Brits talkin about Brit stuff

[SteveBullman]

including a pack of Rizlas with my petrol expense

you're out of line man

 

[Big A]

Could be the dearest f@!*ing Rizlas I've ever bought!!

 

[Buzzlightyear]

A mate had exactly the same thing, it seems they know that things are often overlooked in error on fuel reciepts and look closely at them. For him it was a packet of fags...

 

[Acer]

any recommendations for a good fungii indent book

Roger Phillips "Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain & Europe" is quite broad, with very good photos, but David Lonsdale, "Principles of tree Hazard Assessment and Management" cuts straight to the chase. Although not specifically a fungus ID book like Phillips, there's a chapter on principal decay fungi, with photos and description and significance of each decay fungi. The rest of the book is useful, too.

 

[Acer]

I'm a bit confused, you don't want to see us before the accident when things are going ok, you don't want to see us after the accident and yet you still want us out catching 'the others'.... hmmm which is it to be?

Hi nohope, and belated welcome. Thanks for your input.

Personally, I'd much rather have an inspector visit when things are going well, rather than finding out what I should have been doing once something has happened. The problem is, inspectors are pretty thin on the ground. In a previous career in the early 90s, I was involved in laying on training courses for HSE inspectors, and one of the biggest gripes we would hear at tea breaks was how thinly everyone was stretched, and how resources for inspectors were constantly being squeezed.

One of the problems with applying health & safety and other legislation in this country is perception of how far we have to go to comply with the law. Most people running small arb businesses really don't know how far we have to go in applying some of this stuff. It might be partly due to sections of our media, which delight in feeding us doom and gloom nanny state bureaucracy-gone-mad stories, but a problem with a lot of this legislation is no-one really knows the fine details until a case has gone to court and precedent has been set. Until then, we rely on little snippets we pick up here and there. For example, is it totally illegal to use a top handled saw on the ground, regardless of whether it's used correctly or not? If I was caught using such a saw on the ground, would my NPTC qualifications be revoked? Am I still allowed to do arb work from a rope and harness on a tree where MEWP access is feasible? I gained CS 38 and 39 in 1997, and that was enough to do any arb work - do I now need to go out and get CS 40 and 41 before I dismantle or prune my next tree?

The other problem that comes to mind for the small business owner is the one-size-fits-all nature of legislation, and that size suits larger companies, where responsibilities do need to be pinned on specific people, and some sort of written system would be needed to keep track of it all. But, in a company of 1 boss and a couple of employees, applying the letter of the law becomes ridiculous. Take LOLER, which was the final nail in the coffin for me as far as climbing goes. I didn't object to inspecting my gear on a regular basis, I used to do that anyway. I didn't even object to paying to go on a course to become a "competent person" so I could inspect my gear. But, had I done all that, I still would not have satisfied LOLER , because any inspections I'd have done on my own gear wouldn't have been independant. In general, most of this legislation doesn't seem to give any concessions to the smaller operator. A big company like Fountains and the like can afford to pay people to sit at desks and deal with this stuff-for a small operator, getting to and from the job and doing the work that actually brings in money can eat 10-12 hours per day during the week. The h&s paperwork has to be done during that thing some people call the "weekend" - whateverthat is..

None of which is the fault of individual inspectors, of course. However, my personal feeling, sometimes, is that it's all gone too far, and the web of legislation is more to do with identifying who to blame once something has gone wrong rather than preventing things from going wrong in the first place. I felt I did a good job of complying with everything 5 or 6 years ago. I'm doing the same things, but feel I fall short now that things have moved on, and I wonder whether it's worth making that extra effort to catch up..even if I knew how far I had to go. If something drastic happened on one of my jobs, I feel I'd be hammered simply because I'm responsible.

By the way, do HSE monitor the effects of new legislation on accident rates? Can they point to any reductions in accidents due to specific changes/increases in legislation?

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Acer, possibly one of the best posts on H+S i've read. perfectly sums up my feelings.

 

[teressa green]

agree ,just about sums it all up ,

 

[iain]

acer
i attended a recent seminar, the newest regs, due out is with regard to vibration tolerance and exposure limits as you say big company's admin potential is greater than that of smaller companys, one boss outfits :
Does The pricing, , Hse, Loler, puwer,invoicing accounts etc etc + actually try to carryout some work usually the Climbing all within the working time directive

i feel that the current trend of legislation, will ultimatly lead to one conclusion
the black market trader and huge companys and thats it,
bye bye ' small operator ' due the burden placed on them
who was it, who was looking to do more landscaping !!!! Rolla

 

[Thor's Hammer]

I would be much better off financially if I were to cancel my insurance etc. and go to cash only.

 

[teressa green]

cash is king ,,,,,

 

[blue]

big a'
did you have your accountant with you at the meeting with the taxman??

 

[jamie]

single

i am now officially single, she moved out this morning, and i helped new boyfriend pack the van, never made eye contact with him, he is now known as fcuker, why just cos. i now have a very empty house. celebrated by calling my 14 yearold stepsister and going snowboarding, something i didnt do often enough when with my ex (snowboarding, not socialising with 14 year olds)

single and happy, just the house is a bit empty


jamie

 

[teressa green]

helped him load van ,should have kicked him in the spuds,all a single bloke needs is ,work ,afridge ,stella, tv,and stereo,chin up mate ,been there ,

 

[Buzzlightyear]

i am now officially single, she moved out this morning, and i helped new boyfriend pack the van, never made eye contact with him, he is now known as fcuker, why just cos. i now have a very empty house. celebrated by calling my 14 yearold stepsister and going snowboarding, something i didnt do often enough when with my ex (snowboarding, not socialising with 14 year olds)

single and happy, just the house is a bit empty


jamie

That sucks

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Moved house last week ,what a PITA moving home is...decorating ,carpets,you name it needs doing at this place,you guys won't see much of me on here for the next few decades.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

got room to keep the fleet now mate?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

More room thats for sure ,it's amazing the crap you collect over the years.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

WHATS WORK LIKE UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY ,it's gone very very quiet around here

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Couple of really big jobs come in here, Also been offered a three month cutting + clearing contract 'darn sarf'.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Mind, nothing at all on my own doorstep