Health and Safety, do you partake or keep your mouth shut?

[Lopéz]

I'm impressed you counted them!

I'm delayed (again) at ZRH, there isn't much else to do!

 

[Malevolence]

Fair enough, if you're working on an oil-rig, on a ship, down a mine, atop a skyscraper or some other such dangerous workplaces I'd expect a good few days of lectures explaining the safety situation and regulations. But I ******* detest what H&S is these days in everyday mundane jobs. I mean, whatever happened to common-sense? I **** you not, when I worked for the local council we had to sit through a two hour H&S lecture on how to safely change the paper in the laser printers and photocopiers. There were many, many other such stupid lectures too. We actually had one about leaving pencils on our desks.

 

[Steampunk]

Have you been trained to use a Stihl-saw?

Yeah, and I read the instructions.

 

[Werewolf]

Fair enough, if you're working on an oil-rig, on a ship, down a mine, atop a skyscraper or some other such dangerous workplaces I'd expect a good few days of lectures explaining the safety situation and regulations. But I ******* detest what H&S is these days in everyday mundane jobs. I mean, whatever happened to common-sense? I **** you not, when I worked for the local council we had to sit through a two hour H&S lecture on how to safely change the paper in the laser printers and photocopiers. There were many, many other such stupid lectures too. We actually had one about leaving pencils on our desks.

Unfortunately common sense isn't all that common* and you have to allow for the idiots who would otherwise try and take shortcuts which put people at risk.

And IIRC toner carts contain powder that can be cancerous, although I suspect half the issue in a lot of cases is the mess you can/could make with some carts.

I'm probably a little too "safety" orientated much of the time, but I've seen some some of the things that can happen with common household tools and model making equipment (hence several drawers in the garage with things like goggles, gloves of various types, respirators and face guards).


*In America until recently (possibly still available) there is stuff like ground glass available to modellers for making ice/snow scenes! (it's cheaper than much safer alternatives).

 

[Sankari]

If you ever feel like keeping your mouth shut in the face of a potential OHS issue, fire up ******** and take a look at some of the workplace accident videos there.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

 

[esoteric]

If you ever feel like keeping your mouth shut in the face of a potential OHS issue, fire up ******** and take a look at some of the workplace accident videos there.

I did just that and there is a vid there of 2 blokes up a tower scaffold cutting a beam, the beam drops but stands vertical then falls against the scaffold knocking it over. Luckily they were harnessed to something above the scaffold.

 

[Vonhelmet]

I used to work with a girl whose husband was a builder, doing big steel framed glass buildings. He used to say that there was no way you could follow all the H&S guidelines and play by the rules and get the job done in time.

He ended up putting his hand into a circular saw and severing the tendons in his palm. Go figure.

 

[Destination]

Do you know the supervisor isn't qualified?
Perhaps the 'peon' who was sent up is qualified? Are you again certain that he wasn't?

I personally had no idea there were qualifications in building scaffolding.
Guess I won't be doing that again.

 

[rG-tom]

How large is the company? If you have 4 dedicated H&S i'd imagine reasonable size so that sounds shocking.

My company has a very clear message that ANYONE can stop anything that they think is unsafe without the fear of being punished for doing so. This is a mandate given by the Managing Director and Group level.

To help with this, HSE reports into a different director too, so there can be no conflict of interest. I work in Oil and Gas and if this wasn't the case we wouldn't get an order from the likes of BP....

 

[Werewolf]

I personally had no idea there were qualifications in building scaffolding.
Guess I won't be doing that again.

I suspect it doesn't matter for DIY jobs (we've got some my dad used to use to paint the walls*), but in a work environment it'll be different if just for insurance reasons.


*He was quite careful and as part of that used to tie it to the wall using heavy duty hook bolt things.

 

[Freefaller]

Regardless of rules we all have the human/moral responsibility to look after one another. You did the right thing. Reporting something even if it isn't obvious won't cost you anything Vs something happening.

I work in a very safety conscious environment (engineering, heavy civils to gas pipelines and everything in between) where if things go wrong people die. So we never take chances and the rules are here to help.

Always feel empowered to speak up. Any manager shutting you down for it needs to be escalated. Whistleblow if you have to.

 

[Steampunk]

I used to work with a girl whose husband was a builder, doing big steel framed glass buildings. He used to say that there was no way you could follow all the H&S guidelines and play by the rules and get the job done in time.

He ended up putting his hand into a circular saw and severing the tendons in his palm. Go figure.

"Sorry your husband/wife/child/parent died on the operating table, there was no way we could follow all the surgical guidelines and get the operation done on time".

"Sorry your husband/wife/child/parent died on the airplaine, there was no way we could follow the CAA guidelines and service the plane on time"

"Sorry your husband/wife/child/parent got crushed by our truck, there was no way we could follow the HGV guidelines and do all the deliveries on time"

What are you going to do - take a little longer, or kill people to make a bit more profit?

 

[Kenai]

I used to work with a girl whose husband was a builder, doing big steel framed glass buildings. He used to say that there was no way you could follow all the H&S guidelines and play by the rules and get the job done in time.

He ended up putting his hand into a circular saw and severing the tendons in his palm. Go figure.

A big problem here is that rather than complain it can't be done, then fail to do it in time, most will complain it can't be done on time, do it on time by ignoring health and safety, then tell management they adhered to all the guidelines. The end result is management that see a job done, apparently properly but by a moaner.

They make a rod for their own back.

 

[SPG]

H&S has gone mad in the UK.

It is used to inflate prices. Ask any one in the building trade.

 

[Vonhelmet]

A big problem here is that rather than complain it can't be done, then fail to do it in time, most will complain it can't be done on time, do it on time by ignoring health and safety, then tell management they adhered to all the guidelines. The end result is management that see a job done, apparently properly but by a moaner.

They make a rod for their own back.

Indeed.

 

[adolf hamster]

H&S has gone mad in the UK.

It is used to inflate prices. Ask any one in the building trade.

better to deflate prices by paying the difference in blood then?

 

[Sankari]

I did just that and there is a vid there of 2 blokes up a tower scaffold cutting a beam, the beam drops but stands vertical then falls against the scaffold knocking it over. Luckily they were harnessed to something above the scaffold.

There's some pretty shocking videos of people being crushed by machines, too.

 

[SPG]

better to deflate prices by paying the difference in blood then?

Yes, because sitting through 8hrs on the downfalls of badly placed pencils on a desk, sharpening of pencils is really worthwhile.

 

[adolf hamster]

Yes, because sitting through 8hrs on the downfalls of badly placed pencils on a desk, sharpening of pencils is really worthwhile.

you specified the building trade, ergo the assumption is you were referring to health and safety in on-site environments, which is definitely a worthwhile place to be considering health and safety.