Safety! Am I really that old???

[PEG]

Aye,you have to move with the times...which is why i have ceased to send my youngest lad,up the chimneys anymore...preferring to employ an adult goose,instead :hair:

 

[Spoon]

Aye,you have to move with the times...which is why i have ceased to send my youngest lad,up the chimneys anymore...preferring to employ an adult goose,instead :hair:

True mate, we do have to move with the times but things don't always improve.
At what age goes a goose become an adult....

 

[Paul.M]

Only read the first post (atm) but you have a really good point!

A few weeks ago I cut my finger down to the bone with a hacksaw! The 18 year old apprentice said "I'll get the first aid kit from your van". I just laughed and got blue tape from my toolbox. Well..... you have to use blue, the flow of blood has now been neutralized :rofl:

ok...fine...the first aid kit would have been better (I'm a first Aider and should know better lol) but it was a simple and clean cut, bit of tape and carry on regardless. The look on his face was priceless!! Just tape it up and get on with the job ffs.

 

[YoungBart]

I think something's are common sense, I would never go on site without steel toe capped boots, I see some lads wandering around in trainers and dread to think what would happen if they dropped something or stood on a nail etc. I would never drill (above my head at least) or angle grind etc without goggles.
But I don't see why I should wear gloves for connecting a socket up, The worst H&S Thing for me is the stupid podium step/scaffold rule, There is nothing wrong or unsafe about a correctly used pair of steps, And those who do use them incorrectly are just as likely to use a mobile scaffold incorrectly, At least falling from stepladders gives you a chance of trying to make a safe landing, Falling in a tower scaffold is like being in a cage.
I also feel sorry somewhat for some site managers, Having last year completed my SMST course some of the pressure they are under is ridiculous, Having to ensure everyone on site stays safe, Deal with complaints, keep the client happy and complete all the relevant paper work. It must be a nightmare.

 

[YoungScud]

This has reminded me of those conversation you have with your grandparents. You know, "Three hundred of us in a room and kitchen, rusty nails for breakfast, porridge skin shoes on our feet, but we were happy." Absolute tosh. The fact that you might have survived so far means nothing other than sheer luck. Too many good people haven't, and it wasn't always their fault. Yes, there are people like the OP still around. We call them dinosaurs.

 

[Pete999]

This has reminded me of those conversation you have with your grandparents. You know, "Three hundred of us in a room and kitchen, rusty nails for breakfast, porridge skin shoes on our feet, but we were happy." Absolute tosh. The fact that you might have survived so far means nothing other than sheer luck. Too many good people haven't, and it wasn't always their fault. Yes, there are people like the OP still around. We call them dinosaurs.

If I had my way I would horse whip you cheeky young whipersnapper lol

 

[malcolmsanford]

This has reminded me of those conversation you have with your grandparents. You know, "Three hundred of us in a room and kitchen, rusty nails for breakfast, porridge skin shoes on our feet, but we were happy." Absolute tosh. The fact that you might have survived so far means nothing other than sheer luck. Too many good people haven't, and it wasn't always their fault. Yes, there are people like the OP still around. We call them dinosaurs.

You know what son you must be a bundle of giggles having a pint with..................

The OP first few words were "tongue in cheek" and you have managed to insult him and revert to norm.

You have got to get out more, honestly try a smile first and then work your way up

 

[telectrix]

If I had my way I would horse whip you cheeky young whipersnapper lol

not allowed these days. anyway, he's probably been issued with steel lined underpants by H&S.

 

[Spoon]

The young are not allowed to smile. It's not cool to smile. All selfies have to have a sad face an a hand gesture that looks like you have a broken wrist and had a few finders amputated....

 

[YoungScud]

No stereotyping there then. As of the end of next month I'll be a pensioner.

 

[malcolmsanford]

No stereotyping there then. As of the end of next month I'll be a pensioner.

I'm assuming this is for me.................whether 18 or 80.........principle is basically the same, you need to lighten up a little........

 

[Spoon]

or it could be aimed at me, in which case I will stamp my feet, go into a sulk and cry for the rest of the day.....

 

[PEG]

No stereotyping there then. As of the end of next month I'll be a pensioner.

Nice lob back,over the net...

I accept that in some accidents,there is an element of "happenstance",but in the main,you lower your chances,by taking safety related choices.

...Or you would have to say,"Why bother looking left and right?...people get run over anyway..." :vanish:

 

[vxwestie]

Well, lots of different views in this thread!
Its obvious too that some people really are going too soft! For me safety is a personal thing, and my safety is my responsibility and no-one else. I will never rely on someone else to ensure my safety. It's my judgement as far as I'm concerned, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to stand on a nail or drop something on my feet then I will continue to wear trainers, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to work underneath someone working above me, I will continue not to wear a hard hat. If I trust myself not to be stupid enough to touch something live, then I'll continue to work on live apparatus. If a job is possible from a ladder or steps then i will make the job as easy and as cost effective as possible by doing so.
My personal safety is just that. Personal and as much as I can, I will be the one to judge what is safe and what is not. Afterall, I'm a qualified and experience operative, no-one knows better than i do.



edited to add,
my own reply has gotten me thinking.... Perhaps those who rely on safety and insist on the removal of all risk really are not capable of making the correct judgements for themselves or have the ability or confidence to be in control of their own well being?

 

[vxwestie]

You know what son you must be a bundle of giggles having a pint with..................

The OP first few words were "tongue in cheek" and you have managed to insult him and revert to norm.

You have got to get out more, honestly try a smile first and then work your way up

i can't take it serious enough to take offence.

But, yes, perhaps luck does have something to do with it, but not nearly as much as common sense, experience and knowledge.
perhaps in many people's eyes my methods aren't PC, but I continue in a successful business, make money, satisfy customers and do a good and professional job without all the pathetic softy safety approach. .... And I will certainly continue to do so.

 

[Barry White]

When I think back, and remember using a chasing machine, without extraction, and with no mask or glasses, I can't actually believe it. Same as chasing sockets and breathing all of that in, and getting stones fly into your eyes. Madness really. I'm also convinced that fibreglass dust is far from safe, especially the old stuff.

I am in the same oppinion about fibreglass Its the adbestos of the future

 

[YoungScud]

Well, lots of different views in this thread!
Its obvious too that some people really are going too soft! For me safety is a personal thing, and my safety is my responsibility and no-one else. I will never rely on someone else to ensure my safety. It's my judgement as far as I'm concerned, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to stand on a nail or drop something on my feet then I will continue to wear trainers, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to work underneath someone working above me, I will continue not to wear a hard hat. If I trust myself not to be stupid enough to touch something live, then I'll continue to work on live apparatus. If a job is possible from a ladder or steps then i will make the job as easy and as cost effective as possible by doing so.
My personal safety is just that. Personal and as much as I can, I will be the one to judge what is safe and what is not. Afterall, I'm a qualified and experience operative, no-one knows better than i do.



edited to add,
my own reply has gotten me thinking.... Perhaps those who rely on safety and insist on the removal of all risk really are not capable of making the correct judgements for themselves or have the ability or confidence to be in control of their own well being?[/QUOTE]


Here's the problem. No matter how you see it, safety is not a personal issue, it's at least in part a legal one, and with good reason. Without H&S legislation, how many more accidents do you think might happen? It's a hard one to judge, to be sure, so all we can really rely on is statistics from before and after safety began to be taken seriously, and that's all one way traffic. There is absoloutely no doubt whatsoever that sharing responsibility for safety between employers and employees has been a success in terms of numbers of accidents. H&S law ensures several things, none more important than its ability to stop unscrupulous employers from making unreasonable demands on their employees. It has given the employee the right to say, "No", to unsafe practices. It also gives a measure of protection to, for instance, tenants whose landlords might not otherwise give any thought to their safety.

It has never been suggested, at any time, that all risk can be removed. Health and Safety legislation doesn't even pretend to do that. What it does do, for the most part, is attempt to limit risk to individuals as much as it can. In fact, were it possible to eliminate all risk, PPE would be redundant, since it's really designed as a last line of defence against residual risk after all possible risks have been eliminated, isolated or removed. It was never intended that the law should replace personal risk assessment, but it is necessary, as a glance at accident stats before its introduction will show. It's never about you, it's about us.

As to the highligted section, it's exactly because most of us do care about our own health and those of us affected by our actions that we follow sensible principles. By the way, I'd love to know who those that "insist on the removal of all risk" are. I've never met one yet.

 

[vxwestie]

Well, lots of different views in this thread!
Its obvious too that some people really are going too soft! For me safety is a personal thing, and my safety is my responsibility and no-one else. I will never rely on someone else to ensure my safety. It's my judgement as far as I'm concerned, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to stand on a nail or drop something on my feet then I will continue to wear trainers, if I trust myself not to be stupid enough to work underneath someone working above me, I will continue not to wear a hard hat. If I trust myself not to be stupid enough to touch something live, then I'll continue to work on live apparatus. If a job is possible from a ladder or steps then i will make the job as easy and as cost effective as possible by doing so.
My personal safety is just that. Personal and as much as I can, I will be the one to judge what is safe and what is not. Afterall, I'm a qualified and experience operative, no-one knows better than i do.



edited to add,
my own reply has gotten me thinking.... Perhaps those who rely on safety and insist on the removal of all risk really are not capable of making the correct judgements for themselves or have the ability or confidence to be in control of their own well being?[/QUOTE]


Here's the problem. No matter how you see it, safety is not a personal issue, it's at least in part a legal one, and with good reason. Without H&S legislation, how many more accidents do you think might happen? It's a hard one to judge, to be sure, so all we can really rely on is statistics from before and after safety began to be taken seriously, and that's all one way traffic. There is absoloutely no doubt whatsoever that sharing responsibility for safety between employers and employees has been a success in terms of numbers of accidents. H&S law ensures several things, none more important than its ability to stop unscrupulous employers from making unreasonable demands on their employees. It has given the employee the right to say, "No", to unsafe practices. It also gives a measure of protection to, for instance, tenants whose landlords might not otherwise give any thought to their safety.

It has never been suggested, at any time, that all risk can be removed. Health and Safety legislation doesn't even pretend to do that. What it does do, for the most part, is attempt to limit risk to individuals as much as it can. In fact, were it possible to eliminate all risk, PPE would be redundant, since it's really designed as a last line of defence against residual risk after all possible risks have been eliminated, isolated or removed. It was never intended that the law should replace personal risk assessment, but it is necessary, as a glance at accident stats before its introduction will show. It's never about you, it's about us.

As to the highligted section, it's exactly because most of us do care about our own health and those of us affected by our actions that we follow sensible principles. By the way, I'd love to know who those that "insist on the removal of all risk" are. I've never met one yet.

Whats a "risk assessment"?

 

[vxwestie]

The problem is actually that the H&S laws are destroying the trade and infact society in general. Of course safety should be a personal issue.

The ONLY people that benifet from the H&S laws and requirements are those who have manufactured work for themselves by creating them and the businesses who have jumped on the band wagon created by it. The general worker who is sensible and trained is hampered by the restrictions enforced upon him, the 'newby' or trainee into the trade is denied the right to be responsible for himself and enforced to rely on the requirements, they will never be granted the chance to apply common sense and as a result will be hampered by it. The businesses are ladened with the burden of the responsibilities and threats and last of all the customers/public are ultimately the ones who have to foot the cost.

I may be a dinosaur but I have been around the block a time or two and in my time in the trade I have trained many, many apprentices and employed many good men. But as a small business I will now NEVER employ or train again purely because of the H&S implications, and i certainly aren't the only one.

 

[Englishman]

Only read the first post (atm) but you have a really good point!

A few weeks ago I cut my finger down to the bone with a hacksaw! The 18 year old apprentice said "I'll get the first aid kit from your van". I just laughed and got blue tape from my toolbox. Well..... you have to use blue, the flow of blood has now been neutralized :rofl:

ok...fine...the first aid kit would have been better (I'm a first Aider and should know better lol) but it was a simple and clean cut, bit of tape and carry on regardless. The look on his face was priceless!! Just tape it up and get on with the job ffs.

Wrapping tape round a bad cut is probably the best thing you can do because it compresses the wound and stops it bleeding. Have always done it. Was putting a Bosch speed spade bit through a bit of pic window board last year when it snatched, jumped, and landed square on a finger nail. Gritted teeth, shoved the apprentice out of my way and tightly wrapped it, and the pain was gone within seconds. It's brilliant.