When is enough, enough?

[Condi]

I hope my boss doesnt use this forum - I seriously doubt it, but anyway, here goes.

A few years ago I worked at a farm for a couple of summers, in my last year a new manager took over and I left shortly afterwards - mainly due to his attitude. This year due to a lack of other work Ive returned to the place to find it in a shocking state. The cattle are seriously thin, bordering on abuse. The place is over-run with rats to the state that the EA have written a very strong report to the landowner saying that if its not sorted the farm will be served with legal notices. The state of the kit is shocking - non of the equipment is maintained to the standard it should be, whether that be regular oil changes or more major stuff like handbrakes, PTO guards etc, all of which are legal requirements. Health and safety is non existent, things like a lack of proper PPE, damaged and dangerous tools, the attitude of the boss. Hence why we spend so long fixing kit, because the boss bends so much stuff.

Now, obvious thing would be to leave - however I know the place well, and dont want to walk off with it in such a st condition. The letter from the EA to the landowner has made things change, and quickly. Its actually the first improvement ive seen in months, and yet it took external influences to do it. Now, does anyone know of a way of contacting other external bodies without landing me eyeball deep in whats in the cattle sheds? Ideally RSPCA and Health and Safety. RSPCA shouldnt be difficult - there is a public footpath running alongside the yards so I can say I was a member of the public. H+S, more difficult. There only is the manager and 2 other lads there (me being one of them.) So if I get them involved its going to be obvious it was one of 2 people. Not many people have the intricate knowledge of how things work, and examples of the unsafe practices that I do. How can I somehow get them to check the equipment without landing me in it? Ideally I want to make the managers position untenable, it wouldnt take much at the moment to send him down the road. Also, you cant check for his attitude when you look round. He's very good at talking, yet when it comes down to it he cant cut it. Are there any other bodies who might be interested which I dont know about?

Sorry for the long read - the place could be fantastic and should be fantastic - but the manager at the moment has let it go to rack and ruin with no care for the animals or staff who work there.

[TotalControl]

The first bit makes it sound as if you used to work there.

Don't the H&S guys do random checks anyway?

[Silent1]

TotalControl said:

The first bit makes it sound as if you used to work there.

Don't the H&S guys do random checks anyway?

Farm visits are very rare, the environmental agency are about the only organisation that do it with any frequency

[lestag]

Condi said:

There only is the manager and 2 other lads there (me being one of them.)

Anybody left recently......??... its usually the leavers that complain...

Any work you do near the of public footpath that a member of the public may of been concerned to see you working in that way and rung H&S...

[h0b0]

Get the RSPCA in and when they are there have them report the H&S issues...........

[TotalControl]

Silent1 said:

TotalControl said:

The first bit makes it sound as if you used to work there.

Don't the H&S guys do random checks anyway?

Farm visits are very rare, the environmental agency are about the only organisation that do it with any frequency

Thanks for that Oli. Would have thought they were a little more strict with their visits.

[Silent1]

TotalControl said:

Silent1 said:

TotalControl said:

The first bit makes it sound as if you used to work there.

Don't the H&S guys do random checks anyway?

Farm visits are very rare, the environmental agency are about the only organisation that do it with any frequency

Thanks for that Oli. Would have thought they were a little more strict with their visits.

TBH someone who isn't me... hasn't had any sort of H&S visit on their farm for at least 5 years and than can only remember them turning up because they were going to another farm to investigate a spillage and didn't know where it was..

[Condi]

Apparently hes been reported to RSPCA several times before, but they have always visited just after he's fed them/mucked them out or whatever. Maybe one more visit wouldnt be as much of a surprise then. Give him something else to think about!

And yes - I did use to work there. Left for a few years and went back again.