15 Aug
2011
15 Aug
'11
9:53 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-
bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Phill Harvey-Smith
Sent: 15 August 2011 16:43
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Non-revenue-producing (Was: cctech Digest, Vol 96, Issue 5
On 15/08/2011 16:16, Rob Jarratt wrote:
> You wouldn't believe the ridiculous degree to which "health and
> safety" has been taken in this country.
>
> When it snows my son's school won't let the children out to play in
> the snow, throw snow balls, make slides etc, all for fear of being
sued.
Even when I was at junior school back in the 70s we where asked not to
throw
snowballs incase they contained stones (by mistake),
so nothing new there.
Fine, but you were allowed out into the playground weren't you? You could
make slides in the snow couldn't you? They won't even let them outside now!
If you
drive a company car, that is considered a place of work and you are
not allowed to smoke in it (not that I smoke).
That's nothing to do with H&S, that's to do with the smoking in public
law, which makes it an offense to smoke in an enclosed
public space or
workplace. I guess non-smokers have a right to not be exposed to harmfull
substances whilst doing their job.
And why do we have that law, it is as you say, to protect people's health,
but it is taken to extremes when it applies to company cars.
> Some councils (local government
> in the UK) no longer decorate their town with hanging baskets of
>flowers in case one will fall on someone's head. The list goes on and
on.
There are also a lot of people that don't know what they talk about and
site
H&S as the reason. The reason for this is that
there is a lot of
misconception
about H&S. H&S law doesn't say that you
have to prevent every possible
risk,
But that is how it is interpreted by many people, and also just the worry of
getting a letter from a legal firm and having to justify yourself is
something many people don't want to be bothered with, so they just ban
everything.
just that you have to minimise them whenever possible,
and that anyone
taking a risk for whatever reason should be fully aware of it.
In the above case as long as said council had done all it reasonably could
to
ensure that said hanging baskets where well maintained
then they shouldn't
have a problem.
OK, but what would they have to do to prove it?
Cheers.
PS usual disclaimer I'm not a lawyer or in anyway an expert however I am
married to the deputy departmental safety officer in a UK academic
institution....so hopefully I have picked some of it up.
Phill.