strict sites

[Engineer54]

So exactly what HSE regulation was ignored?Please be be specific, direct, and succinct.

I doubt very much if even a HSE officer would be able to be so specific without looking it all up in their very thick bible!! lol!! But would obviously revolve around the sites gas storage facilities for full and empty gas bottles and the lack of suitable restrained gas bottle racking system(s) being in place. That and i guess the procedure of use, within any gas bottle storage areas.....

 

[Guest111]

In the past I've worked on some really hazardous sites,including one which had a chemical liquid which was colourless and odourless but skin contact caused death within a couple of hours.I remember one site and I was working in a room on my own and the H&S bod objected to my radio,I walked around the site and found the following,1)oxy acetylene welding cylinders lying on their side while being used,2)joiners machining mdf in a room full of other contractors with no dust extraction,3) a large hole unguarded.Funny how these things were acceptible to the H&S bod but my radio wasn't.Another time I was on a course for using cherry pickers,the one we were training on had oil leaks and 2 damaged tyres,when I pointed this out to the instructor his reply was "for the purposes of this excercise we'll pretend it's all ok".I refused to go up in the offending machine,but guess what I still got my ticket.

 

[Knobhead]

wearing ppe that's required to safeguard against hazards is common sense. blindly following some muppet's rules is not. e.g. wearing a hard hat when working in an office with nothing hazardous above:

The OP was complaining about a specific site. A place I very much doubt he has any idea of the dangers that face him.

 

[Besoeker]

I doubt very much if even a HSE officer would be able to be so specific without looking it all up in their very thick bible!! lol!! But would obviously revolve around the sites gas storage facilities for full and empty gas bottles and the lack of suitable restrained gas bottle racking system(s) being in place. That and i guess the procedure of use, within any gas bottle storage areas.....

The regulations are far less cast in stone than many people think.

 

[shanky887614]

In the past I've worked on some really hazardous sites,including one which had a chemical liquid which was colourless and odourless but skin contact caused death within a couple of hours.I remember one site and I was working in a room on my own and the H&S bod objected to my radio,I walked around the site and found the following,1)oxy acetylene welding cylinders lying on their side while being used,2)joiners machining mdf in a room full of other contractors with no dust extraction,3) a large hole unguarded.Funny how these things were acceptible to the H&S bod but my radio wasn't.Another time I was on a course for using cherry pickers,the one we were training on had oil leaks and 2 damaged tyres,when I pointed this out to the instructor his reply was "for the purposes of this excercise we'll pretend it's all ok".I refused to go up in the offending machine,but guess what I still got my ticket.

true but at the same time they probably object to radios because some people have them too loud and cant see warnings

or he just doesnt like your taste in music, ive been on a couple sites where everyone sets there radios up all over on the same station.


no matter where you go on thoes sites you never miss a beat

 

[trev]

true but at the same time they probably object to radios because some people have them too loud and cant see warnings

or he just doesnt like your taste in music, ive been on a couple sites where everyone sets there radios up all over on the same station.


no matter where you go on thoes sites you never miss a beat

They're usually the most annoying stations imaginable too, you know the ones where the "music" sounds like a bin full of scrap metal being thrown down multiple flights of stairs.
There's a general rule I've discovered over the years. The ones with the noisiest tools listen to the most irritating stations.

 

[shanky887614]

They're usually the most annoying stations imaginable too, you know the ones where the "music" sounds like a bin full of scrap metal being thrown down multiple flights of stairs.
There's a general rule I've discovered over the years. The ones with the noisiest tools listen to the most irritating stations.

planet rock was the usual.

i prefer ear phones so i can listen to wtf i like.

thats the beauty of doing bms, head in a panel all day listening to music/radio and no one bothering you

 

[trev]

Planet rock is the station of choice for me but you'd be surprised at the amount who object to it. I too prefer the ear phones but they're usually banned on the bigger sites.
Being SE has it's advantages as well as it's disadvantages. For example, if you're working in someone's premises then their ears and everyone else's need to be considered, a lot of the time this means even Planet Rock is out of the question

 

[shanky887614]

Planet rock is the station of choice for me but you'd be surprised at the amount who object to it. I too prefer the ear phones but they're usually banned on the bigger sites.
Being SE has it's advantages as well as it's disadvantages. For example, if you're working in someone's premises then their ears and everyone else's need to be considered, a lot of the time this means even Planet Rock is out of the question

thats why i like the sites we work on.

if a worker complains everyone cranks the volume up on planet rock and some start singing along to really wind them up

 

[Dcf]

I seem to get the jobs where the painters have a different station on in every room.
it really gets on my ---- at times.
usually talk radio played at messenger hifi sound system levels.....
funny how the power can go down in that area

 

[telectrix]

what frequency's this planet rock? can't get real XS except in the van within 30 miles of manc. worst station imaginable is radio 1.

 

[shanky887614]

what frequency's this planet rock? can't get real XS except in the van within 30 miles of manc. worst station imaginable is radio 1.

105.2 i think

 

[telectrix]

i'll give that a try. real xs is 106.1. low power though. it struggles to get out of manc. a bit like archy.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Well when I started out on sites for Cowlin's (now Balfour's) didn't need any cards. Now need a card for every bleeding' thing!
One site I worked on had the 'glasses on at all times, no stepladders only podiums' type rules, but as has been stated, it's 'elf and safety' when it suits. The nearer the end of the job, the more a blind eye gets turned. When decor starts to get damaged, suddenly steps are permissible.

I've been threatened to be thrown off site for not wearing a hi-viz vest when working in a 2'x2' cupboard terminating a distribution board. My answer was 'it's not an effing uniform!' (wasn't accepted!).

I tend to play them at their own game and report everything that I see or experience as dangerous under their 'near-miss' policy (they hate this as it messes with their statistics but they have to do it as it's their policy'. I will give an example.

A student accommodation build of 5 blocks. No steps, glasses and gloves at all times, etc.. you know the score...

We had a pallet of light fittings stored outside block 3, no problem. Scaffolders stripping planks and tubes on 4th floor and stacking boards on end against the toe board directly above the entrance to the building.

I walk out of the block and suddenly two soaking wet full scaffolding planks push the unsecured toe boards out and slip out of the gap and come crashing down into the crates of light fittings right beside where I am standing. If I was two feet nearer, or 30 seconds later leaving the building, they could have crashed into me, and believe me, from 4 floors up, no hard hat would have saved me.

I reported it and the scaffolder's but holes were hauled over the coals, with reports sent to my company's management and higher up Balfour's too. I was sick and tired of BS Health and Safety, so when this happened, I took it all the way and made sure they took REAL H&S seriously. After that, secure access was provided to each block from falling objects.

One of my biggest hates on sites is where people performing tasks such as grinding, cutting, drilling, firing Hilti guns etc.. are forced to wear PPE, but no thought is given to the poor guys working a few feet away who are subjected to the same noise, dust, fright (of undisclosed 'gun' fire).

Once again, up stairs into the office and make a formal complaint.

You have to play the Health and Safety card to the nth degree with these guys. They think that a hard hat and high viz vest is where it starts and ends, but what about REAL Health and Safety? what about MY EARS, MY NERVES, MY LUNGS etc..? It's no good the guy doing the work being protected if the chap two feet away is suffering.

These jobsworths need to be educated in what REAL H&S means and that includes the impact on what other people's actions have on others, not just on the one's doing the tasks.

 

[Guest111]

Well when I started out on sites for Cowlin's (now Balfour's) didn't need any cards. Now need a card for every bleeding' thing!

Things have tightened up everywhere to a ridiculous point. one site I worked on had the 'glasses on at all times, no stepladders only podiums' type rules, but as had been stated, it's 'elf and safety' when it suits. The nearer the end of the job, the more a blind eye gets turned. When decor starts to get damaged, suddenly steps are permissible.

I've been threatened to be thrown off site for not wearing a hi-viz vest when working in a 2'x2' cupboard terminating a distribution board. My answer was 'it's not an effing uniform!' (wasn't accepted!).

I tend to play them at their own game and report everything that I see or experience as dangerous under their 'near-miss' policy (they hate this as it messes with their statistics but they have to do it as it's their policy'. I will give an example.

A student accommodation build of 5 blocks. No steps, glasses and gloves at all times, etc.. you know the score...

We had a pallet of light fittings stored outside block 3, no problem. Scaffolders stripping planks and tubes on 4th floor and stacking boards on end against the toe board directly above the entrance to the building.

I walk out of the block and suddenly two soaking wet full scaffolding planks push the unsecured toe boards out and slip out of the gap and come crashing down into the crates of light fittings right beside where I am standing. If I was two feet nearer, or 30 seconds later leaving the building, they could have crashed into me, and believe me, from 4 floors up, no hard hat would have saved me.

I reported it and the scaffolder's but holes were hauled over the coals, with reports sent to my company's management and higher up Balfour's too. I was sick and tired of BS Health and Safety, so when this happened, I took it all the way and made sure they took REAL H&S seriously. After that, secure access was provided to each block from falling objects.

One of my biggest hates on sites is where people performing tasks such as grinding, cutting, drilling, firing Hilti guns etc.. are forced to wear PPE, but no thought is given to the poor guts working a few feet away who are subjected to the same noise, dust, fright (of undisclosed 'gun' fire).

Once again, up stairs into the office and make a formal complaint.

You have to play the Health and Safety card to the nth degree with these guys. They think that a hard hat and high viz vest is where it starts and ends, but what about REAL Health and Safety? what about MY EARS, MY NERVES, MY LUNGS etc..? It's no good the guy doing the work being protected if the chap two feet away is suffering.

These jobsworths need to be educated in what REAL H&S means and that includes the impact on what other people's actions have on others, not just on the one's doing the tasks.

Exactly,we had a guy come to the farm recently to discuss the AD plant we're having made,he got out of his car and put his hiviz and hard hat on, we have a farm not a building site I had my viz on but no hard hat,he looked shocked when I told him he didn't need his on either.I looked up at the clear sky above us and said "if that falls I doubt the hat will do you much good",he just nodded and agreed,common sense.

 

[rapparee]

Well when I started out on sites for Cowlin's (now Balfour's) didn't need any cards. Now need a card for every bleeding' thing!
One site I worked on had the 'glasses on at all times, no stepladders only podiums' type rules, but as has been stated, it's 'elf and safety' when it suits. The nearer the end of the job, the more a blind eye gets turned. When decor starts to get damaged, suddenly steps are permissible.

I've been threatened to be thrown off site for not wearing a hi-viz vest when working in a 2'x2' cupboard terminating a distribution board. My answer was 'it's not an effing uniform!' (wasn't accepted!).

I tend to play them at their own game and report everything that I see or experience as dangerous under their 'near-miss' policy (they hate this as it messes with their statistics but they have to do it as it's their policy'. I will give an example.

A student accommodation build of 5 blocks. No steps, glasses and gloves at all times, etc.. you know the score...

We had a pallet of light fittings stored outside block 3, no problem. Scaffolders stripping planks and tubes on 4th floor and stacking boards on end against the toe board directly above the entrance to the building.

I walk out of the block and suddenly two soaking wet full scaffolding planks push the unsecured toe boards out and slip out of the gap and come crashing down into the crates of light fittings right beside where I am standing. If I was two feet nearer, or 30 seconds later leaving the building, they could have crashed into me, and believe me, from 4 floors up, no hard hat would have saved me.

I reported it and the scaffolder's but holes were hauled over the coals, with reports sent to my company's management and higher up Balfour's too. I was sick and tired of BS Health and Safety, so when this happened, I took it all the way and made sure they took REAL H&S seriously. After that, secure access was provided to each block from falling objects.

One of my biggest hates on sites is where people performing tasks such as grinding, cutting, drilling, firing Hilti guns etc.. are forced to wear PPE, but no thought is given to the poor guys working a few feet away who are subjected to the same noise, dust, fright (of undisclosed 'gun' fire).

Once again, up stairs into the office and make a formal complaint.

You have to play the Health and Safety card to the nth degree with these guys. They think that a hard hat and high viz vest is where it starts and ends, but what about REAL Health and Safety? what about MY EARS, MY NERVES, MY LUNGS etc..? It's no good the guy doing the work being protected if the chap two feet away is suffering.

These jobsworths need to be educated in what REAL H&S means and that includes the impact on what other people's actions have on others, not just on the one's doing the tasks.

If i was to report a fellow worker i would earn a reptutation as a tout, which is a great disgrace to have hanging over you

 

[trev]

Subbing for the council on a rewire project, boots, hi viz mandatory. Nothing else. H&S man used to come round a couple of times a week, he was actually as really good bloke, I asked him why we were required to wear the hi viz but no one seemed to care about the potential hearing damage from chasing or respiratory problems through the dust kicked up.
He shrugged his shoulders and told me that he didn't make the rules.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

I work for the council now, on street lighting where we use cherry pickers on vans. Now we regularly get picked up on not wearing hard hats (go figure????) but no-one ever checks on the fact that not one of us ever wears an effing harness!

Now I ask you, which one of the above mentioned is more important? But which one is more visible to the passing H&S wonder boy jobs worth?

These guys need to go on a PROPER H&S course, and pursue the desired result of a properly employed H&S policy, not just ensuring that people are wearing a uniform of hat, jacket, gloves and glasses whilst ignoring the REAL risks.

 

[rapparee]

I work for the council now, on street lighting where we use cherry pickers on vans. Now we regularly get picked up on not wearing hard hats (go figure????) but no-one ever checks on the fact that not one of us ever wears an effing harness!

Now I ask you, which one of the above mentioned is more important? But which one is more visible to the passing H&S wonder boy jobs worth?

These guys need to go on a PROPER H&S course, and pursue the desired result of a properly employed H&S policy, not just ensuring that people are wearing a uniform of hat, jacket, gloves and glasses whilst ignoring the REAL risks.

If there is nobody working above you, why do you need a hard hat? Is a big bird going to fly into you

 

[VoltzElectrical]

If i was to report a fellow worker i would earn a reptutation as a tout, which is a great disgrace to have hanging over you

I put it to you, bloke, if you had been beasted for month after month over BS double standards about glasses and podiums, then nearly been beheaded over substandard scaffolding practices and organisational oversights by main contractors, then keeping people who you've had never seen or spoken to, and who had already had one major incident on the same project, on 'your' side, slips quite quickly down the list of priorities.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!