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Employees traveling to my site have been told not to use the company car sitting in their drive, as the commute is the most dangerous part of a working day.
Instead they have been told to get a lift to a train station, catch a train, then arrange for somebody onsite (who doesn't have a company car) to pick them up in their own vehicle!
I work on power stations, usually at least 10 miles from any public transept and the powers to be are happy for them to get into a car with a driver they have no control over. Argggg GB
Rant over sorry.
How about you say.... no.
We've had to complete a training program telling you what height you're meant to have your chair at... It also informs you that when using a computer monitor it is a good idea to blink.
This country employs people to think up 5hit like that. 👿
Why don't we become a country that invents and creates things like we used to instead of becoming a country full of companies that don't actually make things, just paper work and daft H/S stuff! 😥
Let's stop the manufacturing of ladders, knives and forks,cookers and just about everything else because potentially they are all dangerous to our health IF USED WRONG!
Thanks for the rant, I've now finished my pointless paper work and I'm now ready to go to work to make something useful. 😉
[i]the commute is the most dangerous part of a working day[/i]
*feels smug about beign a home worker*
I did trip over the cat earlier though 🙁
Had you not done a risk assessment on the cat?
That's not H&S.
That's probably some middle manager trying to save money from the company fuel bill and using H&S as an excuse.
the commute is the most dangerous part of a working day.
Your commute is not part of the working day in any case. Your commute is you travelling from home (or digs) to work.
H&S gets a bad rep from the likes of the Daily Fail, but it is mostly people banning things on the grounds of insurance costs or just because it might be a little bit difficult to do, and then blaming H&S.
Your commute is not part of the working day in any case. Your commute is you travelling from home (or digs) to work.
If you're travelling to a site which is not your normal site, it is a part of your working day, and you can charge for it (in our place anyway)
EDIT: sorry i misread the OP, i thought it was for people travelling to a site that is not their 'home' site. That is madness, total madness.
Has the person at the other end got business insurance? If not they may not be covered for collecting someone whilst "on duty"...
Couple of decades ago I went on a half day inhouse fire safety course as a British Rail employee. I was taught about everything to do with finding and dealing with fires, the law, the kit in the building, evacuations, etc.
At the end of the training the instructor said, "Unfortunately you're not insured to fight fires in this building, so hit the alarm, close doors between you and the fire, contact someone on one of the phones to pass the message on when you reach safety, then GTFO to your rally point!"
Seemed a waste of half a day to me really. Could have been done in 20mins.
That's probably some middle manager trying to save money from the company fuel bill and using H&S as an excuse.
Given the increased cost of mileage on the pickup and the public transport costs, probably not much saving.
H&S is there for the number of f'wits out there
That's alright, we had a 15 minute meeting for about 800 people telling us that we should floss out teath. WTF! Unless my teath are so bad I'm eithe rtaking sick for them or it's making the person next to me turn their nose away that was the most monumental waste of time ever!
Was there any advice about running in cowboy boots?
I'm self employed, with my own van and amazingly got to site (170 miles each way) safe and sound this morning.
a friend of mine works at a hospital, he's a services engineer/maintenance manager, he cannot let anyone use a ladder on his site until they have completed a 'ladder training' course.
If you're travelling to a site which is not your normal site, it is a part of your working day, and you can charge for it (in our place anyway)
You're correct. But that is business travel not your commute.
Has the person at the other end got business insurance? If not they may not be covered for collecting someone whilst "on duty"...
Good point. If they've only got insurance for "social, domestic and pleasure" they probably wouldn't be covered.
H&S is there for the number of f'wits out there
Unfortunately there are too many f'wits out there, both those giving advice and those not following it.
well, trains aren't exactly the safest mode of transport! and what about the journey to and from the station. I suspect Mr Rugbydick is correct on this one and someone is trying to make savings though trains aren't exactly the cheapest mode of transport!
Safety first 😀
Damn right commutes are dangerous though, in the last year:
Crippled myself crashing on some ice.
And again, tearing my leg open. Spent a fun 30mins in the shower at work cleaning that one out, still got the scars/bottles of tcp in the desk drawer.
Stung in the eye by a bee (didn't even get to work cos of that one, spent the day sitting in the dark listening to podcasts as I couldn't see out the eye till 3pm)
Crashed on a mass of oil on the road, looked like a stranded seagul and had to take a pan scourer and fairy into the shower, bad times.
I realised it had all gone to far when I found an A4 sheet with "instructions for use" in a pack of safety gloves which included the immortal words "try on to make sure they fit". It makes you weep.
H&S gets a bad rep from the likes of the Daily Fail, but it is mostly people banning things on the grounds of insurance costs or just because it might be a little bit difficult to do, and then blaming H&S.
Lots of myths about H&S, when in fact H&S has done great thing for you in your work place. Fancy working with machine and no guards, and so risking your finger/arm/life everytime the machine runs? You still would be without H&S, so think yourselves lucky
I realised it had all gone to far when I found an A4 sheet with "instructions for use" in a pack of safety gloves which included the immortal words "try on to make sure they fit". It makes you weep.
This isn't H&S though is it, it's idiot suing companies when they've been stupid. So instructions have to be made idiot proof for insurance purposes, not H&S purposes.
I had a 3hr course once which covered such gems as how to walk up and down stairs (you must never take steps two at a time, you must have a hand on the handrail - if you're carrying things in both hands you have to use the lift) and also how to wash our hands.
Spectacularly unproductive 3hrs that...
trains aren't exactly the safest mode of transport
Per passenger mile, the safest mode of transport is flight. Maybe you should ask the company to supply you with a helicopter, if their decision really is on H&S grounds.
Trains are safer per passenger mile than cars though/
Our H&S monkeys had everyone come in for a 2 hr keyboard usage course
I had a 580 miles round trip drive to get there, lots of others had 2-300 mile trips
Visited Scottish and Southern Electric recently.
The car park is full of signs to 'reverse park only' because its safer. Especially in vans with limited rear view and no parking sensors?
The corridors are full of signs to 'hold the handrail' on stairs (I still tripped on the stairs because I was reading the sign).
This was a site visit for future construction works, we all had to wear full PPE (hard hat, boots, gloves, glasses) to inspect a LIVE CALL CENTRE! Got some funny looks from the kids on phones!
And best of all, out in the car park, their maintenance man was trimming a high hedge BALANCED ON TWO TRAFFIC CONES! Really made my day, that, after I'd pointed out the risks to his health if he continued.
I'm all for H&S but a bit of common sense training would often be more useful.
Was there any advice about running in cowboy boots?
I'm listening......
DrP
I had to do a health and safety course so that I could ride 25m down an access road to the bike racks at work. The instructer made no.bones about the fact that she didn't care about our safety but that this was all so the companys back was covered in case of an accident.
using the handrails on stairs is compulsory for all employees in our building. Failure to do so may lead to disciplinary action. We've all had to sign to this as part of our H&S training pack.
I work in a single storey building.
My favourite is "Warning: This product may contain traces of nuts"
(On a packet of salted peanuts).
Our H&S monkeys had everyone come in for a 2 hr keyboard usage courseI had a 580 miles round trip drive to get there, lots of others had 2-300 mile trips
I think that would have resulted in an experiment to see if its possible to beat someone to death with their own keyboard, or whether it would break into unusable pieces before they drew their last
What conan said.
Also, if comuting has become part of the working day then there will be a substantial overtime claim going in any time now.
My favourite is "Warning: This product may contain traces of nuts"(On a packet of salted peanuts).
That, I believe, is because peanuts aren't actually nuts. I think they may be legumes, or something like that. ( I watch too much QI, apparently)
Training on how to use a ladder has some sense to it having seen people balancing double extension ladders on unstable ground resting on small tree branches.
My favourite one was years ago in a warehouse where I was sent on a 2 hour course on how to use a sweeping brush. Pull it towards you, don't push it away, then we had to do a test!
Did you pass?
sounds about right.......and then blaming H&S.
Why?Pull it towards you, don't push it away
Some supposedly clever person who works at our place was doing some DIY ladder was a couple feet too short so put it on top of a table. H&S is there at work for idiots like that.
Having said that our H&S guy is rather accident prone.
It's actually a big problem. There is a big risk of cancer and asthma from kicked up dust particles. It makes good headlines: [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2433513/Ridiculous-health-and-safety-rules-tell-carpenters-to-ban-the-broom.html ]safety-rules-tell-carpenters-to-ban-the-broom[/url] but there is usually some basis in fact. As above there's usually cost cutting or insurance liability behind 'crazy' H&S rules.My favourite one was years ago in a warehouse where I was sent on a 2 hour course on how to use a sweeping brush.
Before we moved into a new building once I was told I could visit the almost completed area my teams would take over but I needed H&S training. For 2 hours. The only work being undertaken was carpet tiles in the back of the building, the rest was complete. Bearing in mind I could move in 2 days later it seemed a bit stupid so I told the nice chap from the building company I couldn't be bothered.
Which may have been the point.
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3503/3762943550_a248c9769f_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/3762943550/ ]All these years I've been using them wrong...[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/cycleologist/ ]Ben Cooper[/url], on Flickr
My two recent favourites.
A mate works at a large food factory..
There is a smell of gas.
Factory evacuated. They ring the nice man form the gas board and ask he attend, most urgently.
Gas man arrives - only to be turned away because he'd not had the safety training required of anyone visiting site....
Another mate fell off ladders, breaking his arm in the process.
Much training in the correct use of ladders follows for all staff involved with use of ladders. Mate attends.
Mate does some DIY.
Leans ladders against wall. Being a tidy worker he rests ladders on a dust sheet..... on a polished wood floor. Breaks other arm.....
MM awesome 🙂
still can't see the reason for pull rather than push technologyThere is a big risk of cancer and asthma from kicked up dust particles
marsdenman - you're mate better hope Darwin was wrong. Otherwise, I suspect his days are numbered 😉
Fair enough, that's why there is training 🙂still can't see the reason
Pushing, the bristles are angled up and you tend to flick it at the end, pulling, the bristles are angled down and there is no flick. It's probably less strain on your back too. All very dull but most work injuries and illnesses are from dull things like not sitting properly or tripping on the stairs, not from getting squashed by a 100T press.
When i worked in the NHS, we had to go on a visually sighted awareness course, wearing diffeent glasses and finally blindfolds, one of the ladies escorting another lady, forgot to tell the blindfolded one about a set of stairs going down, they both fell down them.
Result the course was cancelled.
The offshore industry has successfully managed to offset the dangers posed by not maintaining facilities and safety equipment by making everyone put a lid on their coffee cup.
I was asking cause I was interested* and assumed there would be a proper answer. Sounds reasonable, I certainly pull on precision work, would have though push was better for your back tho, but I'm sat slouching in this chair craning my neck to see the improperly positioned screen so what do I know 🙂Fair enough, that's why there is training
*not like really, really interested just you know, wondered. I don't have a broom fetish or anything, not a subscriber to sweepers world or owt, honest