29th June 2004, 01:09 PM
I think it is easy to be blas? about this and accept weak and painful joints, bad backs etc as a fact of life. With proper guidance they are avoidable. I have no doubt that guidance about the correct way to lift heavy weights does save people's backs. I think that simple matters of alternating tasks and taking short breaks could help avoid 'claw hand' or bad knees.
Training is important and so is personal responsibility, but in order for them to work, information and guidance is needed. Risk Assessments and company H&S guidance can be more than simply covering a company's liability, there is no reason why they cannot offer sensible and genuine advice and actually be read by staff. Those compiling such documents need to know what the risks are and how to reduce them. There are risks that are peculiar to archaeology, the HSE does not have a section on archaeology and it not just about people 'protecting themselves' it is about companies educating staff in all possible dangers from the immediate and obvious (falling down a big hole) to the less immediate and less obvious (rheumatism in your 30's) and encouraging people to protect themselves.
Of course the best H&S advice is probably don't do field archaeology, but then you might as well tell people not to drink beer...
Training is important and so is personal responsibility, but in order for them to work, information and guidance is needed. Risk Assessments and company H&S guidance can be more than simply covering a company's liability, there is no reason why they cannot offer sensible and genuine advice and actually be read by staff. Those compiling such documents need to know what the risks are and how to reduce them. There are risks that are peculiar to archaeology, the HSE does not have a section on archaeology and it not just about people 'protecting themselves' it is about companies educating staff in all possible dangers from the immediate and obvious (falling down a big hole) to the less immediate and less obvious (rheumatism in your 30's) and encouraging people to protect themselves.
Of course the best H&S advice is probably don't do field archaeology, but then you might as well tell people not to drink beer...