Dangerous lockie behaviour on the C&H

[LadyG]

As CRT have not stopped this person I am warning any boaters locally NOT to allow this lockie to operate their lock.

He asks if you want assistance (I'm singlehanded) takes your windlass if he does not have his own then tells a random person to wind the paddles with their back to your boat.

[Nightwatch]

Who. Is there only one volockie?

[LadyG]

8 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Who. Is there only one volockie?

I have no idea if he is a volunteer, I suspect he works for CRT. He's the only one I've seen twice, we don't have many volunteers as far as I can work out. He was incharge of a load of painting people, so "group leader" 

Aparently CRT have no idea how to identify their staff. Don't know who is working in an area. In this instance there were about five painters and this guy. All had blue CRT shirts none had lifejackets. They did a good job of painting, though not sure over painting the black noticeboard legs with white will be a good thing in the long term.

Edited June 14, 2023 by LadyG

[Nightwatch]

My apologies. I obviously misunderstood. If, he is employed by CRT what I would do is get his name and write to CRT asap. The very least, he should receive up to date training and you informed that he has done so. You may even get an apology from CRT.

[LadyG]

1 minute ago, Nightwatch said:

My apologies. I obviously misunderstood. If, he is employed by CRT what I would do is get his name and write to CRT asap. The very least, he should receive up to date training and you informed that he has done so. You may even get an apology from CRT.

I have complained to CRT they don't want to know.

[Ianws]

I'm sure they would become interested if there was an incident. Who have you complained to and did you describe why it is an issue?

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I have no idea if he is a volunteer, I suspect he works for CRT. He's the only one I've seen twice, we don't have many volunteers as far as I can work out. He was incharge of a load of painting people, so "group leader" 

Aparently CRT have no idea how to identify their staff. Don't know who is working in an area. In this instance there were about five painters and this guy. All had blue shirts none had lifejackets.

 

In which case he's not a lockie (or volockie) at all, he's probably had less training (perhaps zero?) than volockies have had on how to work locks -- for a start, no lifejacket suggests he's not officially trained/authorised by CART to work locks. Which probably means he's not insured to do this either. In which case he absolutely should not be working the locks for anybody... 😞

 

Sounds like the CART worker who advised taking two centre line turns round a bollard, which lead to us almost sinking in a lock when the rope locked up. No knowledge, dangerous advice. Just because he's a CART employee doesn't mean he knows anything about locks or operating them safely.

[Nightwatch]

If I’m being a bit heavy I’m sorry. I wouldn’t let it go. Have they told you they don’t want to know, or just haven’t replied.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

ALL CRT staff should be wearing a name badge and/or a lanyard. 
Lanyard may be inappropriate for a lockie but they will be wearing a name badge.  

You may have come across some volunteers for a local society. 
 

You gotta be clearer who you nominate for blame. 
 

CRT staff/ volunteers are easily identifiable

[LadyG]

5 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

If I’m being a bit heavy I’m sorry. I wouldn’t let it go. Have they told you they don’t want to know, or just haven’t replied.

They are unable to identify any person. Therefore they can do nothing. I told them last time, it is irrelevant who is doing it, NO vlockie should do this. All they need do is draw up a twining program and train their staff and their volunteers who want to operate locks and who prove they are competent.

[Annie cariad]

Suggest not a vlk but part of the "task force " least said ....

[LadyG]

17 minutes ago, Ianws said:

I'm sure they would become interested if there was an incident. Who have you complained to and did you describe why it is an issue?

I used the incident form I think it is called, they have five days to respond.

I used it twice, same complaint same result.

They cannot identify the offender.

Wtf, they just need to send all of them that under no circumstances should they start training nonentities. They are not qualified to do this.

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, LadyG said:

They are unable to identify any person. Therefore they can do nothing. I told them last time, it is irrelevant who is doing it, NO vlockie should do this. All they need do is draw up a twining program and train their staff and their volunteers who want to operate locks and who prove they are competent.

If he's not wearing a lifejacket and behaving how you describe, he's almost certainly not a volockie, he's a supervisor/group leader/obergruppenfuhrer doing something he's not qualified/trained to do -- his job is to supervise the working group (painters?) not operate locks.

 

Next time you see him, I suggest you ask him if this is the case -- if it is, ask for his name and job title, and report him to CART. The last thing they want is unqualified staff "helping" boats do locks, because if anything goes wrong they probably won't have any insurance cover.

 

And this assumes he's a CART employee -- if he isn't, he's got the same status as any member of the public, and should be treated as such.

Edited June 14, 2023 by IanD

[Ianws]

That's not good enough. They, and you, need to be able to recognise official volunteers, who have hopefully had some training and are trained and expected to follow procedures. They should know who is an official registered volunteer and not allow random walk ups.

[LadyG]

1 minute ago, Annie cariad said:

Suggest not a vlk but part of the "task force " least said ....i

I have no idea, they provide him with CRT kit, the first time he had his lifejacket and his windlass.

The second time they all had blue CRT shirts. He asked for my windlass as he was painting.

I now ask any person in CRT kit if they know what they are doing, obviously if that particular guy ever came near me again I would have something to say., Some thing unladylike. 

I have met excellent CRT personnel, it is not possible to know what you are dealing with.

[Mike Tee]

In the meantime, don't give your windlass to anyone, why would you - I certainly haven't, and never will unless they are part of my group (and even one of those is banned after throwing my Dunton in one of the Stoke Bruerne flight!).

[LadyG]

4 minutes ago, IanD said:

If he's not wearing a lifejacket and behaving how you describe, he's almost certainly not a volockie, he's a supervisor/group leader/obergruppenfuhrer doing something he's not qualified/trained to do -- his job is to supervise the working group (painters?) not operate locks.

 

Next time you see him, I suggest you ask him if this is the case -- if it is, ask for his name and job title, and report him to CART. The last thing they want is unqualified staff "helping" boats do locks, because if anything goes wrong they probably won't have any insurance cover.

 

And this assumes he's a CART employee -- if he isn't, he's got the same status as any member of the public, and should be treated as such.

I said in my earlier post that I recognised the guy, (when he was wearing a CRT lifejacket). It's the same guy whether with or without lifejacket, he's is acting on behalf of the CRT.

1 minute ago, Mike Tee said:

In the meantime, don't give your windlass to anyone, why would you - I certainly haven't, and never will unless they are part of my group (and even one of those is banned after throwing my Dunton in one of the Stoke Bruerne flight!).

I am singlehanding, these CRT are supposed to be trained. I don't tell a CRT lock keeper on the Trent that I will decide when he open his lock.

I hope anyone in this area will be warned. That is the point of this thread. CRT have done nothing so I have done something.

[Rob-M]

Not all CRT staff are trained to work locks, some barely know what a canal is.

[ditchcrawler]

Different canal but on the Trent and Mersey canal the Trent and Mersey Canal Society paint the locks, not CRT volunteers. Could this perhaps be the same.

Edited June 14, 2023 by ditchcrawler
Spilling

[LadyG]

I'm not going to answer the same questions over again. I have no more to say. Just read the thread. Please read the thread.

[Arthur Marshall]

If he's not identifiable as a vlockie, with lifejacket and windlass, then he isn't one. He's just a member of the public offering to help. The fact that he's working for CRT, whether paid or voluntary, is irrelevant. CRT can't trace him on their lockie list because he isn't one.

So, he's just someone unofficial offering to help, and you accepted that help, which as I think most would agree, is always at your own risk. It doesn't sound as if any damage was caused, you just disapproved of how he did the lock, which, as he obviously hasn't been trained by CRT as a lockie, isn't their responsibility.

If you lend someone your windlass, you are giving them leave to twirl it as they feel is right. Personally, I wouldn't lend the receptionist in a garage a spanner and expect them to fix my car. I'd only expect expertise from someone with the right tools.

[LadyG]

Just now, Arthur Marshall said:

If he's not identifiable as a vlockie, with lifejacket and windlass, then he isn't one. He's just a member of the public offering to help. The fact that he's working for CRT, whether paid or voluntary, is irrelevant. CRT can't trace him on their lockie list because he isn't one.

So, he's just someone unofficial offering to help, and you accepted that help, which as I think most would agree, is always at your own risk. It doesn't sound as if any damage was caused, you just disapproved of how he did the lock, which, as he obviously hasn't been trained by CRT as a lockie, isn't their responsibility.

If you lend someone your windlass, you are giving them leave to twirl it as they feel is right. Personally, I wouldn't lend the receptionist in a garage a spanner and expect them to fix my car. I'd only expect expertise from someone with the right tools.

I don't believe that he is not employed by CRT, I don't believe CRT have no idea that people are painting their property wearing their kit, conspiracy theory gone mad.

[Ianws]

This sounds like it might have been a corporate group volunteering day with an over enthusiastic member going beyond their remit. Just a thought. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

As CRT have not stopped this person I am warning any boaters locally NOT to allow this lockie to operate their lock.

He asks if you want assistance (I'm singlehanded) takes your windlass if he does not have his own then tells a random person to wind the paddles with their back to your boat.

Well at least he asks

Another time just say no ✋🏿

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, Ianws said:

This sounds like it might have been a corporate group volunteering day with an over enthusiastic member going beyond their remit. Just a thought. 

Or he was a CRT employee (group leader/supervisor?) but not trained/qualified/insured to operate locks for boaters.

 

Because if he was, the golden rule for volockies -- according to a friend who is one at Hanwell -- is "you must wear a lifejacket" because this is a H&S condition imposed by insurers, otherwise it's negligence if they fall in and drown.

 

Either way, it's not fair to blame volockies for something a non-volocky did -- and no need to, according to many on here real volockies do enough bad things without needing any extra ones adding on... 😉

Edited June 14, 2023 by IanD