19th July 2005, 06:56 PM
It`s amazing that this topic pops up on a regular basis regarding H&S within archaeology. What makes me laugh...and cry with frustration is that the well known company i work for has a senior member of staff responsible for H&S. This person has no training in any H&S whatsoever and most of the jobs i have worked on for this person have resulted in breaches of H&S (where the hell do i stand, i cannot tell the senior managers my concerns as this person is golden balls to them). Imagine if a serious accident occures, even a death which is almost inevitable, then:face-confused: the HSE would throw the book at the unit. Maybe, and i hate saying it, it would take a serious accident to occur for things to change. I love my job, the people i meet, the experiences that i have gained...but when a senior manager tells me that a site is free from contaminates (even though the geotech guys are wearing chemical suits and masks, and then a strong chemical smell comes from the trench..."errr" he said "stand up wind".