Health and Safety driving me bonkers at work...
29 July 2008, 11:04 PM
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Health and Safety driving me bonkers at work...
I had a meeting with a H&S rep in one of our many business-units at work today.
2 other people from the same department turned up - which annoyed me as my department is struggling for resource.. Anyway I digress.
I'd recently converted what was 2 office areas into 2 meeting rooms. ie new carpet, some Lan/power supplies, lighting plus a corridor separating one of the offices away to allow people to pass by without disturbing any meetings..
Imagine this within an existing old building where I have complied with building regs using fire doors etc.
Problem is there is one "nearby" fire escape (which also acts as main access to meeting rooms). Now as this was existing route from what was the old offices I haven't changed the layout enough to warrant a separate escape nor is it far enough away (less than 18m) to not comply.
The new meeting room "users" who normally sit in a building next door are insisting on a 2nd escape route. To do this would cost a fortune plus the only other route would take them through an open plan catering store..
My argument is that I am well within current building regs but they are suggesting outrageous risks such as "what if there's a fire near the only escape door"? My answer to that is that the route is clear (and should remain so if properly managed), has no combustables nor source of ignition. They then said "what if a terrorist came on site, and targeted that particular escape route!" WTF
At that point I shook my head, got up and suggested we all speak to a senior H&S rep who knows a thing or two about this kind of thing.
Honestly how far do these twerps go? What if a terrorist targetted all escape routes from all buildings ffs!
I endeavour work to within regs but these idiots make life so difficult.
Nick
PS I'm knackered in case the above doesn't read too well
2 other people from the same department turned up - which annoyed me as my department is struggling for resource.. Anyway I digress.
I'd recently converted what was 2 office areas into 2 meeting rooms. ie new carpet, some Lan/power supplies, lighting plus a corridor separating one of the offices away to allow people to pass by without disturbing any meetings..
Imagine this within an existing old building where I have complied with building regs using fire doors etc.
Problem is there is one "nearby" fire escape (which also acts as main access to meeting rooms). Now as this was existing route from what was the old offices I haven't changed the layout enough to warrant a separate escape nor is it far enough away (less than 18m) to not comply.
The new meeting room "users" who normally sit in a building next door are insisting on a 2nd escape route. To do this would cost a fortune plus the only other route would take them through an open plan catering store..
My argument is that I am well within current building regs but they are suggesting outrageous risks such as "what if there's a fire near the only escape door"? My answer to that is that the route is clear (and should remain so if properly managed), has no combustables nor source of ignition. They then said "what if a terrorist came on site, and targeted that particular escape route!" WTF
At that point I shook my head, got up and suggested we all speak to a senior H&S rep who knows a thing or two about this kind of thing.
Honestly how far do these twerps go? What if a terrorist targetted all escape routes from all buildings ffs!
I endeavour work to within regs but these idiots make life so difficult.
Nick
PS I'm knackered in case the above doesn't read too well
30 July 2008, 10:23 AM
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I weep for the future i really do.
A lot of these little Hitlers have nothing better to do then make life akward for people like you who just want to get on with the job in hand.
These people dont understand that all this fannying about the company will be losing money, unfortunately these traffic warden wanabees dont see the big picture. They thrive on being obstructive as its there only bit of power they possess.
No doubt they sit in their offices flicking through the Guardian.
What has this world come to??? 
A lot of these little Hitlers have nothing better to do then make life akward for people like you who just want to get on with the job in hand.
These people dont understand that all this fannying about the company will be losing money, unfortunately these traffic warden wanabees dont see the big picture. They thrive on being obstructive as its there only bit of power they possess.
No doubt they sit in their offices flicking through the Guardian.
What has this world come to???
30 July 2008, 07:58 PM
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These people dont understand that all this fannying about the company will be losing money, unfortunately these traffic warden wanabees dont see the big picture. They thrive on being obstructive as its there only bit of power they possess.
are the old money arguament
You should ask the fire brigade to come in and do an assesment, but if I recall and you have a room inside a bigger room then there should be 2 means of access to that room.
This sounds like the best advice your going to get .
are the old money arguament
You should ask the fire brigade to come in and do an assesment, but if I recall and you have a room inside a bigger room then there should be 2 means of access to that room.
This sounds like the best advice your going to get .
30 July 2008, 09:29 PM
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REPLY to terrorist targeting fire escape..well Mr/miss university never got my hands dirty.If a fooking terrorist was going to attack the building,i dare say the objective would be to blow up the whole building with everyone one in it,and no warning anyway..It's not as if terrorist is going to stand outside with a fooking loudspeaker,and shout,I'm a terrorist with a big beard,and I'm targeting your fire escape.you have thirty seconds to clear the building...
30 July 2008, 10:06 PM
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do your toilets have more than one door? Does your brew room have more than one door?
no, end of arguement.
heard something similair at one of my customers, they where told that they needed a fire door at the bottom of their stairs. Great that will stop the fire.
Oh! wait no it wont cos the staircase is made of wood! So the door will stop the fire but everyone will still get burnt to death when the stair case catches fire.
does nobody do common sense any more.
no, end of arguement.
heard something similair at one of my customers, they where told that they needed a fire door at the bottom of their stairs. Great that will stop the fire.
Oh! wait no it wont cos the staircase is made of wood! So the door will stop the fire but everyone will still get burnt to death when the stair case catches fire.
does nobody do common sense any more.
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30 July 2008, 10:32 PM
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it's another prime example of someones good idea (some H&S is needed in certain places) being twisted around in a PC world until it's just a joke.
last time we had them in we had to put a brake on our circular saw, i think it reverses the current to the motor, fine except if you use it more than about once it'll blow the old motor to bits
we've got a big double sided sander with 24" dia metal plate on each side, she wanted the holes in the side of the guard filled in. but they're for the handles to put a new disk on,
'oh' was her reply.
then she wanted a brake on that aswell, the reply she got to that was if you brake the discs, the retaining bolts would shear and there's a good chance it would then roll down the workshop at about 20 mph killing everything in it's path.
'oh' was the reply again.
muppets, ******* muppets
lol, then she wanted a nearby metal foundry to stop using molten metal. the owner is about 70, been doing it since he was a boy and genuinely had no reply to the daftest request he's ever heard in his life
sorry for the rant, these people seem hell bent on closing down small firms just to tick a bloody box.
last time we had them in we had to put a brake on our circular saw, i think it reverses the current to the motor, fine except if you use it more than about once it'll blow the old motor to bits
we've got a big double sided sander with 24" dia metal plate on each side, she wanted the holes in the side of the guard filled in. but they're for the handles to put a new disk on,
'oh' was her reply.
then she wanted a brake on that aswell, the reply she got to that was if you brake the discs, the retaining bolts would shear and there's a good chance it would then roll down the workshop at about 20 mph killing everything in it's path.
'oh' was the reply again.
muppets, ******* muppets
lol, then she wanted a nearby metal foundry to stop using molten metal. the owner is about 70, been doing it since he was a boy and genuinely had no reply to the daftest request he's ever heard in his life
sorry for the rant, these people seem hell bent on closing down small firms just to tick a bloody box.
30 July 2008, 11:05 PM
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I forgot to mention that adjacent to the "single escape lobby" is a toilet....
I should have asked the twerps how we propose to tell the fire not to start if someone is in there
Mannyo - There's not a room within a room. Both meeting rooms are side by side with separate access off a main corridor. The main corridor then leads to the fire escape lobby via a separate door (fire-rated of course).
It's hard to describe without uploading the layout but I know I'm right.
Spirite - "reasonably practicable!" Oh no, a key phrase used all the time on any Risk/H&S course!
Hoskib - rant away mate!
Nick
I should have asked the twerps how we propose to tell the fire not to start if someone is in there
Mannyo - There's not a room within a room. Both meeting rooms are side by side with separate access off a main corridor. The main corridor then leads to the fire escape lobby via a separate door (fire-rated of course).
It's hard to describe without uploading the layout but I know I'm right.
Spirite - "reasonably practicable!" Oh no, a key phrase used all the time on any Risk/H&S course!
Hoskib - rant away mate!
Nick
31 July 2008, 01:11 AM
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I still laugh at the day when this twerp (not H&S - just a random desk driving busy body), shouted at me and my collegue for not wearing hard hats whilst working on a flat roof (not a site, just the top of an office tower with guard rails and all).
We both sarcastically looked up at the sky, then at each other scratching our heads looking confused at what was going to fall on top of us. The twerp then stormed off to the building manager to complain about us, who then told him to f*** off
We both sarcastically looked up at the sky, then at each other scratching our heads looking confused at what was going to fall on top of us. The twerp then stormed off to the building manager to complain about us, who then told him to f*** off
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