15th July 2005, 03:09 PM
I've just read through the whole of this thread and some of the incidents/conditions described sound like prosecutable offences that should have been reported (by the employee) to the HSE.
As a consultant I see very clearly that H&S practice among archaeologists is way behind that amongst, for instance, construction contractors (one of our key client groups). There is no excuse for failure to properly assess risks (including things like contamination), failure to provide PPE or proper welfare facilities, failure to operate safely, etc; in fact, most of these things can be criminal offences.
On the other hand, H&S is a two-way street, and site staff also have responsibilities for themselves and each other. We try hard to build good H&S practice into contract conditions etc. when putting work out to tender. However, we often find that supervisors/project officers on site are reluctant to enforce the rules against resistance by the staff. I wish I had a ? for every time I have walked towards a trench, only to see the diggers in it hastily putting on their flashy jackets and hard hats when they spot me. Other times, I have asked people directly to put on helmets because and got the equivalent of "awww, do I have to?", which is too childish for words.
In relation to helmets that fall off, they can all take chin straps you know.
1man1desk
As a consultant I see very clearly that H&S practice among archaeologists is way behind that amongst, for instance, construction contractors (one of our key client groups). There is no excuse for failure to properly assess risks (including things like contamination), failure to provide PPE or proper welfare facilities, failure to operate safely, etc; in fact, most of these things can be criminal offences.
On the other hand, H&S is a two-way street, and site staff also have responsibilities for themselves and each other. We try hard to build good H&S practice into contract conditions etc. when putting work out to tender. However, we often find that supervisors/project officers on site are reluctant to enforce the rules against resistance by the staff. I wish I had a ? for every time I have walked towards a trench, only to see the diggers in it hastily putting on their flashy jackets and hard hats when they spot me. Other times, I have asked people directly to put on helmets because and got the equivalent of "awww, do I have to?", which is too childish for words.
In relation to helmets that fall off, they can all take chin straps you know.
1man1desk