Health & Safety & Yacht Clubs

[penfold]

Carrying an un-lidded coffee cup

Petrofac have gone one better at the training centre in Altens; you aren't allowed to carry any hot drinks up or down the stair to the canteen(canteen is on a mezannine and inaccessable any other way) and you're supposed to use the bannister at all times as well lest you fall and kill yourself to death. All this at a facility that instructs rig workers(who are well used to being near spinny drill strings and other dangerous stuff) in the art of escaping from the crashed paraffin budgie that's on fire and trying to drown them in the horrid North Sea. Commuting to work in an all-in-one orange body condom makes hot beverage spillage register slightly below farting and following through on the register of daily hazards.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

When I joined Shell well over 30 years ago deaths of employees occurred pretty much every year and could be predicted in some numbers for contractors. I remember at least 10 deaths on offshore installations in the late 1970s and early 1980s (not flying accidents). We also resisted the ever-encroaching safety rules and regs, but deaths and serious accidents are now mercifully rare. Unfortunately there is a tendency by safety officials to take things too far, which can tend to get up one's nose.

Yes, but we are talking about a yacht club here, not an offshore oil rig!!!!!

 

[vyv_cox]

Yes, but we are talking about a yacht club here, not an offshore oil rig!!!!!

I agree, although people have died or had serious accidents in yachts, yacht clubs, dinghies and canoes. Sensible H&S is recommended.

 

[alexrunic]

You don't have any choice these days put some sort of health and safety scheme in place in accordance with the HSE & RYA guide lines. Or risk being prosecuted and our sued if any one does have an accident.

 

[smeaks]

You don't have any choice these days put some sort of health and safety scheme in place in accordance with the HSE & RYA guide lines. Or risk being prosecuted and our sued if any one does have an accident.

It is so easy to get caught up in the health and safety gone mad / compensation culture red tops crusade! There has been so much common sense advice offered in this series of posts. Ask the advice of your local HSE office. They are ther to help and advise aswell as control. An adequate policy appropriately managed can only improve the situation providing a well managed safer environment for all. Make someone responsible and arrange the meeting, most communication/induction training can be covered in a welcome to the club document. Speacilised training for lift operators etc can be controlled by identFying the people to be trained and following the advice of a local slinging and lifting training firm and the lift manufactures a half day group session would cover it.

It does not need to be arduous to be effective.

 

[ghostlymoron]

You don't have any choice these days put some sort of health and safety scheme in place in accordance with the HSE & RYA guide lines. Or risk being prosecuted and our sued if any one does have an accident.

The introduction of Health and Safety legislation in 1974 has dramatically reduced accidental deaths and accidents in many (all) industries and is greatly to be welcomed for that. It is however seen as un-necessarily beaurocratic and resented by a lot of people for that. The basic principles are to identify risks and put measures in place to reduce the risk. I don't see anything wrong with that but I do agree that it is often taken too far such as the examples given elsewhere in this thread. The aim should be to prevent accidents in the first place rather than avoid legal action.