Forum menu
Tolerating that sort of thing happening in a workplace and effectively relying solely on the next operator undertaking pre-start checks to identify the dangerous condition, is asking for trouble.
That is exactly what I am saying. There should be a procedure both for parking up AND starting. Either there was no start procedure (bad from the company) or he did not follow it (bad from him). The manager was definitely at fault, but PP may also have been.
If anyone cares about the outcome of my original post - the driver has been traced and is being called in for a one to one.
The thought of working in a place that tells me how to walk down stairs and likely getting pulled up by some jumped up little shat in a tie or heels because I wasn't holding on to a rail makes my blood boil.
The thought of going on a forum to tell people I reported someone driving on the phone doesn't make my blood boil, but makes me feel empathy and a little despair towards the OP.
The thought of reporting someone using a phone whilst driving for work is perfectly normal to me and I've done it. Didn't feel the need to get justification from strangers though.
This whole thread makes me feel awkward.
*Jazz hands*
Jeez what a thread.
Not only did PP not check it was in neutral, he didn't start the engine clutch down (or even with his foot over the clutch and brake) and didn't check the handbrake was on. I bet he didn't check the mirrors were adjusted to suit either. More his fault than the manager's IMO.
Why wouldn't you leave a vehicle in gear? Cars with disc rear brakes are well known to roll away when the discs/pads cool down, shrink and reduce braking force to the point a car can roll away. It's a good habit to leave a car in gear so the day you park on a slope it doesn't roll away.
I was taught to always start the engine with the clutch depressed
as easier for the starter motor without the oil drag from the gearbox
and to avoid a jump forward if left in gear
Glasgowdan,
In addition to learning how to walk down the stairs, we also get trained on how to move empty boxes before we are even allowed to think about full boxes....
We have a quota of write up we are required to do each month. Sometimes we have to do "unsafe" practices just to have something to write up.
SO these site rules about handbrake on , reverse in , gearbox in neutral etc
What if you happen to drive a Saab? Where to remove the ignition key the car has to be in reverse?
Leave the car in neutral with the key in the ignition? I dont think so, we got told off by the H + S man for leaving a FLT unattended with a key in it.
With molgrips on this one - never assume that someone has followed the procedure. We had tractors on the farm that you couldn't start unless they were in neutral so I've kind of got used to making sure things are in neutral before I go for the ignition.
As for leaving a vehicle in gear - I'll do this if leaving the car at an airport car park for an extended period rather than put the handbrake on as it's quite common for the handbrake to seize on. The last time this happened the battery had gone flat as well so it took a bit of shifting 🙄
There's places in the States where on steep streets you have to leave the car with the handbrake on AND in gear (reverse if pointing downhill, first if pointing uphill) AND with the front wheels set so that if the car does move it will swing in towards the pavement rather than into the street. This being the land of the free, failure to do so will result in ten years in the penitentary 😆
That is exactly what I am saying. There should be a procedure both for parking up AND starting. Either there was no start procedure (bad from the company) or he did not follow it (bad from him). The manager was definitely at fault, but PP may also have been
Yes, but the fact that the manager's van was routinely parked improperly in a dangerous condition is more important when looking at the big picture (and was the underlying cause of the accident). From a safety management perspective, it is difficult/impractical to ensure that all drivers check a vehicle is in neutral and the handbrake on before switching on the ignition, but it is much simpler to check/monitor/police whether the vehicle has been left in a safe condition when it was parked, so the safety system should focus more on the latter because it can more readily be enforced and ensured.
Put it this way, how often do you pick up a hire car that has not been reversed parked and does not have the handbrake on and gear in neutral?
I had to visit a lot of oil companies years back. They all had the reverse parking rule long before anyone else, not just to protect pedestrians but because it speeded site evacuation when the sirens started howling. I can't remember any of the site rules sheets stipulating leaving a car in neutral.
SO these site rules about handbrake on , reverse in , gearbox in neutral etc
What if you happen to drive a Saab? Where to remove the ignition key the car has to be in reverse?
Must be an old Saab then. The 57 plate 9-3 I had was happy with being left in neutral when switching off
Yes, but the fact that the manager's van was routinely parked improperly in a dangerous condition is more important when looking at the big picture
Quite possibly more important yes.
PS reporting def works [img] 
[/img]
Thanks for the update Mister P and a good result, so far at least.
I scrolled past the pages of noise without reading to see if you had updated with news.
I'd like to see automatic 6 month bans with no mitigating circumstances allowed for people who use phones in vehicles. On the first occasion they're caught as well.
Not exactly the thread you thought this was going to be, eh, P-Ness...
🙂
P.S. I was going to troll you and claim I was the driver you grassed but thought better of it when considering how many times folk get accused of using the Edinburgh Defence when, in reality, they were genuinely having a laugh.
Maybe next time...