Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Health and Safety on The Ladder?
Really glad to see the crazy invasion of Health and Saftey regulations into our daily lives has not managed to hold us here on the Ladder back at all...
I dare not take the picture any closer for fear it would have the guy start to take offence and fall!!! Stunning.
Cannot remember if this was between Beresford and Allison or Allison and Hewitt...
Tags for Forum Posts: health and safety
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Pike on
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This should be reported. This is not only a risk to his life but to those around him. What if he fell on the approaching push chair? If this is a daily practice can you imagine what other risk he and his business creates?
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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To be fair he was not going to fall into the passage, more likely he would fall, start to rotate and smash his head or face on the floor/ concrete passage fence.
Got to be honest, if he was prepared to be so dumb I was not going to be the one educating him as to the fact he should have had a hard hat on in a building site!
As I said, stunning!
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Hawkins on
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It is possible that he may have had a large crash mat below as a precaution. Like the ones stunt men use in the film industry...
I agree he'd be doing well to fall into the passage way.
It is also possible that he has tied himself to a large piece of furniture in the room..!
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Makes it very hard for legit businesses / traders if they have to compete against companies and workers prepared to ignore the health and safety rules. It wont be the employer or his insurance picking up the tap for a lengthy hospital stay etc.
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Yes Charlotte I agree. Apologies for the flippantcy you are right that irresponsible behavior in any walk of life will cost society in the form of medical care . isn't that the same for all iresponsible behaviour ? Driving too fast , eating badly etc ?
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Completely, it just worries me that this kind of thing is becoming almost normal. I remember seeing crazy things like this when traveling to some parts of the world, but the UK now seems to turn a blind eye on people working in awful conditions without an employeer taking due care. For all I know this might be the owner himself doing up the house although that is probably unlikely.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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The Guardian/Observer recently published a series of articles on this general issue.
If you haven't spotted them, Charlotte, I suggest starting here.
- The needless death of Richard Laco, and what it tells us about Brit...
- UK construction industry warned of 'timebomb' from health and safet...
I haven't seen an article focussing on local issues. So I'd welcome any useful links. In the misty distant days when I was a local councillor I heard about poor practice - especially among sub-contractors. Jobs were sometimes done quickly and occasionally very badly. I assume this was partly because small firms feel pressure to cut corners to get work - either when tendering for contracts or sub-contracts. Sometimes working very quickly is to get round planning law.
Your comment reminded me about the fire in 2005 which temporarily closed Crowland Primary School. As I recall, the trade union Rep's serious concerns about the risk of fire from works being done on the school roof were ignored by the then headteacher.
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Alan, thank you for this. I know people who work on building sites and redevelopments. What these articles say is exactly what I hear again and again. Cheap inexperienced labour or labour not familiar with regs in the UK are employed. They see corners being cut again and again, correct what they can, but walls and floors are being sealed with bad / dangerous electrical work being hidden behind the gloss. So people stay in posh hotels, buy or rent expensive flats, but everything is not as the glossy facades looks like. I have seen examples of this too on a local level where I had to spend money fixing bad work e.g. a toilet overflow which was never connected to the pipe coming out of the wall. Going back to the above house both a loft extension and a house extension has been put on, but I don't know anything about this property, it may all be perfectly legit with one silly builder not valuing his own life or it may not. Might investigate if I have time or it may be a new calling once my current contract finishes....
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The above indicates absolutely unacceptable practice taking place and the contractor should be reported to the HSE.
This is why the CDM regulations were brought in:
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Robert. Interestingly my conscious was pricked when you suggested this should be reported, and so I went for a look to see who to report it to. I spent 10 minutes trawling the web trying to find someone to send this to in a way that was not going to take the rest of my afternoon. I saw the HSE web site and frankly most of their 'processes' seemed to deal with whistle blowing employees.... So, I failed, and frankly I gave up at that point, so feel free to point me in the right direction- though all I will do is forward this image and the few details I have shared with you here.
You know, I have worked in industry, and I cannot help but think of the saying that was oft repeated when addressing health and safety to employees. 'Safety is our concern, but your responsibility!' This guy had a task to do, and chose to put himself in danger as opposed to doing it safely. At some point we have to stop blaming the employer and ask what responsibility the employee took. I was reminded of this a week or so ago when some council employees rocked up and starting cutting tarmac up to make good worn pavements and pot holes whilst not wearing ear defenders! I hope their employer had them sign suitable waivers to the effect that they have been issued with PSE equipment but they take responsibility for not wearing it!!!
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Very well put Justin. I was thinking along the same lines
Eg who is the bad guy here ? The property owner, the guys boss (if he has one other than himself). No one forced him out of that window!
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