I was sent to a plastics factory by a temp agency. I won't name them, but they made plastic caps and packaging (caps for detergent, packages for gum, caps for aerosol cans, etc.)
Problem #1 – there was no temperature control. It was 75F outside and over 100F on the floor. You were required to wear a lot of PPE because of the nature of the products we made. Heavy cloth jacket, gloves, a helmet with ear covering, hair net, safety glasses and mask. The added PPE made the heat worse. They had fans, which they claimed were for our comfort, but had to be pointed at the machines to keep them from overheating. In other words, completely useless for keeping bodies cool.
Problem #2 – while they said we had access to cold water, it was not realistic to actually reach the water. In my area, the water was outside the production floor, about 50 feet away. To grab water, you had to leave your machine. Leaving your machine meant a mistake could happen. A couple caps falling into the box at an angle would throw the entire process up, back up the line, and in extreme cases require a shutdown of the machine until you got caught up. These mistakes were very common. They would come down on you heavy if anything slowed down. So you couldn't realistically get water without penalty.
Problem #3 – you were given 2 15 minute breaks in a 10 hour shift. Your break started the moment someone took over your machine. So you had 15 minutes to remove your PPE, leave the floor to go outside or take a seat in the breakroom, put your PPE back on and resume your place at the machine.
Problem #4 – 2 days training before you were expected to work at the same level as everyone else. There were 12 different machines and you had to be proficient on them all. Out of the 8 people who started on the same day as me, I was the only one who didn't walk off or stop showing up. I was fired after 2 weeks because I wasn't fast enough.
Problem #5 – this may have been a “me problem” but I'd paid $20 for the work jacket and was promised I would get that money back. On my first day, I hung the coat up on a hook for my break. When I came back, someone had stolen it. They gave me a replacement and when I was fired, would not return my $20 because I “lost” one.
Problem #6 – all this for $10 an hour, no benefits. I'm glad they fired me but holy shit, they expected a lot from their employees. Out of all things, the water issue still gets under my skin.