strict sites

[Dean Williams]

has anyone worked on really strict sites

im currently testing on the largest site ive ever worked on in Runcorn, where 'whistleblowers' are rewarded with offers of flat screen tellies, meal vouchers etc. There's been 2 strikes so far...

 

[Adam W]

My last site was one of these 'strict sites'. 3 of us started on the same day, finished the 4 hour induction and went up to the site. It was baking hot and we were just second fixing in a room with a finished ceiling so we took our hard hats off. The H&S guy caught us and told us to go back down for re-induction. One guy walked.
The official stance was non-retractable knives were 'banned'; the electrical contractor's stance was 'don't get caught using one'.

On the plus side these sites usually have better welfare facilities.

 

[telectrix]

unfortunately, common sense has gone out thew window and it's now 1 cap fits all. legislate for the dumbos who, should, by all rights, die in accordance with the darwin theory, and leave the intelligent ones to determine how to work safely without having to allow for mongs.

 

[Adam W]

we all carry out our own risk assessments whether we're aware of it or not. Just the majority of times they don't get recorded.

Like I say - you carry out a quick unwritten risk assessment every time you cross the road.
I think we'll all be in trouble if people lose the ability to do that for them selves.

 

[trev]

Had an hour long site induction from the electrical contractor once. When it was finished we were herded into another room to get the Bomer & Kirkland hour long site induction which was pretty much word for word what the previous guy had told us.
We were moved to another site after a few weeks where we faced the same. I suggested getting the B&K guy in and they could each cover what the other missed thus saving time (and obviously money)
I was viewed as a radical.

 

[telectrix]

Tel what does your dog charge for a coupl e of days work as a mate

she's not ready yet. being trained to run under floors and in confined spaces with a draw cord attached to her collar. when trained up, she's for hire at £100/day + treats.

 

[shanky887614]

Like the electrical police scams ,the h&s scam has been thrust upon us over the years.
its another industry piggybacked on the top of ours that has to somehow justify its existence.
ive never fallen off a pair of steps in 27 years ....I'm not going to start now am I?
the no step rule is a great example.
no steps at all until the doors go on and you can't get a podium through.
can I levitate? Not unless I'm david Blaine.
ill get a pair of steps then.
ok.
every big site I've been on some donut has fallen down the lift shaft from varying heights regardless of the barriers/permits to work put in place.
as tel says old school sparks did not need this ****e in place for you to work safely.
its too risky , beat it gaffer / do it yourself would be the answer.
common sense is where it should be at.

been on a site before, no steps.

the ceilings went up and couldnt get podiums through the doors let alone stand them up.

every doorframe and most walls have marks on them where they have been bashed by podiums.

i have not known anyone to fall off a pair of steps, because you get people to hold them if they need steadying.

i have crawled/walked along cable trays before now and nothing wrong with it, no way to fall because your surrounded by pipes

 

[shanky887614]

Don't get me wrong, I've refused to carry out work because proper access equipment hasn't been provided. I've also walked off sites if I've been asked to work in an unsafe manner BUT we all carry out our own risk assessments whether we're aware of it or not. Just the majority of times they don't get recorded.

im sure we have all told our boss etc "no im not doing that, do it yourself" lol

 

[trev]

Like I say - you carry out a quick unwritten risk assessment every time you cross the road.
I think we'll all be in trouble if people lose the ability to do that for them selves.

It astonishes me that people have to be told that doing something is a bad idea. On the local news the other week there was a thing on about York university students being told that it isn't clever to walk along the river bank while rat arsed on cheap spirits.

 

[telectrix]

can't do it now, old bones and all, but in the past, i have climbed gantrys with a SWA tied round my neck, walked across girders and steel roof trusses, swam across canals, too old now for that. let the young 'uns try it with the h&s suits breathing down their necks.

 

[Adam W]

It astonishes me that people have to be told that doing something is a bad idea. On the local news the other week there was a thing on about York university students being told that it isn't clever to walk along the river bank while rat arsed on cheap spirits.

I don't think people have got 'stupider', but the emphasis has shifted from 'you should have seen it was dangerous and gone a different way' to 'the council should have put up a barrier and a sign', which discourages people from thinking for them selves - why bother taking responsibility for your own actions when 'nanny state' will do it for you?
You see it with kids straight out of school - give them a bit of responsibility and they're completely lost.

 

[trev]

Well my kids never needed to be supervised by the nanny state and neither will my grandson or any that come along in the future mate.

 

[Rockingit]

Thing is, Health and Safety used to be something that people did for themselves and their mates because everyone wanted to go home in one piece. Then someone decided to turn it into a career path for others to do unto them. Big mistake.

 

[trev]

The bloke who invented all these cards and coursesmust be laughing his balls off. £40 for a test a monkey could pass then an extra £25 for a card with your photo on. Some sites insist on that CSCS crap even if you're holding an ECS.
Ladder use
Working at heights
Confined spaces. WT actual F!
Manual handling
Money for old rope and someone is making a bloody fortune.
I'm bloody glad I'm self employed.

 

[Guest55]

the idiots guide to pointless site safety training...............

confined spaces - i can sit in a hole without panicking - check
ladder awareness - i can stand 3 feet off the ground without breaking my neck - check
asbestos awareness - yes i am aware its unpleasant stuff - check
manual handling - dont bother , get the forklift / JCB / burly labourer to shift it - check

;-D

 

[Adam W]

Slightly off at a tangent I found this blog the other day.

Under 'things we never had and didn't miss' there was:

"3. Blame and claim culture

Did you chip a fingernail at work? Or did you sit down on the loo at work and momentarily experience discomfort because the loo seat was a bit cold? Even worse, did someone wilfully injure your feelings by calling you a 'div' at work? Sue those buggers! Phone our hotline now, and we'll get you millions of pounds!

Disclaimer – we will not get you millions of pounds. We will get you up to and including five hundred new pounds, of which we will take up to a hundred percent.

Everyone everywhere is scared of everything. Even I have days where I don't want to leave the house in case a meteor falls on my head, or in case a terrorist comes up and tries to do terror at me.

But when I was growing up, getting injured was not a career. It was a vocation, at best. We did not expect to have our clumsiness rewarded with money. That's what clowns and Eddie The Eagle were for.

Now, if you're short of money and don't want to ring WONGACASHNOW4U, you can simply claim you were tripped over by a member of Al Qaeda, or that someone looked at you funny, and all your financial problems will disappear!

Our equivalent – looking where you were going -
​

You know what used to happen if you fell over in the street? Everyone would laugh at you. Certainly they wouldn't offer you money.

Of course, work accidents did happen, and they were generally quite serious, but back then people tried to avoid getting injured. They didn't like being injured, what with the pain and all. Getting injured was seen as a bad thing, not as an equivalent to winning the lottery.

When I was growing up, if you tripped over in the street you were unlucky, or a div. If you broke a nail or had your 'feelings injured' while at work, then you were a crybaby, and didn't deserve the job in the first place.

By the way, I wrote these last paragraphs on the toilet. Just thought you'd like to know."