do I have muppet written on my forehead?

[mercenary]

Yep, emptying barrows for the females is sexist. The solution, and it took me a while to learn this one, is to judge carefully how much to put in a barrow.

If a heavy clay, put in less.

If tired, put in less.

If raining with steep ramp, definitely put in less.

And never, ever try to compete with the other excavators. Know your limits.

[troll]

I think that one of the major drawbacks in current arch HS is simply that we are pushed to carry out tasks to a ridiculous timetable in a competative environment. If we could introduce line managers to the concept of including Human workers in their time budgeting, I would argue that the many ailments alluded to here recently would decrease exponentially. If we do have to carry out manual tasks that are potentially dangerous, lets not do so at formula one speeds........

[sniper]

i've always found that the quicker you try and push a barrow up a slippery slope, the less likely you are to have time in which to slide about, drop it and end up on your arse...

++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++

[achingknees]

quote:Originally posted by kevin wooldridge

quote:At any rate, I see some people doing so very foolish things with shovels and mattocks on site now, mostly in the name of inexperience and speed

And theres the rub. H&S advice is one thing. Proper training in the use of tools another. We must have all seen colleagues who cannot use shovels, picks or mattocks, wheelbarrows or even trowels in a correct fashion. But how do you tell someone? It feels like almost the worst thing that you can ever say to a fellow digger. 'Err - look there's a better way to hold/use that tool/implement'.

Bring back 'Tool Olympics' on site, I say. It might be frowned upon as macho bulls-h!*t but at least you could observe the technique of someone who could genuinely use a shovel/mattock/trowel and who probably worked in a very ergomatic, energy conserving manner as well. I also think that big people helping little people by sharing and emptying barrows is a good idea.

If you have difficulty passing on advice/experience ask the supervisor to do it. The construction industry have taken on the (American?) practise of tool-box talks. This is time-out to discuss working practices, how to use tools safely and effectively etc.

But, as I've said before, there are alternatives to wheelbarrows and slippery slopes. I saw some guys clearing out a garden last week. Small machine was used to empty rubble into a power barrow with occasional shovel or two when required. In no time their skip was full. It looked loads more efficient than our navvie practices.

[rachstebbs]

See I'm always more than happy to let the boys do the hard work!
But seriously I'm willing to empty barrows and do heavy work, but I am about half the size of most blokes on site and although I hate to admit it, they can do the heavier work a lot more easily than I can. Its not a question of sexism or 'big people helping little people', i'd call it teamwork. (thats not meant to sound patronising!)

[the invisible man]

It is not sexist for one person to help another person because that person needs help. It would be sexist to press uninvited help solely on grounds of biological sex. It would be a form of received sexism to refuse help, or not to ask for help, for fear of "betraying" your sex - male or female. Also very silly.

Technique is everything. I have seen many people small of stature, mainly female, wielding shovels and mattocks and driving wheelbarrows with a greater ease than most large males. I don't mean to patronise, but I suppose if you're slighlty built then you have to dig smart.

Today, Bradford. Tomorrow, well, Bradford probably.

[Pedant]

quote:Originally posted by achingknees

If you have difficulty passing on advice/experience ask the supervisor to do it.

Problem is, some people just won't listen... even to their supervisor. I have seen people struggling with mattocks/shovels, advised a better way of doing it by the supervisor, along the lines of "This will be easier on you," and the advice is rejected usually with gales of laughter cos they think you're taking the p*ss.

You can always tell a Brummie... but you can't tell him much

[Curator Kid]

quote:
Problem is, some people just won't listen... even to their supervisor. I have seen people struggling with mattocks/shovels, advised a better way of doing it by the supervisor, along the lines of "This will be easier on you," and the advice is rejected usually with gales of laughter cos they think you're taking the p*ss.

Those people deserve the kind of backache that I have to put up with. And I did listen. Maybe they should be made to speak to a bunch of ex-field types who can't dig any more because their bodies are knackered.

[kevin wooldridge]

quote: Maybe they should be made to speak to a bunch of ex-field types who can't dig any more because their bodies are knackered.

There must be another side to this coin though. Surely there are some old lags out there who have been digging since the dinosaurs and are still fit (and enthusiatic) enough to continue doing it. Would they care to share their secret?

It must be down to something. Luck? Diet? Yoga? Small blue pills? Celibacy?

[Beardstroker]

Pace yourself, especially when digging in heavy wet stuff like clay, I'd say.

And don't try to take on people who are younger and fitter then you at moving dirt, especially of the wet, sticky clay variety. It certainly isn't the way to prove that your a better digger then them. (assuming you realy feel the need to prove that anywayll)