9th December 2005, 06:01 PM
The Austrian experience quoted above gives me the shivers. I have seen similarly dangerous practice (although, thankfully, not results) in the UK, but not since the early 1980s and only on University-run research excavations. I have also seen almost exactly the same situation on a construction site, affecting construction workers (not archaeologists), and it did result in almost instant prosecution by the HSE and a large fine.
A point worth making is that this situation could not arise with impunity in Britain. H&S law here applies equally to all employers, and no archaeological unit here could successfully plead that they couldn't be expected to know how to work safely. So, the investigation that took place in Austria, if repeated in Britain, would almost certainly have resulted in a prosecution and a conviction. I had assumed that this would be the case throughout the EU - but apparently not!
In the light of the above, if I saw such dangerous practice here I would report it to the IFA - but only after reporting to the HSE, a much more powerful regulator with stronger sanctions at their disposal.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
A point worth making is that this situation could not arise with impunity in Britain. H&S law here applies equally to all employers, and no archaeological unit here could successfully plead that they couldn't be expected to know how to work safely. So, the investigation that took place in Austria, if repeated in Britain, would almost certainly have resulted in a prosecution and a conviction. I had assumed that this would be the case throughout the EU - but apparently not!
In the light of the above, if I saw such dangerous practice here I would report it to the IFA - but only after reporting to the HSE, a much more powerful regulator with stronger sanctions at their disposal.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished