Panorama (Health and Safety)

[faginsgirl]

HI.



Watching panorama last night the people on the `ladder awareness` course were looking quite bermused in thier training. And how the class didn`t roll around the floor laughing when the instructor demonstrated how to climb a ladder and bumped his head on the ceiling I`ll never know



And then there was the grave topplers (????? something along those lines anyway!) Surely a grave should be sacred to the family. These inspectors had stuck stickers and stakes into the side of the headstones. Surely thats not right????



They did say that 2 kids were killed climbing a grave stone in the past but surely not the size and age of the ones they were checking. And as sad as it is, those deaths must be extremely rare, so is there a real need for all this checking on peoples graves?



One woman went to visit her husbands grave and said when she saw what they had done, at first she thought the grave had been vandalised



Did anyone else see this?



xx

[batman]

Have a look at my signature to see what the six year old Boy Wonder already thinks of Health and Safety. He was most annoyed because a paddling pool in one of our local parks is no longer allowed to have water in it. I used that pool when I was a kid and we went there regularly with him last summer.

[faginsgirl]

name='batman'] He was most annoyed because a paddling pool in one of our local parks is no longer allowed to have water in it.

Ahh yes, a paddling pool with no water in it! Makes sense!



xx

[jaycad]

a print technician where i work was helpfully informed by a H&S rep that 'wearing an apron would minimise risk of injury from ink splashes'-no sh*t sherlock? they're never happy after an inspection and always find something,no matter how ridiculous,to complain about!

[CaptainWaggett]

It's true that some health and safety regulations can seem a little ridiculous, but there are a lot of people alive today who wouldn't be if the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 hadn't been passed. In short, about 500 fewer people a year are killed at work and there are a third the amount of injuries. I think that's worth a bit of killjoyism though I'm sure others will disagree.

[jaycad]

don't get me wrong-i agree entirely with the need for health and safety,but some of the reps i've met takes things too far which undermine some of the good advice they have given.

[CaptainWaggett]

Oh yes, I've been through electrical inspections when we've lost our kettle and printers because they've failed wiring tests. But the problem is that most people (including me) are very careless about H and S (piles of cardboard boxes in corrdors, fire doors propped open etc) so I supect H and S officers need to be extra strict just to get people somewhere near the standards they should be. And let's be honest, most folk find it really, really dull so we should be grateful there's anyone who wants to do the job!

[faginsgirl]

Its advised that kids wear goggles while playing conkers



xx

[Moor Larkin]

There was a super funny prog a while back interviewing earnest Health & Safety Professionals.................



The best guy was the one who announced in gravely advising tones........



Garden is spelt.......... D A N G E R ................... .......

[Steve Crook]

name='faginsgirl']HI.



Watching panorama last night the people on the `ladder awareness` course were looking quite bermused in thier training. And how the class didn`t roll around the floor laughing when the instructor demonstrated how to climb a ladder and bumped his head on the ceiling I`ll never know



And then there was the grave topplers (????? something along those lines anyway!) Surely a grave should be sacred to the family. These inspectors had stuck stickers and stakes into the side of the headstones. Surely thats not right????



They did say that 2 kids were killed climbing a grave stone in the past but surely not the size and age of the ones they were checking. And as sad as it is, those deaths must be extremely rare, so is there a real need for all this checking on peoples graves?



One woman went to visit her husbands grave and said when she saw what they had done, at first she thought the grave had been vandalised



Did anyone else see this?



xx

I saw an interview with the head of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who said that most of this sort of problem is caused by over-officious petty officials who take the HSE guidelines and think that they're rules that everyone must obey. They are just suggestions, not rules



Steve

[davidb]

name='CaptainWaggett']It's true that some health and safety regulations can seem a little ridiculous, but there are a lot of people alive today who wouldn't be if the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 hadn't been passed. In short, about 500 fewer people a year are killed at work and there are a third the amount of injuries. I think that's worth a bit of killjoyism though I'm sure others will disagree.

thats wrong ,nobody ever complained about the 1974 act ,its the twaddle thats came in over the last 10 years thats the problem .

as was pointed out on the show ,new labour freed up the restrictions on the " where theres blame theres a drink in it " type no win no fee lawyers and within a couple of years councils and large organisations were terrified of litigation from such outfits ,hence gravestone topple inspectors and other such nonsense [ that were paying for ]

[Flanker]

Hi Folks



Davidb is not far wrong here, I have worked in industries that need a lot of H&S training and enforcement for good reasons.

But most of the stuff that gets the hackles up is not related to the H&S at work act, its more linked to creating a litigation shield to stop folk chasing damages for that horrendous and trauma causing paper cut!!



The grave yard where my father is laid is full of warning notices and some stones have been toppled for safety reasons, its a very dangerous place, literally hundreds of dead bodies there.......



rgs Flanker

[batman]

LINK: http://www.technologystudent.com/health1/ed1.htm

[Dai Bando]

name='faginsgirl']HI.



Watching panorama last night the people on the `ladder awareness` course were looking quite bermused in thier training. And how the class didn`t roll around the floor laughing when the instructor demonstrated how to climb a ladder and bumped his head on the ceiling I`ll never know



And then there was the grave topplers (????? something along those lines anyway!) Surely a grave should be sacred to the family. These inspectors had stuck stickers and stakes into the side of the headstones. Surely thats not right????



They did say that 2 kids were killed climbing a grave stone in the past but surely not the size and age of the ones they were checking. And as sad as it is, those deaths must be extremely rare, so is there a real need for all this checking on peoples graves?



One woman went to visit her husbands grave and said when she saw what they had done, at first she thought the grave had been vandalised



Did anyone else see this?



xx

I'm sorry to say I missed it. Maybe check it out on iplayer.



Some health and safety people work in our office and we often enjoy winding them up about things like this.

[Mr Sloane]

We were not allowed a standard electric kettle at workdue to Health and Safety regulations. We moaned and belittled every argument. Eventually management final agreed to a compromise and fitted a water boiler over our sink.



Four weeks later one of the lads scalded himself after sticking his hands under the nozzle thinking it was a soap dispenser !



So I know have a little more time for the H&S thing. You have to remember what stupid things some people can do.

[EllyMack]

As they said on the programme, years ago we used our commonsense where H&S was concerned. These days we have to be nannied around just in case we cut a finger or stub a toe and then decide to sue someone over it.

[Steve Crook]

name='Mr Sloane']We were not allowed a standard electric kettle at workdue to Health and Safety regulations. We moaned and belittled every argument. Eventually management final agreed to a compromise and fitted a water boiler over our sink.



Four weeks later one of the lads scalded himself after sticking his hands under the nozzle thinking it was a soap dispenser !



So I know have a little more time for the H&S thing. You have to remember what stupid things some people can do.

There are no HSE regulations that prevent you from having a kettle. As I said above, it's all due to the way people interpret what are meant to be guidelines and treat them as rules. The only things that prevent you from having a kettle will be a local decision by your own management. Don't blame anyone else



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='EllyMack']As they said on the programme, years ago we used our commonsense where H&S was concerned. These days we have to be nannied around just in case we cut a finger or stub a toe and then decide to sue someone over it.

But if you did cut you finger or stub your toe - or fall off a ladder or slip on a floor like in the TV ads, and tried to sue someone over it, you'd soon find that it would be laughed out of court



There's a self perpetuating industry that's been set up between lawyers who encourage people to take such cases to court in the hope that 1 in a thousand might find a judge dumb enough to make an award, and the insurance industry who have taken this as an opportunity to put up premiums. And those TV ads by the lawyers and the increased insurance premiums then make some people think that they can be successfully sued if anyone harms themself. So they pay the premiums and make rulings to ban things like kettles in Mr Sloane's workplace.



But none of it has anything to do with the Health & Safety Executive or any laws. People just use that as an excuse



Try applying some common sense to some of these situations



Steve

[davidb]

the fact is ambulance chasing lawyers will bring litigation against large organisations and in some cases its easier for the firms to settle out of court .

daytime tv isnt stuffed full of " have you hurted yourself in a accident that wasnt your fault " because of charity or something ,theyre there because its a multi million pound industry thats made some unscrupulous lawyers very rich .

it could all be stopped by banning the " no win no fee " way that those solicitors tout for business .

[thatllbetheday]

Does anyone else feel they have to apologise to the men who stand in the street asking all and sundry if they've had an accident recently and you answer in the negative.