😯
Thanks to the prick neighbour whos been whingeing since we started on site! No matter what he tries to do to get us stopped will work! Whats wrong with some people??

What did they want to see?

Any comments? Hope you were a little more polite to them. A pissed off inspector is not fun.

If everything was legal, why would a visit from the HSE be a problem ?

ernie_lynch – Member

If everything was legal, why would a visit from the HSE be a problem ?

Because at least one person will have lost a days work to show them round, and discuss whats going on with them, etc etc.

Why wouldn’t that be a problem or affect your productivity?

It’s a small development. Me and three brickies, couple of issues with the scaffold which I’d already actioned to be sorted, but his main gripe was welfare facilities. The sight is that tight there’s no room for anything. He wants to see hot running water, canteen facilities drying room etc. He was firm but fair and I was totally honest, thought it the best policy!

at least one person will have lost a days work to show them round

A whole day 😯 …….. how big is wrightyson’s site ? 😕

And besides, if the site is that big, there’ll be plenty of office wallahs doing bugger all anyway.

Q. Why do site agents never look out of their office windows in the mornings ?

A. ‘Cause they’d nothing to do in the afternoon.

He was firm but fair and I was totally honest, thought it the best policy!

Yep. They are usually pretty sound til they catch a bullshitter. Then they aren’t sound and believe me they have more powers than you might think. Second only to HMCE I believe.

Had them on site before, as long as you’re doing everything right and all procedures are in place nothing to worry about.

I assume there is an earlier thread to this?

Why not visit said neighbour, thank them for their concerns and ask if they would mind a welfare portakabin on their drive?! 🙂

you being done for CDM breaches then?

No earlier thread. I don’t know who it is for certain, but we’re so off the beaten track at the top of a dead end street there’s no way it was just a “call in”! Plus they’ve (hse) already phoned the office a couple of months back whilst we did a small demolition on site because somebody had called them! Anyhow no improvement notice served, just an assurance from me that things will be sorted! Any thoughts on emailing him some photos of the scaff alteration, would that look like I was trying “too” hard to keep him away??

No, not at all. If he thinks your up to speed and taking your responsibilities seriously he won’t be back. Document what you’ve done and let him know. If you arent sure of what he meant then ask. Like i said, so long as you are cool with them they are fine. The HSE are always hot on construction cos that’s where a lot if the fatal stuff happens so it’s unlikely to be solely the result of a complaint. There’s not enough of them for that.

Agree with yossarian, be compliant and get them ‘on side’. Build a good relationship with them and you may get some good *free* advice (many businesses pay consultants for H&S advice).

As for the welfare facilities tell him it is not reasonably practicable 😉

Whatever you do don’t argue with them. Back when I did this for a living a client did and got a £50k fine for his trouble and his scaffolder had his livelihood taken away only able to work supervised from that day on.

He was having none of the reasonably practicable bollox, it was welfare or notice. As for h and s advisors we normally use them on our projects, but as this is such a small development we haven’t bothered, however we still went down the correct route of having a cdm coordinator.
Oh and make no mistake yoss, he’s coming back sometime next week to have a butchers!!

I don’t know who it is for certain, but we’re so off the beaten track at the top of a dead end street there’s no way it was just a “call in”!

Surely you’ve told the LA you’re building something ?

I doubt whether the HSE rely on driving round the streets looking for sites.

there’s no way it was just a “call in”!
Ach, you’d be suprised.

When we did the Carron Valley Bike Fest, food standards turned out to inspect the caterering firm (hog roast) and the police turned up to inspect the booze licence of the local brewery. Am sure that they were both just passing…

I doubt whether the HSE rely on driving round the streets looking for sites.

One of my friends is a safety officer for WorkSafeBC (the equivalent of HSE in BC, Canada) and she’s forever doing exactly this!

In fact, sometimes it’s very embarassing when I’m socializing with her and we drive past a random building site and she gets out of the car and bollocks the builders for not wearing harnesses etc. But having heard her horror stories of workers being crushed to death or sheer incompetence (accidentally demolising a wall the wrong way so it fell into the unprotected street rather than into the building site!), I can understand why she does it…

Oh and make no mistake yoss, he’s coming back sometime next week to have a butchers!!

🙂 fair enough

I doubt whether the HSE rely on driving round the streets looking for sites.

I dont thing there’s enough inspectors to do it tbh. From memory I think theres 50 inspectors covering the south east. How many businesses?

My point exactly, you could not see this site from anywhere other than the top of the dead end road which is a at least 200m long! Yes the f10 was filled in etc, so hse etc were all notified when we started. Maybe we just popped up on the system but as I said before somebody had phoned in whilst we demolished the existing buildings.
Anyhow best get to work and get the big man shed/canteen built!!

Anyhow best get to work and get the big man shed/canteen built!!

…with four of you on site, at least it will only have to be shed-sized. Or just a shed….

the welfare bit is admirable but I have been in offices without a canteen,drying room and no hot water

Like my office, Mikeypies.

Drying room?

In the course of my career I’ve bumped into HMRI a couple of times. First time they were tearing strips off senior BR management for not knowing what was going on after an accident and second time they were inspecting a foot xing where I was working and popped in to see what I was doing.

I very nearly finished my railway career when working in a control office when a Major Poyntz (“thats P-O-Y-N-T-Z young man”) from HMRI rang in to enquire about a reportable injury and I muted the phone, laughed at my colleague saying I’ve got a Major Points on the phone claiming to be from HMRI only to see the blood drain out of his face….”ohh no he’s real!”

Close call.

http://www.garic.co.uk/5-7-man-transit-mess-toilet.php

HTH

out in california they just tow a box trailer with a porta potty on a plinth on the back ….

for a 5 man crew

doubles up at company mans office

sounds like the sorta thing you need 😉

I thought proper builders just climbed in the back of the van with a bucket, closed the door and sat down to read the Sun for a little while…

We usually hire stuff as/when we need them. We used to have stuff like the van and units that can be towed on fleet, but they cost alot and never got used.

we have used on of these a few times and also the bigger units –

http://www.hewden.co.uk/catalogue/accommodation/eco_welfare_units/easycabin_eco12_welfare_unit.asp

Should fit on a small site