Abusive Quango?

MOSSAD

A Christmas tree grower told me of an incident which happened last month.
Some of you may have seen an RTE news report on christmas trees where thy talked to a grower about the harvest and and there was footage of the trees being cut and loaded. Anyway, two days later, Health and Safety officers arrived on site to do an inspection.
Coincidence, or just another example of the Irish screwing over their fellow citizens?

Bizzum

MOSSAD wrote: »

A Christmas tree grower told me of an incident which happened last month.
Some of you may have seen an RTE news report on christmas trees where thy talked to a grower about the harvest and and there was footage of the trees being cut and loaded. Anyway, two days later, Health and Safety officers arrived on site to do an inspection.
Coincidence, or just another example of the Irish screwing over their fellow citizens?

I didn't see the news footage, I wonder was there activities that were questionable from a H&S point of view?

How did the inspection go do you know?

MOSSAD

Don't know how it went- topic came up when chatting to this guy about regulation.

washman3

In what way exactly do you think this grower was screwed.? The H&S arrived to do their job. was there an unsafe act screened on TV? were they acting on a report of an unsafe act being screened.? like in the same way a Garda will act on a report of a drunk-driver. does he ignore the report,let the driver kill somebody, rather than upset a "fellow citizen"
if this grower has his house in order he has nothing to fear. they can call every day of the week.
Rubbish conspiracy theories like this from the OP should be confined to where they belong, at the bar counter at 11.30 at night.!

MOSSAD

Conspiracy? Touched a raw nerve there...anychance you're a precious public servant?
Take it from me we need less meddling from mediocre apparatchiks-but then some mediocre people would be out of a job, and might just have to try making it fro themselves.

Atilathehun

Have had numerous inspections by HSA over the years. All unannounced.
Always found them to be practical and helpfull in every way.
Never found them acting just to catch us out etc.
If you are making a fair effort to keep work environment safe you have nothing to fear from them.

washman3

MOSSAD wrote: »

Conspiracy? Touched a raw nerve there...anychance you're a precious public servant?
Take it from me we need less meddling from mediocre apparatchiks-but then some mediocre people would be out of a job, and might just have to try making it fro themselves.

a public servent?? far from it.
so we need "less meddling"?? same attidude that Charlie McCreevey and Bertie had that plunged the country into bankruptcy, they called it light touch regulation.!! and had posters like you whinging that they did'nt do their job,yet praised them all during the "boom" for their foresight.
in they same way if this grower had a workers hand mangled in a machine,they would be the very first whingers to ask "where were the H&S.

washman3

Atilathehun wrote: »

Have had numerous inspections by HSA over the years. All unannounced.
Always found them to be practical and helpfull in every way.
Never found them acting just to catch us out etc.
If you are making a fair effort to keep work environment safe you have nothing to fear from them.

Had the same experience. actually pointed out some hazards that i would'nt have spotted in a month of Sundays, yet all perfectly valid.
agreed that i was making a genuine effort and commended for eradicating the previous hazards.
this evenings six-one news highlighted that 20 people were killed on irish farms this year. bet if any of these unfortunate souls were alive today they would accuse the H&S of "screwing" a fellow citizen.!

MOSSAD

washman3 wrote: »

so we need "less meddling"?? same attidude that Charlie McCreevey and Bertie had that plunged the country into bankruptcy, they called it light touch regulation.!! and had posters like you whinging that they did'nt do their job,yet praised them all during the "boom" for their foresight.
in they same way if this grower had a workers hand mangled in a machine,they would be the very first whingers to ask "where were the H&S.

Well if you like to be led, good luck to you.
I run a safe show and don't want my time wasted by unnecessary bureaucractic interference. Surprised at your attack on Bertie-all these QUANGOS are his creation.
I also object strongly to state intrusiveness in my business activities- it seems in this country, the interpretation and implementation of EU regulations is negative in the extreme.
My understanding from the operation that was inspected was that it was unexpected and related to the news report-at best lazy and opportunistic.

Cardinal Richelieu

MOSSAD wrote: »

Well if you like to be led, good luck to you.
I run a safe show and don't want my time wasted by unnecessary bureaucractic interference. Surprised at your attack on Bertie-all these QUANGOS are his creation.
I also object strongly to state intrusiveness in my business activities- it seems in this country, the interpretation and implementation of EU regulations is negative in the extreme.
My understanding from the operation that was inspected was that it was unexpected and related to the news report-at best lazy and opportunistic.

HSA isn't a Quango, its there to prevent loss of life and as you will be aware the farming sector is high up in the fatal accidents charts, Actually the HSE have gone out of there way to help the farming industry unlike other sectors of the economy. So would you prefer to be inspected when a fatal or serious accident happens in your business or would you rather the friendly preventative audit?

MOSSAD

It's the Health and Safety Authority-not part of the HSE, it's a separate state board.
What is it with people who like to be told what to do? Are any of you capable of figuring out a safe way of work????
JHC, nobody is asking anyone to make a safety report on the safe handling of nitroglycerine or cyanide.
What's next? A protocol for wiping one's ass to avoid total fecal contamination?

Cardinal Richelieu

MOSSAD wrote: »

It's the Health and Safety Authority-not part of the HSE, it's a separate state board.
What is it with people who like to be told what to do? Are any of you capable of figuring out a safe way of work????
JHC, nobody is asking anyone to make a safety report on the safe handling of nitroglycerine or cyanide.
What's next? A protocol for wiping one's ass to avoid total fecal contamination?

Actually most of the risk assessments stem from the Irish culture of sueing their fellow citizens at every opportunity. Fall over a path in Brussels and the city council laughs at you and tells you to look were your going. Fall over a path in Ireland and its the councils fault not the Irish citizen so thats why you have to outline the correct procedures for every simple action. I blame the lawyers.

CJhaughey

In my experience the HSA are slow to take people to court unless they are just not playing ball.
They tend to try and educate first, its only natural to need some guidance.
Maybe the HSA are inspecting Xmas tree farms around now? It would make more sense then doing it in July when there isn't a person in sight.
If the clip showed a guy using a chainsaw without PPE then in my view the visit would have been a good thing. Educate the grower on the need for using PPE.
Look at the stats for farm accidents and fatalities and you will see there is a need for visits.
From the HSA website:
Health and Safety Authority figures show that the fatality rate in agriculture, in particular, is alarmingly high. The sector has a far higher fatality rate than any other major economic sector.

In the ten year period between 1998 and 2007, 15 fatalities per 100,000 workers was recorded, compared with two fatalities per 100,000 workers across all sectors.

Bizzum

MOSSAD wrote: »

Conspiracy? Touched a raw nerve there...anychance you're a precious public servant?

I'm a public servant, but not that precious;) (Note to self: Must try harder!)

Atilathehun wrote: »

Have had numerous inspections by HSA over the years. All unannounced.
Always found them to be practical and helpfull in every way.
Never found them acting just to catch us out etc.
If you are making a fair effort to keep work environment safe you have nothing to fear from them.

I too had the very same experience, unannounced, out of the blue. Like Atila above, I found it all very helpful, practical, and down to earth.
Off the top of my head, it didn't take half an hour of the tax payers time!
A small price to pay for raising safety awareness!

red menace

If the HSA had called into my neighbour last year and made him get a cab or roll bar fitted to his tractor there he might still be around

pakalasa

Bit of bump, but......

"...Some 22 people were killed on farms compared with 25 the previous year, while eight workers in transport and storage business died, up from three in 2010 and six people died on building sites....."


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rise-in-2010-workplace-deaths-to-55-with-agri-sector-most-dangerous-2979973.html