Anyone seen this yet ??????????????

[bargiepat]

The Dudley museum has installed a feature showing an old technique called "legging".

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...nds/7848798.stm

[twocvbloke]

The Dudley museum has installed a feature showing an old technique called "legging".

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england...nds/7848798.stm

 

£10million to try out legging? Could they not just go to a real canal tunnel and try it out for real for less?

[Dominic M]

Here's another link about leggings.

 

Quite a lot cheaper.

[Hairy-Neil]

I always understood that transportation was a penal sentence.....

[greywolf]

When i went there many years ago the trip boat gave people a chance to try out legging in the tunnels there.I suppose this might now have been banned by health and safety.

[Jason Wilson and Family]

When i went there many years ago the trip boat gave people a chance to try out legging in the tunnels there.I suppose this might now have been banned by health and safety.

 

 

 

[RANT]; I positively hate these health and safety folks and whoever it was who decided to put some of the most fragile and sensitive people in charge of the worlds 'well-being'. The ones here in the states are no better. In Kentucky they have a landmark known as the natural bridge, the first time I went, you hiked up a rough trail then had to squeeze yourself up a kind of natural staircase. When we got to the top my dad,like everyone else, let us all lay down, scoot to the edge and wave at our family 50 or so feet below us. The second time I went there were finished trails with benches every fifty feet, all the way up, by-passing the stone steps and what meets us at the top, a railing, set back five feet from the edges. All in the name of 'protecting' us. No thanks. [/RANT]

Edited January 25, 2009 by Jason Wilson and Family

[Smelly]

If they've stopped leggin due to elf and safety it must have been very recent, we went about 3 years ago and they let us leg through the tunnel.. we have the certificates to prove it!

 

BP

Edited January 25, 2009 by Smelly

[NB Esk]

 

[RANT]; I positively hate these health and safety folks and whoever it was who decided to put some of the most fragile and sensitive people in charge of the worlds 'well-being'. The ones here in the states are no better. In Kentucky they have a landmark known as the natural bridge, the first time I went, you hiked up a rough trail then had to squeeze yourself up a kind of natural staircase. When we got to the top my dad,like everyone else, let us all lay down, scoot to the edge and wave at our family 50 or so feet below us. The second time I went there were finished trails with benches every fifty feet, all the way up, by-passing the stone steps and what meets us at the top, a railing, set back five feet from the edges. All in the name of 'protecting' us. No thanks. [/RANT]

 

Here-here, Jason. But in thier defence, before they embarked upon the coffee morning of *elfinsafety* they may have had to endure a fortnight's hard labour, on the cosmetic's counter, at Boots...

[SteveE]

 

[RANT]; I positively hate these health and safety folks and whoever it was who decided to put some of the most fragile and sensitive people in charge of the worlds 'well-being'. The ones here in the states are no better. In Kentucky they have a landmark known as the natural bridge, the first time I went, you hiked up a rough trail then had to squeeze yourself up a kind of natural staircase. When we got to the top my dad,like everyone else, let us all lay down, scoot to the edge and wave at our family 50 or so feet below us. The second time I went there were finished trails with benches every fifty feet, all the way up, by-passing the stone steps and what meets us at the top, a railing, set back five feet from the edges. All in the name of 'protecting' us. No thanks. [/RANT]

 

I agree entirely but the real culprits in this are the lawyers and the courts. It is they who award compensation for people who fall on seaweed-covered slipways and scald themselves on water coming out of hot taps, etc, etc. The elfin safety industry is brought into play to prevent the sometimes considerable financial costs which are often incurred by those at the receiving end of this sort of bollocks thing.

 

SteveE

[Dominic M]

I agree entirely but the real culprits in this are the lawyers and the courts. It is they who award compensation for people who fall on seaweed-covered slipways and scald themselves on water coming out of hot taps, etc, etc. The elfin safety industry is brought into play to prevent the sometimes considerable financial costs which are often incurred by those at the receiving end of this sort of bollocks thing.

 

SteveE

Compensation claims like this are, apparently, an urban myth in the UK. Designed to justify huge hikes in insurance premia. H&S has become ridiculous - we need genuine H&S and that is perfectly reasonable - but we now have people employed in the public sector running around contributing nothing to the economy and doing lots to make the rest of our lives difficult. It is a disease that will not go away until it is accepted that life is not without risk and whingers who expect otherwise are told to grow up and accept responsibility for their own actions. Allowing people to assess risk for themselves in other words, and taking responsibility for the consequences.

[fuzzyduck]

and of course allowing companies to order their employees to repair ovens that are so hot it cooks them alive.

[twocvbloke]

and of course allowing companies to order their employees to repair ovens that are so hot it cooks them alive.

 

But if the oven was broken, surely it'll be cold?

[Dominic M]

and of course allowing companies to order their employees to repair ovens that are so hot it cooks them alive.

Yeah, and that too.

 

I like your current signature.

[estwdjhn]

but we now have people employed in the public sector running around contributing nothing to the economy and doing lots to make the rest of our lives difficult

Its not just the public sector - most firms now employ a totally pointless person to assess H&S risks. We have one in our factory - she invented a guard for a flatbed saw so dangerous that we refused to use the thing until it was removed, and has made us paint lots of yellow lines on the floor which no-one takes a blind bit of notice of.

 

For these valueless services, she's probably paid twice what I am, dispite the fact that 1) I too could paint yellow lines, and 2) I actually understand the issues surrounding the safe use of metal saws (given I used to use the every day for a living)

[Dominic M]

Its not just the public sector - most firms now employ a totally pointless person to assess H&S risks. We have one in our factory - she invented a guard for a flatbed saw so dangerous that we refused to use the thing until it was removed, and has made us paint lots of yellow lines on the floor which no-one takes a blind bit of notice of.

 

For these valueless services, she's probably paid twice what I am, dispite the fact that 1) I too could paint yellow lines, and 2) I actually understand the issues surrounding the safe use of metal saws (given I used to use the every day for a living)

I once had an office on two floors in an old mews house in Islington, London. One day two (why two?) employees from the local council turned up unannounced. They asked to look around, and then declared that they considered the stairs too steep for safety. I suggested they take the matter up with the builder. They looked at me bleakly - the place dated from c.1840 - and left. Cost to the taxpayer of this complete waste of time? I dread to think.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Dominic M

[cotswoldsman]

£10million to try out legging? Could they not just go to a real canal tunnel and try it out for real for less?

 

The tunnel to try out the legging is part of a £10 million spend the article I have to say does not make this very clear.

 

Concerning H & S I do undertand why a lot of people get very frustrated on this subject and papers such as the Daily Mail have spent years reporting the stupid examples and there are many. As allready pointed out a lot of these issues are caused by insurance companies wishing rightly to reduce risk.

I am a great supporter of H & S at work it is an employers duty to ensure they protect employees.

[ChrisPy]

I once had an office on two floors in an old mews house in Islington, London. One day two (why two?) employees from the local council turned up unannounced. They asked to look around, and then declared that they considered the stairs too steep for safety. I suggested they take the matter up with the builder. They looked at me bleakly - the place dated from c.1840 - and left. Cost to the taxpayer of this complete waste of time? I dread to think.

But our unemployment figures would be even worse without these worthies.

 

And you would work less hours (and get paid less) because you wouldn't have to allocate 25% of your time to HSE activities including training, on the job audits, safety observations and miscellaneous reportage.

 

*************************************************************

 

Recently I worked with BP and they insisted I sign a Personal HSE Contract that obliged me to ensure certain things were done, most of which fell outside my job description and my delegated powers to influence in any way. .... but when I and all the others were forced to sign, someone managed to report 100% compliance statistically. My "Contract" was e-mailed to the Business Unit Manager as an attachment to a 3-page e-mail expressing my reservations because I refused to be made responsible for things outwith my control.

 

When I joined a national civils contractor in the 60s there was one safety officer covering the Region - about 10,000 employees I would guess. In BP recently we were expected to employ one dedicated HSE person for every 40 employees. The job is no safer as a result.

 

Elfins indeed. ........ and other things that you normally only see in your dreams ...........

[Dominic M]

But our unemployment figures would be even worse without these worthies.

 

And you would work less hours (and get paid less) because you wouldn't have to allocate 25% of your time to HSE activities including training, on the job audits, safety observations and miscellaneous reportage.

 

*************************************************************

 

Recently I worked with BP and they insisted I sign a Personal HSE Contract that obliged me to ensure certain things were done, most of which fell outside my job description and my delegated powers to influence in any way. .... but when I and all the others were forced to sign, someone managed to report 100% compliance statistically. My "Contract" was e-mailed to the Business Unit Manager as an attachment to a 3-page e-mail expressing my reservations because I refused to be made responsible for things outwith my control.

 

When I joined a national civils contractor in the 60s there was one safety officer covering the Region - about 10,000 employees I would guess. In BP recently we were expected to employ one dedicated HSE person for every 40 employees. The job is no safer as a result.

 

Elfins indeed. ........ and other things that you normally only see in your dreams ...........

Something like one in three working people are employed in the public sector - which means the other two are having to pay for them.

 

Make of that what you will.

[Tam & Di]

- most firms now employ a totally pointless person to assess H&S risks.

 

The problem is that the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1996 (with the nice friendly acronym RIDDOR) puts a whole wadge of liabilities on an employer or any operation that gives public access to places. It's a British disease to go OTT on stuff like this - there is probably a basis of sense about it but it gets taken to absurd lengths, and we do seem to be a nation of "jobsworths". In France people have to have personal insurance, so here we can still climb around crumbling town ramparts without safety fences getting in the way everywhere.

[ChrisPy]

and one of the most obnoxious spin-offs is that customers cannot smoke in the workplace of barmen so instead we get drunken louts hanging about on the sometimes very narrow pavement outside pubs gasping on their fags while passers-by try to avoid being accosted in a public place.

 

.... well it may not be that common, but there are a few high streets in Bristol that I would avoid these days, especially if I had small kids with me.

Edited January 26, 2009 by ChrisPy

[Dominic M]

The problem is that the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1996 (with the nice friendly acronym RIDDOR) puts a whole wadge of liabilities on an employer or any operation that gives public access to places. It's a British disease to go OTT on stuff like this - there is probably a basis of sense about it but it gets taken to absurd lengths, and we do seem to be a nation of "jobsworths". In France people have to have personal insurance, so here we can still climb around crumbling town ramparts without safety fences getting in the way everywhere.

I think that's it in a nutshell.

 

Of course there is sense in Health & Safety precautions, but it has been taken to ridiculous extremes in Britain. The English in particular seem to produce a breed of jobsworth clip board merchant unsurpassed by any other Western nation.

[NB Alnwick]

I think that's it in a nutshell.

 

Of course there is sense in Health & Safety precautions, but it has been taken to ridiculous extremes in Britain. The English in particular seem to produce a breed of jobsworth clip board merchant unsurpassed by any other Western nation.

 

Of course! We invented it!

 

Sadly, unlike all our other inventions, that have been exported and are now being produced (much better) abroad, when it comes to the man with the clipboard, nobody does it better!

[Dominic M]

Of course! We invented it!

 

Sadly, unlike all our other inventions, that have been exported and are now being produced (much better) abroad, when it comes to the man with the clipboard, nobody does it better!

I'll have to risk assess this post before responding in full, Graham, and possibly attach it to my mission statement.

[bargiepat]

Hi,

How about Mario on Big Brother.................. He did so much to raise the profile of this 'Elf and spacy' thing.

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3nr-1Yr5WVk