"Health and safety gone mad" - truth or tabloid guff?
Discussion
I recently went into a large chain store that sells products for pets that people may or may not have in their home, with the intention of taking away a rabbit hutch. I was told that hutches were no longer kept in stock and I would have to order one. The reason I was given was 'health & safety reasons'.
I came away quite bemused and bought one from a local independent instead.
The papers love to tell us that health and safety has gone mad, but is it as bad as they make out? My hutch-buying experience seems to say so, and I can remember a time when PPE at work was task-specific, whereas company policy now dictates full PPE is worn at all times, regardless of the task.
Does anyone else have any Daily Mail worthy personal accounts?
I came away quite bemused and bought one from a local independent instead.
The papers love to tell us that health and safety has gone mad, but is it as bad as they make out? My hutch-buying experience seems to say so, and I can remember a time when PPE at work was task-specific, whereas company policy now dictates full PPE is worn at all times, regardless of the task.
Does anyone else have any Daily Mail worthy personal accounts?
V8 FOU said:
Best response is usually to ask under what section of the Health and Safety legislation they are acting.
Usually confuses them...
I'd imagine it does because it's a rather daft question. Why should it have anything to do with legislation? Usually confuses them...
In this case, it sounds rather unlikely though. I suspect they've just decided they just take up too much expensive shop-floor space to be commercially viable to stock.
It's b
ks both ways. If the country was really serious about it, all the pot holes would be safety audited, and filled in immediately !! Now a real situation. At our local Sainsburys, if you are on the upper car park deck, you can walk down the stairs, and exit to go into the town. If you are parked on the ground floor, it’s (apparently) to dangerous to go out the SAME exit, so they blocked it off !!! Thus you have to walk about half a mile to get out !!
ks both ways. If the country was really serious about it, all the pot holes would be safety audited, and filled in immediately !! Now a real situation. At our local Sainsburys, if you are on the upper car park deck, you can walk down the stairs, and exit to go into the town. If you are parked on the ground floor, it’s (apparently) to dangerous to go out the SAME exit, so they blocked it off !!! Thus you have to walk about half a mile to get out !!It could be any reason - fire risk, somebody has got a splinter, caught themselves on the sharp edges of mesh, etc.
Most of the driver for it is because people sue for personal injury.
They have probably been sued in the past of a hutch related incident and decided to remove the risk!
Most of the driver for it is because people sue for personal injury.
They have probably been sued in the past of a hutch related incident and decided to remove the risk!
Having spent a few years living in UK & Australia, I recently moved to Germany.
It's terrifying. The only mention of health and safety in my company was the justification for why people are allowed to drink beer at work. Other than that, nothing.
It is really, really excellent.
The Autobahn is the icing on the cake.
It's terrifying. The only mention of health and safety in my company was the justification for why people are allowed to drink beer at work. Other than that, nothing.
It is really, really excellent.
The Autobahn is the icing on the cake.
It is easy to snipe at H and S but in my experience little , if any , is to do with the law per se but far too often is simply attributable to over zealous (and often not very bright ) individuals who take perverse pleasure in dreaming up daft protocols and procedures for the simplest of activities.
But .... in a workplace where there are real dangers H and S is fundamentally important. In a previous life I was involved in the legals on a couple of work related - and avoidable - deaths and it isn't nice.Whatever the Daily Mail might say about H and S I don't want to go back to the bad old days when factory deaths , injuries and diseases were a daily occurence- and without consequences for the employer .
But .... in a workplace where there are real dangers H and S is fundamentally important. In a previous life I was involved in the legals on a couple of work related - and avoidable - deaths and it isn't nice.Whatever the Daily Mail might say about H and S I don't want to go back to the bad old days when factory deaths , injuries and diseases were a daily occurence- and without consequences for the employer .
The HSE has a 'myth busters' webpage-a lot of strange decisions are just blamed on 'health and safety'
http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/myth-busting/index.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/myth-busting/index.htm
Its normally a case that no one is willing to take responsibility for saying this is as far as you need to go and no further, so mitigation of risk is taken to the "n"th degree. I did a job a while ago for a national house builder, I was recording the condition of the pavement near one of their sites - they asked me for a risk assessment and method statement because someone at their office has decreed that they need one from everyone doing work for them.
Its like anyone on the BBC being interviewed about construction with the obligatory building site way in the background, they are all kitted up in high vis, hard hat and safety glasses.
Its like anyone on the BBC being interviewed about construction with the obligatory building site way in the background, they are all kitted up in high vis, hard hat and safety glasses.
egor110 said:
I work for a delivery company where none of the drivers are allowed to change tyres if there's a puncture.
Instead they have to phone the rac and wait.
I work for the local council and its the same for us, all spare wheels are removed from vehicles and a local firm has a contract to come out to anyone who gets a puncture. Instead they have to phone the rac and wait.
Our all pet shop for people with pets at home kept them stocked high on the top shelves.
I can perfectly understand how this would be seen as h and s issue. Not sure Jenny the goldfish feeder would have the strength or equipment training to get them down or move them even if they were down.
I can perfectly understand how this would be seen as h and s issue. Not sure Jenny the goldfish feeder would have the strength or equipment training to get them down or move them even if they were down.
Im a lorry driver, our health and safety policy is pull the curtains back and get to a safe area, away from the fork trucks etc etc.
Did a job the other week, opened both curtains for her to come abusing me as "that's not how we work" its one side at a time apparently.
I was speakin alien when I told her how we worked. but she was quite happy for the other driver tostand as close to the truck as he wanted.
Reason we do it the way we do it, is because if the pallet collapses your no where near and also if both curtains are open its less time you have to go near the trailer.
I apologised and sat in the truck.
Did a job the other week, opened both curtains for her to come abusing me as "that's not how we work" its one side at a time apparently.
I was speakin alien when I told her how we worked. but she was quite happy for the other driver tostand as close to the truck as he wanted.
Reason we do it the way we do it, is because if the pallet collapses your no where near and also if both curtains are open its less time you have to go near the trailer.
I apologised and sat in the truck.
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