H & S Exec strike again !

[Jaws]

From the end of december you will not be allowed to stand on a ladder for more than ten minutes. If you are seen committing this terrible crime you can be fined up to ?5000.

It is to try and make people use scaffold towers rather than ladders.

My son in law, a painter decorator, said it will add about 15 to 20 % to the cost of every job he does that is above ground..


Seems that from January you will also need a licence to operate above ground. Those who do not have a licence will be fined up to ?5000 or imprisoned for up to 6 months.

To get said licence you must complete various training schedules ( not cheap to say the least ) and also pay for the licence and you DA number ( whatever THAT is ! )

So thats going to put more than 1/2 the work force on the dole or on the fiddle...

Health and Safety executives ... They need poisoning.. slowly and painfully..

 

[R2B2]

I'd love to say I'm surprised....... but I'm not! They will eventually baulk everything with this obsession for H & S.

I worked in the Port of Dover for years and the H & S regs in the docks is unbelievable for the most part, so nothing surprises me any more.

 

[gypsy]

HEY THATS A THOUGHT?


perhaps if i give them a call they will make you leave the doors open for me :yo:

 

[roXXo]

To put the other side of the case...

Something has to be done to try and reduce the number of accidents and deaths from falling from a height while working.

Peolple work from ladders and elevated platforms with no regard for their own safety or others.
Working from scaffolding is safer than from a ladder.
You would not want to work from scaffolding/equipment that is in a poor/unsafe condition, erected by somebody who had not been trained properly to erect scaffolding.
It is right that we all should work safely and employers have a duty to ensure that their employees are given a safe as practicable work place.

Jaws
There is a cost to this obviously, but what is an extra 20% on the bill compared to somebody losing their lives or being maimed/seriously injured?

Without the HSE many more of us workers would be killed or injured. Those of us that work in the oil industriy know this and our safe working practices have been built up over the years. Quite rightly the best of these practices have become law and is now spreading.

Some people though are so stupid and need protecting from themselves.

In industry, task analysis and risk assessment have become second nature. The smaller employer and individual workers must get their act together regarding safety.

When you leave in the morning to go to work, you and your family expect that you will come home safe in the evening. Sadly there are too many instances when this is not the case.
We are not talking about dangerous passtimes, hobbies, sport here.
We are talking about the health and safety at work act ,which has come about through the deaths and the hard work of our forefathers and unions to make our work places safer.


Rob.
H & S regs being unbelievable in the most part?
They are there to protect you.
You would soon protest if you were made to do a job that you weren't capable of, had no training in, was in a hazardous area etc. The employer HAS to ensure that risk is minimised and everything is done that is practicable to ensure your safety and if they do not, they are liable.
It is also up to you the individual worker to work safely with care for yourself and those around you.

Sorry, I don't mean to preach/lecture and I appreciate that those who have never worked in a dangerous industry may not have thought about hazard identification and risk assessment and controls but it is central to safe working.

Think safety, act safely.
:beer:

 

[roXXo]

So thats going to put more than 1/2 the work force on the dole or on the fiddle...

Health and Safety executives ... They need poisoning.. slowly and painfully..

More than half the work force?.
..... I have told you a million times before, don't exaggerate!

Only the stupid, those of low morals/standards / and criminals would "fiddle" and it is those people who would be the first to "claim" against you or me in the event of them having an accident.

Having to deal with the HSE I find that most are professional, know their subject and are willing to help.

:beer:

 

[roXXo]

From the end of december you will not be allowed to stand on a ladder for more than ten minutes. If you are seen committing this terrible crime you can be fined up to ?5000.

Ladders are for accessing work not for working from.
Having said that, used correctly with a foot man or being securely fixed they can be used for limited periods.

We have all seen ladders in poor condition. Ladders used incorrectly, at strange angles and who has not over reached when painting or cleaning the windows and had a "moment" and thought bloody hell, I could have fallen.
Sadly this happens all too often with dire consequences.

 

[roXXo]

and another thing......






only joking. Stepping off box now.

 

[ianrobbo1]

if I had my way I would still send the kids up the chimneys and down the mines, :rant: but not at the same time!! :dunno:

 

[marcusfordus]

From the end of december you will not be allowed to stand on a ladder for more than ten minutes. If you are seen committing this terrible crime you can be fined up to ?5000.

It is to try and make people use scaffold towers rather than ladders.

My son in law, a painter decorator, said it will add about 15 to 20 % to the cost of every job he does that is above ground..


Seems that from January you will also need a licence to operate above ground. Those who do not have a licence will be fined up to ?5000 or imprisoned for up to 6 months.

To get said licence you must complete various training schedules ( not cheap to say the least ) and also pay for the licence and you DA number ( whatever THAT is ! )

So thats going to put more than 1/2 the work force on the dole or on the fiddle...

Health and Safety executives ... They need poisoning.. slowly and painfully..

What about crawler ladders, they have to be worked from ?

 

[ianrobbo1]

and another thing!! :rant: if them bloody window cleaners try and put their prices up cos they've "been on a course" then they are going to have to learn to clean the corners of the bloody windows!! :rant: every time they arrive here I have to remind them I dont live on a boat and they are "WINDOWS" NOT "PORT HOLES"!!!!!
AND they dig holes in the lawn with the feet of the ladders

 

[shropslad]

totally agree with Roxxo

Having been in the window/door/conservatory/cladding/guttering game since 1979, have seen some very bad practises over the years mainly employers making employees doing jobs off ladders because they have not priced for scaffolding,, i even did it in the early days c7u8 .
I have since refused to do jobs that I think are dangerous off ladders,, even tower scaffolding. Makes the boss sit up & think for a while,, he can send some one else or he can get the job proffesionally scaffolded,he always cooses the latter,, I still go up ladders prolly most days,, but make sure they are the proffesional ones yellow or black feet,, not DIY ones with the red feet, & are footed by someone else.
We might lose a few jobs through price but hopefully over time most will follow suit & peeps will expect to pay the extra dosh. at the end of the day its our safety,, & I am certainly past the age of taking stupid work related risks.

 

[Steamy]

What's wrong with sending kids up the ladders or even using some of the illegal immigrant "workers" thta currently inhabit our lovely island?

I had an H&S twat turn up at my place trying to tell me how to run my business. It took me nearly half an hour to get it through his thick head that I work for my self, on my own, without anybody else, solo, alone and without assistance:bang: . Thus the only person thta could possibly be harmed by my actions would be me! I then explained that he was close to being harmed by my actions as the voices were urging me to use knives. He looked veyr worried at that point and left:} :} :} :}

Oh how I just love playing with the brains of the great unwashed.
They are there for some good reasons and I would hazard a guess that people in "proper jobs" (that doesn't include you Jaws) would need some form of protection from possible exploitation and danger from unscrupulous employers. So, in short, I'm sitting on the fence, if that's okay?

 

[chuffmeister]

only joking. Stepping off box now.

why is there a limit to the time you can stand on a box too R#?

 

[the all new REEFER]

the thing that gets to me is they the H&S bring in all these new laws about cant do this, cant do that and still allow tiny kids from like 2 upwards to run about with red hot ferking pokers (sparklers) im just surprised there isint more serious accidents with small kids and sparklers each year
how many adults would give there kids a red hot piece of metal thats burning white hot and say wave that about ..seems most do!

 

[derek kelly]

I'm sitting on the fence, if that's okay?

Wonder what H & S would have to say about that.

 

[R2B2]

They are there to protect you.
You would soon protest if you were made to do a job that you weren't capable of, had no training in, was in a hazardous area etc.

I would agree with you 100% there Roxxo. On reflection, "in the most part" was an exaggeration.

But what I would say is this. When all this did happen in the Port of Dover, the H & S swept through the docks with great speed and urgency after a long period of what seemed like it had been forgotten, or missed. Cross channel operations were expanding rapidly and there was nothing in place to cover the working environment regarding shore side operations. H & S was drawn up very quickly, using a lot of the existing rules that came from the "Offices, Wharehouses and Railway Premises" book. A lot of it was rushed in without much thought and actually created new hazards and risks that didn't exist before...... a great deal of it was just not suitable for the situation.


For example, as a freight loader, and later loading officer, (working on the freightpark - shore side) I suddenley had to start wearing steel toecapped shoes. An idea I would normally have supported, but the main hazard for us loading freight and collecting doc's from each truck as it was loaded, was to be run over by one. Ok, that was covered as best as poss by better lighting, hi-vis clothing and designated stoping points to hand over doc's. The second biggest risk was to have your foot run over by one. It was generally accepted by all, except the H & S of course, that should this happen while wearing steel toecaps then you would suffer more injury, and be in a worse predicament than had you been wearing regular shoes or boots - because the steel structure wouldn't support the weight of an artic and would crush down on the front of the foot. Then there would be the added diffiuculty of removing it whilst it was embedded into the bone. But all concerned still had to wear them.

That's just one example - there are many others.

 

[roXXo]

I take your point Rob.

Nothing is perfect and if an employer has not paid much attention to health and safety the HSE have do do something about it to protect all employees.
Sometimes rules, procedures, guidelines can be rushed in, but with the best of intentions. All these systems are/should be constanlty reviewed to come up with the best way of working safely, protecting all but wihin a framework of practicability.
It's all about managing risk and coming up with solutions to keep everybody safe.
Of course it is down to the individual to take heed of this but unfortuntely some don't.
Last year on a local Oil Refinery an experienced 37 year old operator was crushed to death between rail tanker cars while they were being shunted. Taking a short cut. Tragic.

Steamy
What ever job you do will have an effect on somebody/something.
You may think that you know best but I'm sure some part of the HSE systems will have made you think "well I never thought of that, yeah it will be safer if I do this"
Some people look but do not see until things are pointed out to them.
Safety is a very serious business and everybody's business.
:beer:

 

[Coggy]

why is there a limit to the time you can stand on a box too R#?

Only if its a Soapbox
:bang: