Elf and Safety

[SabreWolf]

In my opinion H&S has gotten alittle over the top, you have to have a certificate and training on how to use and climb a ladder, if you dont have a buddy footing it or you cant tie it off at the top, then you cant use a ladder lol
On top of that, YOU MUST wear a hard hat, not sure why since it isnt going to protect your head anyway if you fall 20 feet.

God help you if your a window cleaner.

Another stupid example is, when stood on the very top of a building, you MUST wear a high viz vest and a helmet.... god help you should a plane fall out of the sky or a digger come driving past >.>

I was made to wear saftey boots, hard hat and a hi viz on a site "ok so far so good, this is normal practice" but when im in an apartment, fitting damn carpets?

 

[Tom Allen]

I had to collect a cnc milling machine form a college and chose a 500kg tail lift luton van with to collect it in. I arrived expecting the machine to be three seperate pieces, the machine, it's table, and the control box. I've collected quite a few of these machines over many years and was expecting to be there around an hour, but this one was slightly different. The three items that would normally be completely seperate parts were bolted together as one part, and weighed just over 500kgs.
This would not have been a problem if it wasn't for H&S minded staff, who informed me that the machines total weight exceeded the capacity of the lift, and they would not allow me to remove the machine from the college as it would be unsafe to load it on the tail lift. So i had to split the machine down removing nearly 100 pieces of wiring taking nearly five hours, and load the machine in three seperate bits.

Nightmare.

Oh yes, and i had to re-assemble it at my end.

 

[Marcus Geezer]

I had to collect a cnc milling machine form a college and chose a 500kg tail lift luton van with to collect it in. I arrived expecting the machine to be three seperate pieces, the machine, it's table, and the control box. I've collected quite a few of these machines over many years and was expecting to be there around an hour, but this one was slightly different. The three items that would normally be completely seperate parts were bolted together as one part, and weighed just over 500kgs.
This would not have been a problem if it wasn't for H&S minded staff, who informed me that the machines total weight exceeded the capacity of the lift, and they would not allow me to remove the machine from the college as it would be unsafe to load it on the tail lift. So i had to split the machine down removing nearly 100 pieces of wiring taking nearly five hours, and load the machine in three seperate bits.

Nightmare.

Oh yes, and i had to re-assemble it at my end.

Hi Tom,

Sorry if I seem a bit H&S minded, but it's weight exceeded the max capacity of the lift, so you shouldnt lift it. It's not a rule to get in your way, it's a rule where if you fail to observe it, the tail lift might fail catastrophically dropping half a ton of metal on you or a passerby.

I'll confess I deal with H&S a lot with regards to compliance on electrical infrastructure up to 13,000 volts and so possibly have that mindset, but have seen too many examples of people getting hurt or experiencing a 'near miss', which could have easly been avoided. Best one and possibly a bit extreme, was contractors attempting to lift a 5 ton electrical distribution transformer with blue rope through a pulley system, which broke and as well as destroying the transformer nearly killed an apprentice. This sent our own H&S team into a frenzy, but the bottom line was the contractors failed to follow their own risk assessment and method statement.

I think the emphasis on H&S getting in the way are stupid examples like hanging baskets being banned by councils, or sites banning ladders altogether stating scaffolding must be erected for even simple tasks.

 

[Tom Allen]

Hi Tom,

Sorry if I seem a bit H&S minded, but it's weight exceeded the max capacity of the lift, so you shouldnt lift it. It's not a rule to get in your way, it's a rule where if you fail to observe it, the tail lift might fail catastrophically dropping half a ton of metal on you or a passerby.

I'll confess I deal with H&S a lot with regards to compliance on electrical infrastructure up to 13,000 volts and so possibly have that mindset, but have seen too many examples of people getting hurt or experiencing a 'near miss', which could have easly been avoided. Best one and possibly a bit extreme, was contractors attempting to lift a 5 ton electrical distribution transformer with blue rope through a pulley system, which broke and as well as destroying the transformer nearly killed an apprentice. This sent our own H&S team into a frenzy, but the bottom line was the contractors failed to follow their own risk assessment and method statement.

I think the emphasis on H&S getting in the way are stupid examples like hanging baskets being banned by councils, or sites banning ladders altogether stating scaffolding must be erected for even simple tasks.

Don't get me wrong, i'm all for H&S as a barrier between the thick and a potential accident, but in my case it was just over the stated weight, and i know these lifts can safely carry 750kgs but are rated at 500kgs. The construction of the lift can handle 1000kgs, it's the pump that limits its weight by opening the return valve.

 

[Tom Allen]

I've been in engineering all my working life and seen many examples of horrendous practices, that would make the average person cringe, and send the H&S executive into a full blown meltdown. But trust me, this was an example of an over zealous, office based, pen pushing, chart reading, white collar wearing, clean finger nailed, wet behind the ears, self important, d/head.

Nice bloke though.

 

[Marcus Geezer]

I've been in engineering all my working life and seen many examples of horrendous practices, that would make the average person cringe, and send the H&S executive into a full blown meltdown. But trust me, this was an example of an over zealous, office based, pen pushing, chart reading, white collar wearing, clean finger nailed, wet behind the ears, self important, d/head.

Nice bloke though.

Ha ha. Nicely done Tom. :thumb:

 

[Robbo]

H&S became an easy target because much like the PC cause, it lost its foundations somewhere along the way along with a fair degree of commonsense ... that baby is more than likely gonna be thrown out with the bath water on this one but the H&S people really only have themselves to blame .. they just went completely over the top when all that was needed was a commonsense practical approach ...

 

[MattC]

Commonsense approaches don't work in heavy construction and building sites.... People are stupid.

I'l state my case now. I used to work for the HSE.

The majority of things done or said in the name of Health and Safety have nothing to do with H&S at all.

A Bin man saying he can't take something in the name of Health and Safety is nonsense. The HSE certainly wouldn't tell him what he can and can't take.

My point is i guess. So many things are done or not done in the name of H&S that blatantly are nothing to do with Health and Safety as we know it.

If you have a stupid rule at work, blame your employer. Not the HSE.

 

[Missy-Q]

Ever had a fork-lift block your car into a parking spot, and have 8 guys tell you that they aren't certified to move it out of your way, as the guy that took the fork-lift course is on his lunch?

....me neither, but if it DID happen, I would be totally pissed!!

 

[Robbo]

Commonsense approaches don't work in heavy construction and building sites.... People are stupid.

I'l state my case now. I used to work for the HSE.

The majority of things done or said in the name of Health and Safety have nothing to do with H&S at all.

A Bin man saying he can't take something in the name of Health and Safety is nonsense. The HSE certainly wouldn't tell him what he can and can't take.

My point is i guess. So many things are done or not done in the name of H&S that blatantly are nothing to do with Health and Safety as we know it.

If you have a stupid rule at work, blame your employer. Not the HSE.

As far as I understand things, the industry are heavily hindered by rules and mandates imposed by the HSE and therefore I cannot even contemplate blaming the very people who are directly and negagtively affected by rules and protocols that do not follow commonsense thinking.

The industry do not lobby the HSE for changes, the HSE implement these rules themselves and so from my point of view, there's only one body to blame ...