Dammed Health and safety
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Uhhhh, theres nothing quie so boring as sitting around waiting for a lecturer/assisstant to show up so you an start doing some work. Im not even allowed to use a hacksaw untill a lecuturer/assistant is in the room! strikes me as plain ludicrous, but there you go.
So what do you all tink about health and safety in your respective countries? too restrictive or too iberal? or is there some wonderful land where te balane is perfect...
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Health and Safety has gone crackers in the UK !
For example - they've just installed a sexy new glass-lift (scenic-elevator for our colonial cousins) in a shopping-centre (mall) near where I live. It's all glass and stainless-steel. Standing on the top floor you can look down the glass shaft through the glazed doors. As the shiny metal lid of the car approaches you it is marred by a whacking great red and white vinyl sign that stuck on it crookedly - saying "No Smoking". This is not necessary since in England it is prohibited to smoke in enclosed public and work places. Why do they need to tell the lift maintenance guy that he shouldn't smoke when he's fixing it - it's illegal anyway...
Nearby they've chopped down mature chestnut trees in a park to stop kids trying to get them in the autumn (fall), all in case they fall out of the tree or maybe hurt themselves throwing sticks up to knock the 'conkers' down !!! What kind of world are we trying to make ?
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Yours for only £5.99 from the Workplace Law Network.
Includes a handy checklist of important questions such as:* PAT tested the kettle? * checked for vermin faeces in the teabag container? * checked the milk is in date? * considered the slips/trips risk of carrying tea? * checked the handle on the mug is secure? * waited for tea to cool to safe temperature?
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Mind you, the US is just as bad. You can't even chill-out by indulging in a nice bit of painting for pleasure.
http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/arthazards/paint3.html -
Supposedly a true story....
Some years ago the US Consumer Products Safety Division, having discovered that about 5 or so toddlers had drowned in buckets -- proposed that buckets should be provided with holes so they would leak. -
I used to work in the design studio for a product and packaging firm. One day a colleague of mine dropped a scalpel on her leg while she was making a model. She incurred a scratch. The company health and safety officer went nuts that we had craft knives in the building and tried to insist that we used retractable box cutter knives instead. We explained they wouldn't be sharp enough and we kept our scalpels much to his annoyance. But the same guy was not at all bothered that the extractor on our airbrushing booth did not work so every day we had red eyes and headaches from the fumes.
My point? I'm not sure, but I haven't met a consistent Health and safety officer yet.
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@unknownuser said:
...The company health and safety officer went nuts that we had craft knives in the building and tried to insist that we used retractable box cutter knives instead.
At least he didn't suggest that you keep the knives retracted while working...
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More ranting about health and safety:
Apparently (just learnt today) im not allowed to use any power tools in the workshop if a trained teacher isnt around. That means technicians dont count! The very people who know most aobut the machines and associated risks arent allowed to supervise their use
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There was a manufacturer of rat poison who's well-known product featured red-coloured bait. After many successful years on the market they changed the formula so now the product was white. They had many complaints from consumers who didn't appreciate them changing a product that had always worked so very well. The complaints became a concern to the company and they had to issue a press release to explain why the formula had changed. The reason: they could no longer get the traditional red colouring because it had been pulled from the market when it was determined by the US FDA that the particular colouring agent caused cancer in rats.
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It sound like you need to 'pay your dues'.
Back in the early 80s, and being an advanced level student, I was given keys to the my university woodshop - where I could do anything I want with the equipment - in exchange for monitoring the studio for a few hours each week. The students I supervised were not allowed to use power tools.
My professor went through a lot of legal hoops to get a few more shop monitors and keep the studio open longer. Then as now, the restrictions are a legal thing. One of the most dangerous jobs a person could do is work in construction. Overall the rate and cost of injury in fields that use power equipment is very high. Insurance rates are noticeably higher. Schools have have to abide by certain liability issues laid out to them by their insurers.
And now professionally, I have met and watched may other 'experienced' 'professionals' do many stupid things with power equipment. Like the yahoo who said he knew how to use a jointer and began to push the piece of wood through the machine backwards - luckily I stopped him before anything interesting happened. Then there was the guy who apparently did not know about push sticks. Instead of gracefully pushing the plywood piece gracefully through the tablesaw, he pushed the wood with all his might then let go of the wood before his hands got 'too' close to the blade. He deliberately planned that the forward momentum would get the wood through the blade - another 'technique' I stopped.
Whenever I read about someone cutting off their hand and the equipment they were using, I know exactly which safety rule they violated.
In one shop some idiots like to throw things at their friends while they were using power equipment. Same idiots liked to throw lite firecrackers in occupied restrooms - it took a lot of intervention to get that 'good idea' to stop. Another idiot liked to throw things to let off steam. One day he threw a screw driver. It hit the wall about 3 feet above my head. He could not see I was crouched down looking for something. In more ways than one, shop equipment are weapons, and the liability rates reflect that.
When a former co-worker was seaking life insurance, he was advised not to mention he did any woodworking, construction stuff. Between some of the asociated risks with the tools, and using things like ladders, his rate would rise several-fold over that of a non-tool user.
One degreed fella claimed to be a 'master woodworker' on his resume based on some sculpture classes, theater and (also insignicant) art gallery shop supervision work. Relative to the abilities of his classmates and friend, maybe he knew somethings. But in the real-world his skills were sub-newbie, wheter he like it or not. And compared to some of the yahoos I mentions above, his actual professinal tools skills were less. After finally working around some real woodworkers, he retreated to metal work. But that too was short-lived. His school stuff didn't give him enough to succeed there either. Quite an ego bruiser year for one boy.
I highly doubt anyone here would do some of the great ideas and techniques I have encountered, the liability of all those and other great ideas have come at a great cost to everyone.
With what I have seen over the years, no I am not surprised that a student newbie is not allowed to use power tools without supervision in an environment that requires liability insurance. Historically there are too many 'creative' and costly uses of the tools. Pay your dues. Spend the time you need to, to get the respect of your instructors - who may eventually give you keys.
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