Diggers' Forum Survey on CPD and Training provision in UK Commercial Archaeology

[chiz]

And thanks David for the help!

[Dinosaur]

Would be a more interesting (and actually probably more useful in general terms for overall archaeological [site staff, anyway] career development) if you ran a survey on what pathetically small percentage of diggers hold a driving licence and why - have just been informed I've got to 'stay away' for the next two weeks to play taxi service to a house full of diggers with a shiny 4WD and no one who can drive it - it's absolutely ridiculous, I've got a perfectly good home (and life) which is actually quicker to drive to, although annoyingly in the opposite direction. All the talk of CPD is actually fairly irrelevent if they can't be a**ed to get the one qualification that's the critical requirement to get them promoted at some point! Everyone else in the construction/related industries seems to manage it and plenty of them get paid as little or less than us. Back in the days of vols and MSC and all that people managed to pay for lessons and a car at the end of it (I did for a start) and in relative terms (underlined before someone jumps down my throat, yes I know the pay's still s**t) diggers these days are rolling in it

All this fancy CPD stuff is b*****s, get a driving licence and a CSCS card and jump to the top of the being-employed table? :face-stir:


...ok, rant over, bad day - oh, take note, stay at least 20m, probably further, from farmers distributing fertiliser pellets, they fly further and hurt more than you'd think :0

[Jack]

Q67 smelled fishy.......it made me feel like there was something inbetween the lines............call me paranoid.

I am unaware of any issues to do with working alongside a co-worker who is pregnant, why would extra training be required...........I may be missing the obvious, or being old, it may be an aspect of this new pc-rich world?

Also when supervising someone on an excavation, it is obvious you need to be aware of any medical conditions, especially if your a safety officer. Though is specific training required? Surely any emergency requires the same actions whether its due to an accident related injury or a medical condition-related incident?

...'some form of advice/training about how to discuss any requirements they may or may not have'

I may be dim, but I'm not sure what you mean by this? Training on how to ask questions? Not trying to be facetious, but wouldn't this come under general safety policy? Do pregnant people require different treatment than non-pregnant people? Do people just back from maternity leave?

Other than the usual forms of communication on issues that may effect safety or work I can't think of anything??

[Rich_cuk]

The thing that stands out for me is smoking and asthma, as an asthmatic cig smoke really affects me badly. It does not affect all asthmatics - animals do not affect me at all. Having asked several people on excavations, very few people would know what to do if I had an asthma attack.

[Jack]

You shouldn't be exposed to smoke at work........though do you mean out in the open?

I'd say the answer is ring for an ambulance/paramedic

Though i am guessing there is some simple help anyone who knows can do? Use your inhaler? sit down and rest?

[kevin wooldridge]

Q67
I am unaware of any issues to do with working alongside a co-worker who is pregnant, why would extra training be required..........

There are specific site risks that could affect pregnant staff more than non-pregnant staff. The first and most obvious is one the risk of zoonotic agents that might threaten the health of the embryo. Where it is known that there is a risk of contact, there should be a specific risk assessment above and beyond the generic 'don't eat the cowshit' warning. Secondly there are certain heavy metal that whilst risky to everyone, are particularly dangerous where trans-placental exposure might be a possible outcome. Thirdly I guess is just the requirement that all of the necessary sanitary and hygiene requirement should be in place and all that implies...

[Dinosaur]

I'd say the answer is ring for an ambulance/paramedic

Though i am guessing there is some simple help anyone who knows can do? Use your inhaler? sit down and rest?

You weren't paying attention at your last first aid refresher - they should be making you aware they're asthmatic and where they keep their inhaler (and hopefully a spare) - and if they're having an attack and that doesn't work dial 999. They shouldn't be allowed on site without their inhaler in the first place, but sent home to fetch it (sorry, not a dig at asthmatics, merely common sense and should have been taught on the course) - ditto diabetics and any other self-treated conditions

[Rich_cuk]

Exactly, which is what I always do. Unfortunately people do smoke around the site hut, and on urban sites it can be bad if the wind is in the wrong direction.

[Wax]

Do all co workers need to know the personal details of each others potential health issues or is it just the direct line managers? Where does confidentiality come in to this? I would hope that a certain level of privacy is maintained and it is only the people who need to know who have access to the information. I know common sense might suggest you should let all your colleagues know of potential health issues you may have but these things can be very sensitive. As can the issue of whether someone is pregnant or not especially in the first 3 months when many pregnancies end naturally in miscarriage. Which can be as devastating as any other bereavment.


Kevin is right about the increased risks from zoonotic agents and heavy metals to the embryo and any manager who takes health and safety seriously should know this even if the pregnant person does' nt.

Personally I would not expect to be aware of all my co workers health issues but I would expect management to know and to be taking them into account.
Lost my inhaler years ago and have not needed it in over a decade but I often forget that technically I am asthmatic and that it could kill me.

[Dinosaur]

You should at least be making your designated site first-aider aware if you have a condition such as asthma or diabetes, they'll be the first trying to kill you otherwise when/if you have an attack - I can never remember which diabetes is which, for a start, whereas its much simpler if I know that if such-and-such is behaving wierdly they probably need their emergency Mars Bar (other linear confectionary items are available) and a sit down, used to drink with a guy who made sure everyone knew that was what to do and it was never a drama. You should probably be making your 'line manager' (prob. supervisor or PO?) aware too, heads off you being sent on your own to that far-away ditch section at the other end of the site where it might take several hours for anyone to realise they haven't seen you for a while...

On smoking - I pretty much chain-smoke when I'm on site, but I certainly don't mind re-locating my filthy habit(s), eg. if I'm walking across site with a non-smoker I usually automatically walk on the down-wind side anyway - if someone's fag-smoke (or anything else) is p***ing you off, say so, if they're not prepared to modify their behaviour to fit in with/round their work-mates, they're in the wrong, not you.

@Wax - if there's any possibility of your asthma making a sudden reappearance, if you were working for me I'd be a lot happier if you told me - would save a lot of drama (and possibly your life) and wasted time saved trying to figure out what was wrong, and prob quicker and prioritised 999 response if you just tell them straight away what/how serious the problem is :face-thinks: .