Going Back To Work...

[Rachel--24]

I'll be going back to work soon. I work in the back room of a grocery store...of course there is flour around me. My office is right next to the store's bakery. My doc says this is going to be a problem for me . However I don't work *in* the bakery...I am just *next * to the bakery. I usually would handle the store's damaged products...there is inevitably a few bags of busted open flour for me to deal with everyday. Obviously I have to figure out what to do about that...maybe finding a seperate area for the damaged flour (so it doesn't get all over everything). Enforcing it would be the hard part....some people are a little slow to learn It's not like flour is *flying* around everywhere but its sometimes all over the floor. Should I be worried? I plan on wearing gloves if I'm touching gluten food. If it doesn't work out I can pick another area of the store to work in but I'd like to keep the job I have now...plus it pays more. Is it possible to work safely when there's flour in the midst? Oh yeah...people have already suggested wearing a mask....that is NOT doable for me! My boss thought that would be pretty funny...they are already calling me G.G. (gluten girl)

[lovegrov]

All you can do is try it. I think it will be tough for you to keep from getting contaminated, but if you like this position this much, you can give it a go and see what happens. Even if you don't have obvious symptoms, you should go back for blood testing to make sure.

richard

[tarnalberry]

Given that this put you out of work for a while, I would really think it'd be best to find another work arrangement. This is playing with fire. (Some people play with fire for a job just fine, but it's always a big risk.)

[KaitiUSA]

Definitely a huge risk. I would personally not risk it and find another job.

[Rachel--24]

Hmmm...not really what I wanted to hear .

I would be bummed if I have to switch jobs. Right now I have it pretty good...I do my own thing and I have weekends off. I guess I'll just give it my best shot...maybe people will be careful not to contaminate me . If I get sick I'll just switch to the dairy dept....not really any gluten to worry about over there. Maybe I could talk 'em into still giving me weekends off...since I'm sick and all.

[KaitiUSA]

Hmmm...not really what I wanted to hear  .

I would be bummed if I have to switch jobs.  Right now I have it pretty good...I do my own thing and I have weekends off.  I guess I'll just give it my best shot...maybe people will be careful not to contaminate me  . If I get sick I'll just switch to the dairy dept....not really any gluten to worry about over there. Maybe I could talk 'em into still giving me weekends off...since I'm sick and all. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The problem is if you breathe it in then it gets into your digestive tract. So I don't know how you would avoid it.

[aikiducky]

The problem is if you breathe it in then it gets into your digestive tract. So I don't know how you would avoid it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I've been working part time in a restaurant kitchen, and even though I don't eat anything there, I usually feel less well the day after work. Not a full blown gluten reaction but definitively something.

Pauliina

[Rachel--24]

The problem is if you breathe it in then it gets into your digestive tract. So I don't know how you would avoid it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

REALLY??

Sheesh....well I would only be breathing it in if it were flying around right? Not like if some just spilled on the floor...which is the usual scenario. I will avoid the bakery dept. like the plague for sure. There is a door seperating the bakery from my area...and my office also has a door I can close when I'm working. I'm getting desperate...can you tell????

[nettiebeads]

REALLY??

Sheesh....well I would only be breathing it in if it were flying around right? Not like if some just spilled on the floor...which is the usual scenario. I will avoid the bakery dept. like the plague for sure. There is a door seperating the bakery from my area...and my office also has a door I can close when I'm working.  I'm getting desperate...can you tell????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hmm, I wonder if one of those ionic breeze things would be tax deductable for you for your work. Golly, I would be scared to go back to work in that situation - I used to work grocery too and I know how that stuff gets everywhere. If you're 100% positive that you wouldn't be breathing in flour dust, then I guess all you can do is try. But I know I would be washing my hands as much as possible, never touch your face with your hands, and never eat any of your foods in that area. I know you're excited to go back to work - Good Luck!!!

[ianm]

Your employer has been willing to work with you so far. Maybe if you worked out a way to rearrange things to greatly reduce your exposure to flour they would go for it. After all you will be less likely to get sick again.

[KaitiUSA]

REALLY??

Sheesh....well I would only be breathing it in if it were flying around right? Not like if some just spilled on the floor...which is the usual scenario. I will avoid the bakery dept. like the plague for sure. There is a door seperating the bakery from my area...and my office also has a door I can close when I'm working.  I'm getting desperate...can you tell????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Flour is very powdery so when it spills on the floor it is likely also in the air around the place it spilled. Is there any way you could work there but not take care of that stuff or be around it?

[Rachel--24]

Your employer has been willing to work with you so far. Maybe if you worked out a way to rearrange things to greatly reduce your exposure to flour they would go for it. After all you will be less likely to get sick again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah...we talked about this yesterday...maybe rearranging things and putting up some signs on where to put things. People are careless though...It'll be hard to *train* them.

Kaiti...I'm hoping we can keep ALL the flour in the bakery only and away from my area..I guess I'll have to wait and see how it goes. I worked for only 3 days 2 weeks ago....it was kind of a trial period and I got glutened. I wasn't being careful though..within 2 hrs. of my first day my clothes were covered with flour and I was touching my face. This was before I got my Enterolab results though so I wasnt *thinking*.

I have one of those Hepa Air Purifier thingy's....will that help clean the air in my office if there was any flour floating around?

[KaitiUSA]

Yeah...we talked about this yesterday...maybe rearranging things and putting up some signs on where to put things. People are careless though...It'll be hard to *train* them.

Kaiti...I'm hoping we can keep ALL the flour in the bakery only and away from my area..I guess I'll have to wait and see how it goes. I worked for only 3 days 2 weeks ago....it was kind of a trial period and I got glutened. I wasn't being careful though..within 2 hrs. of my first day my clothes were covered with flour and I was touching my face. This was before I got my Enterolab results though so I wasnt *thinking*.

I have one of those Hepa Air Purifier thingy's....will that help clean the air in my office if there was any flour floating around?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It cleans the air but I would not trust that to take care of flour if its a place where flour floats around.

[Merika]

It seems from other posts that you have a very nice understanding boss, and that alone is a hard thing to give up. Is there a place elsewhere in the business that you could have your office? They may be willing to rearrange.

The thing is, flour gets in the air, and as someone else mentioned, you breathe it in. I have had this happen at a construction site where they were applying and sanding joint compound, which is made partly with flour. Within 30 minutes I was feeling dizzy and nauseaus and about 2 hours later I felt drugged and could barely stay awake. This will happen at a factory that works with flour too.

I would think being next to the bakery, having bags of flour around you, and people traipsing back and forth is a guarantee to get sick. The people are probably the least of your problem - there is only so much that can get tracked in on shoes. The airborne stuff you inhale, and the coating of dust all over your desk and papers is more an issue.

Sorry. Work on finding a way they can work with you.

Merika

[Rachel--24]

It seems from other posts that you have a very nice understanding boss, and that alone is a hard thing to give up. Is there a place elsewhere in the business that you could have your office? They may be willing to rearrange.

The thing is, flour gets in the air, and as someone else mentioned, you breathe it in. I have had this happen at a construction site where they were applying and sanding joint compound, which is made partly with flour. Within 30 minutes I was feeling dizzy and nauseaus and about 2 hours later I felt drugged and could barely stay awake. This will happen at a factory that works with flour too.

I would think being next to the bakery, having bags of flour around you, and people traipsing back and forth is a guarantee to get sick. The people are probably the least of your problem - there is only so much that can get tracked in on shoes. The airborne stuff you inhale, and the coating of dust all over your desk and papers is more an issue.

Sorry. Work on finding a way they can work with you.

Merika

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After reading your post some thoughts came to mind. First...I cannot relocate my office because I accept deliveries at the backdoor which is where my office is located. I have to be near the backdoor for security purposes...which would be fine if the bakery weren't in that same area. It just dawned on me that I could always transfer to another store where the bakery is in a different area...that way I could keep my same position and not be near the flour. Even better my old store did not even have a bakery...I could think about going back to that store. I am not so *attached* to my present store that I would be sad to transfer and there are alot of nice bosses out there. I feel better realizing that there are some options if this doesn't work out for me.

[Jen H]

Hey Rachel,

Oh man...that's a tough one. Is there another area of the company you could work in where you wouldn't be exposed to flour? I am sure you'd be careful of what you handle, but you don't always know what you're breathing in and you do have to be concerned about other people as well.

If you do decide to head back to your job, perhaps your boss could speak to the employees at a staff meeting about making sure flour is placed in a separate part of the building or just to be more aware of different items they put in the back room. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Jen