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+--- Thread: Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) (/showthread.php?tid=3798)
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - GnomeKing - 26th March 2011
Indeed - real safety systems/structures/mentalities, not just bits of paper....
Verily: something 'turning up' unexpectedly is one half of the definition of accident - the other is when safety systems have been ignored/abused/poorly constructed.
Dino is right in this;- 'over zealous' or deliberately disingenuous application of OHS guidelines to stop excavation can coincide remarkably with problematic/complex archaeology that is just beyond the initial budget/deadline (oh, lawks-a-mercy, its too deep/it could be toxic/cant justify the shoring/proper kit etc. - will just have to leave it there... (shhh.... phew,just a well eh?))
i guess it swings both ways - i think it is critical to move beyond bits of paper and noddy training courses, and foster real attitudes and structures of Accountability and Responsibility, in all aspects of work :OHS, CPD, pay and conditions, hierarchies etc.
Modern OHS has improved safety - however i think it may be possible to analyse more cynically as well;
Corporate interests are well served by blurring the boundaries of risk - legislation originally aimed at serious incidents has morphed over time to cover nearly any mundane everyday task....
a)workers are too busy 'being safe' to be 'discontent'...
b)excellent market potential for 'safety' hawksters
c) distinctions between risks become blurred - nothing is really safe - a strangely Existential and Relativistic Post-Modern Philosophy, for such a bureaucratic outfit as the HSE - but the real problems lie at the top end of Corporate fuck-ups and slap-overs ... (BP Oil Spill anybody?)
("With respect Sir, i know we said our Plant was Bullet-Proof , but nothing is really 100% safe is it, why sir, did you know that even climbing on that stool ,to reach that there shelf, could entail serious long term health consequences? No - then buy my Miracle COSHH Approved Safety Snake Oil, guaranteed to make any industry shine - most economical product on the market today! (warning: may not contain snake oil, and could be hazardous to health. Always read label and sign risk assessment.)
Back to Fukushima...
Could well be be that the following is true:
radiation levels in 20 mile exclusion zone now 10x higher than in equivalent 20 mile zone around Chernobyl....at 70 miles, the rate is twice as high as Chernobyl equivalent.....
UN reported deaths directly linked to Chernobyl c.9000 (?), where it took 3 days for Russia to evacuate population and set up exclusions zones (to 70 mile i think)...
Still no mass evacuation in Japan 70 mile zone, just 20 mile zone,.. and after 2 weeks...
and indisputable evidence of breached core vessels + meltdowns (ie neutron beams and fission products)
add it up...result is not good, and is till getting worse.
To echo millions of others - deep sorrow for Japan.
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - P Prentice - 28th March 2011
GnomeKing Wrote:Indeed - real safety systems/structures/mentalities, not just bits of paper....
indeed so
Dino is right in this;- 'over zealous' or deliberately disingenuous application of OHS guidelines to stop excavation can coincide remarkably with problematic/complex archaeology that is just beyond the initial budget/deadline (oh, lawks-a-mercy, its too deep/it could be toxic/cant justify the shoring/proper kit etc. - will just have to leave it there... (shhh.... phew,just a well eh?))
and if this is the case - let's see the evidence and campaigne against it
i guess it swings both ways - i think it is critical to move beyond bits of paper and noddy training courses, and foster real attitudes and structures of Accountability and Responsibility, in all aspects of work :OHS, CPD, pay and conditions, hierarchies etc.
totally agree
Modern OHS has improved safety - however i think it may be possible to analyse more cynically as well;
Corporate interests are well served by blurring the boundaries of risk - legislation originally aimed at serious incidents has morphed over time to cover nearly any mundane everyday task....
a)workers are too busy 'being safe' to be 'discontent'...
b)excellent market potential for 'safety' hawksters
c) distinctions between risks become blurred - nothing is really safe - a strangely Existential and Relativistic Post-Modern Philosophy, for such a bureaucratic outfit as the HSE - but the real problems lie at the top end of Corporate fuck-ups and slap-overs ... (BP Oil Spill anybody?)
totally agree
..To echo millions of others - deep sorrow for Japan.
totally agree
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Sith - 28th March 2011
GnomeKing Wrote:Dino is right in this;- 'over zealous' or deliberately disingenuous application of OHS guidelines to stop excavation can coincide remarkably with problematic/complex archaeology that is just beyond the initial budget/deadline (oh, lawks-a-mercy, its too deep/it could be toxic/cant justify the shoring/proper kit etc. - will just have to leave it there... (shhh.... phew,just a well eh?))
Some of that is the result of badly prepared contacts or WSIs. If you include contingencies to cover some of the more common 'unexpected' requirements like shoring for deeper than expected excvations or pumps for surprisingly wet weather then there is no need to go cap in hand for more dosh.
No one seems to have mentioned that risk assessments should be updated regularly to account for changes on site. After all, as von Moltke pointed out, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'.
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Jack - 28th March 2011
"Modern OHS has improved safety - however i think it may be possible to analyse more cynically as well;
Corporate interests are well served by blurring the boundaries of risk - legislation originally aimed at serious incidents has morphed over time to cover nearly any mundane everyday task....
a)workers are too busy 'being safe' to be 'discontent'..."
Workers too busy? I wish:face-stir:
In my experience some workers are discontent regardless of the conditions!
I've never experienced anyone happily being busy 'being safe' its more likely to be the cause of discontentxx(
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Dinosaur - 28th March 2011
I can think of a piece of world heritage site that got machined out and replaced with 'inert material' without archaeological intervention because of 'contaminated ground' issues which in reality could have been solved by people wearing gloves and washing their hands occasionally.....
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - GnomeKing - 13th April 2011
oh really?
http://unsilentgeneration.com/2011/04/12/french-warning-on-japanese-radioactive-fallout-in-europe-is-the-us-in-danger/
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Jack - 14th April 2011
Ah but....
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/us-japan-nuclear-qanda-idUKTRE73B5Z320110412?pageNumber=1
Its difficult to extract the truth from political agendas
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Betts_Fan - 14th April 2011
Wow, this debate got lively...
I'm fairly certain if they have procedures in place they should be okay... I think.
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Betts_Fan - 14th April 2011
I highly doubt they'd get away with that! :face-huh::face-thinks:
Radioactive Fallout and Fieldwork (Worldwide) - Boxoffrogs - 14th April 2011
The contam risk to us in the UK is minimal folks....Just dont apply for dig jobs in Japan... simples!