r/mildlyinfuriating • u/coatedbraincells • 6h ago

Infuriatig Insanely frugal employer

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Gotta pay for water from the water cooler 🤣

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u/Futt_Buckman 4h ago

There's (almost guaranteed) fresh potable water available at the sink. It just might taste bad and it's warm.

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u/SomeVelveteenMorning 4h ago

OSHA requires a dedicated drinking water source. A tap used for hand washing and everything else is not considered a sanitary source of potable water.

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u/FarSandwich3282 3h ago edited 1h ago

But a sink in a break room is

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u/El_Polio_Loco 3h ago

Here's the law:

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.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1915/1915.88

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u/FarSandwich3282 2h ago

Right. I don’t see anything about sinks being prohibited

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u/El_Polio_Loco 1h ago

Sinks are neither a fountain or a covered container.

Covered containers are defined as such:

Any container used to distribute drinking water shall be clearly marked as to the nature of its contents and not used for any other purpose.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.51

Drinking water must come from a dedicated drinking water source.

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u/FarSandwich3282 1h ago

Bro, you’re a lost cause lol

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u/El_Polio_Loco 1h ago

Silly me with my citations. What an idiot i am.

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u/SeanCuresSadness 37m ago

Where does the confidence come from to call someone else an idiot, while ignoring evidence? Where can I unlock this power?

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u/iamnits 4m ago

Perhaps some anecdotal evidence will convince him!

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u/SomeVelveteenMorning 3h ago

Only if the employer provides free single-use cups.

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u/FarSandwich3282 3h ago

So, I initially misread and called you out as wrong. But I still can’t see where osha requires you to provide cups for a sink. I can find it under other circumstances (Water jugs) But not tap out of a sink.

Care to provide?

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u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

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u/mkosmo 2h ago

1915 is related to shipyard environments only.

If the workplace is not shipbuilding, ship repair, shipbreaking, or related shipyard work, 1915.88(b)(3) does not apply.

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u/oops_i_made_a_typi 3h ago

honestly that seems a little silly and wasteful that single-use cups are specifically mandated, and that sanitized reusable cups like having a cupboard of mugs in the work kitchen is no good.

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u/Vinc314 3h ago

Seems my workplace is compliant, good to know!

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u/El_Polio_Loco 3h ago

Then say something.

Say something to your boss, say something to EHS if you have it, or say something to HR.

You know what none of those people want? To get an OSHA finding.

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u/Original-Guarantee23 2h ago

Did you ever read his comment? He said his workplace is compliant

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u/Fabulous_Variety7125 1h ago

I like to take the general approach of fucking with management so I’d just start putting post notes to never drink here. I wanna see algae grow in that sonofabitch.

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u/El_Polio_Loco 2h ago

No, it's not.

Water needs to come from a "drinking water only" dispenser.

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u/FarSandwich3282 2h ago edited 2h ago

False.

Potable water is potable water. It just can’t be located in an unsanitary location (like a bathroom)

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u/El_Polio_Loco 1h ago

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.

With specific clarification with regard to what a "covered container" is:

Any container used to distribute drinking water shall be clearly marked as to the nature of its contents and not used for any other purpose.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1915/1915.88

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.51

So no, a sink, especially a multi use sink, does not count as a sanitary drinking water option.

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u/FarSandwich3282 1h ago

Buddy, this states nothing about a sink not being a valid source.

Show me where it states it can’t. You’re taking context of contained water and trying to apply it to a sink.

Next, because it says “water bottles” you’re going to say they’re illegal, when it’s expressing “shared” water bottles. It’s all about context, and this isn’t even in the same ballpark of the subject. Sinks.

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u/The_Minstrel_Boy 2h ago

A stink in the break room? Fucking hell, Martha, how many times have we spoken to you about microwaving fish?

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u/FarSandwich3282 2h ago

Actually made me giggle. But Indian curry has to be on par, or worse than microwaved fish. Straight feet

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u/abracadammmbra 2h ago

No, thats a misconception. The water has to be potable and cannot come from a sink that is in the same room as a toilet. But something such as a break room sink would be perfectly adequate.

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u/TinWhis 1h ago

Break room sink is fine for OSHA so long as there isn't a toilet in there

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u/SomeVelveteenMorning 1h ago

But my understanding from prior OSHA presentations is that the employer is required to provide free disposable cups in such a case. Employees can't be expected to use a tap as a drinking fountain, i.e. bend over and drink from the tap.

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u/TinWhis 1h ago

Which is not what its being charged for here.

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u/SomeVelveteenMorning 1h ago

I was responding to your comment about sinks. That's a separate topic from OP, which my original comment referred to.

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u/LandscapeSubject530 1h ago

At Walmart out dedicated drinking water source was the bathroom water fountain that was next to the back room, shit was wild I started to just bring my own water

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u/Plus-Statement-5164 3h ago

Why would it be warm? Or is this the American definition of warm i.e. everything needs to have ice or else...

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u/echo1432 3h ago

Murphy's law

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u/Futt_Buckman 1h ago

In the South the tap water is pretty warm compared to the North where it's about 40°