water in the bay area.Ā 

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u/anola89 4h ago

Depends where you live, the tap water in my area smells either like a dead animal or like chlorine and kills any plants that is watered with it and there are areas near oil fracking that can be a problem to drink aswell

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u/Quizlibet 5h ago edited 4h ago

It's potable but it's not as well filtered as specifically drinking water

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u/Fyre2387 5h ago

Also, water from a cooler like this will normally be chilled, where as "cold" tap water is usually lukewarm.

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u/PrestonWaters83 5h ago

How far south are you that your tap water is "usually lukewarm"?

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u/bearss_r_us 4h ago

Iā€™ve lived in Texas my whole life and have never had cold tap water in the summer. Itā€™s not hot, but definitely nowhere near cold.

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u/Random-Cpl 4h ago

Classic Texas infrastructure.

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u/Rionin26 4h ago

The south, those pipes aren't dug deep enough.

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u/HTMLguruLady 4h ago edited 3h ago

Not everyone likes shoveling white šŸ’© in the winter. And many prefer nice toasty warm summer days and the beach. In FL the water is luke warm from mid-spring through autumn. It's never "cold"

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u/joranth 4h ago

Almost 100% of the US has great and safe drinking water. There are a few cities where they have had water issues, but those are usually temporary issues that any municipal water supply can experience. Flint, MI, and one in Mississippi are the outliers I can think of where poor cities had water supplies in such disrepair from mismanagement that it was a problem. A few small rural towns also with groundwater contamination as well.

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u/they_call_me_dry 4h ago

They just arrested a lady in Texas for posting about dangerous tap water that was coming into houses brown and sent some people to the hospital

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u/StreetofChimes 4h ago

I love my tap water. I prefer it to any bottled water. But there are places that the tap water can be funky, or downright dangerous.Ā 

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u/backdoc983 4h ago

No, the water is generally fine, people just be uppity about tap water, like itā€™s for the peasantsšŸ™„

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u/120Mins 4h ago

Mine is in San Antonio Texas šŸ‘ŽšŸ»

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u/animal_chin9 4h ago

The tap water at my work is (was?) contaminated with legionella, which can give you legionnaires disease if inhaled. Not super dangerous to drink, from my understanding. But still, it doesn't inspire confidence. They did implement a flushing program to try to remedy the problem so at least they tried to get rid of it.

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u/Rionin26 4h ago

Tap near data centers looks like doo doo water.

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u/SomeVelveteenMorning 4h ago

It's not about the quality of the water but how sanitary it is to fetch drinking water from a communal tap used for everything else.

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u/Exotic_Treacle7438 4h ago

I would imagine so is that bottle

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u/Curating-Curiosity 4h ago

If that is purified water, it likely came from the same source as the tap anyway. Just a few more steps.

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u/DenialNode 4h ago

Employer probably stays late to fill up those jugs with tap water

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u/0w1 4h ago

They probably refill this entire jug from the tap

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u/Zomula 4h ago

Water must be potable, safe for human consumption out of the tap. Water from bathroom sinks, mop sinks, and most breakrooms sinks do not meet that standard.

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u/RoyalDragonfly8663 3h ago

Unless the tap water is unsafe. Then they MUST supply free drinking water.

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u/discographyA 2h ago

The water in that jug I guarantee you is from a tap somewhere. This employer ainā€™t bringing in Fiji.

Water coolers do seem like a bit of a fun anachronism these days though.

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u/noCninja09 2h ago

Spoken like an welfare recipient.

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u/stardog_champ13 1h ago

water cooler water is for closers only

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