do I have muppet written on my forehead?

[troll]

Now now, non-specifics Snipey........

[sniper]

believe me, mouldy skeletons is not a unit specific problem by any means, don't know how many different interestingly coloured spores I have breathed in doing my job...

++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++

[troll]

do you fart in technicolour?

[sniper]

not as far as I am aware, and I don't burp mushrooms either

++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++

[Tim]

The trench collapse death was reported in the national press (probably the Guardian in 1990-94) if that helps.

Little Tim

[the invisible man]

Hmm, your referencing leaves a little to be desired Tim!

Today, Bradford. Tomorrow, well, Bradford probably.

[Sith]

quote:Originally posted by Tim

quote:Originally posted by troll

I know of no fatalities in British archaeology yet.

I'm sure there was somebody killed in a trench collapse in Colchester(?) and another squished flat by grader on the Channel tunnel project both in the 90's.

Little Tim

As far as I am aware, only one archaeologist has been killed on an excavation in Britain. In July 1970, Jeffrey Radley was killed in York when a trench in which he had been working collapsed. There is a plaque dedicated to him on the Anglian tower in the Museum Gardens.

http://www.yorkstories.co.uk/york_walks-..._590px.jpg

As for the other British incidents being bandied about, I assume that they are either urban myths or the deaths of other construction site workers. Considering the thread on everyone in archaeology being related or known to one another, if someone had died we'd [u]all</u> know about it.


D. Vader
Senior Consultant

Vader Maull & Palpatine
Archaeological Consultants

We are the consultants you are looking for

[Pete M]

quote:Originally posted by Sith

quote:Originally posted by Tim

quote:Originally posted by troll

I know of no fatalities in British archaeology yet.

I'm sure there was somebody killed in a trench collapse in Colchester(?) and another squished flat by grader on the Channel tunnel project both in the 90's.

Little Tim

As far as I am aware, only one archaeologist has been killed on an excavation in Britain. In July 1970, Jeffrey Radley was killed in York when a trench in which he had been working collapsed. There is a plaque dedicated to him on the Anglian tower in the Museum Gardens.

http://www.yorkstories.co.uk/york_walks-..._590px.jpg

As for the other British incidents being bandied about, I assume that they are either urban myths or the deaths of other construction site workers. Considering the thread on everyone in archaeology being related or known to one another, if someone had died we'd [u]all</u> know about it.

I seem to remember a death in the early 90s - a trench collapse. It was the director. He was british but I'm not sure it happened in the UK - maybe France.

[Pete M]

As well as preventing accidents your employer is supposed to instruct you in the correct way to use tools.

There have been a few posters who have moved to desk-jobs after less than 10 years in the field, because of physical problems caused by the job.

I wonder how many people have not had accidents but have health problems resulting from fieldwork? backs is the most common.

To be worn out after 10 years indicates that something is wrong with the training given.

I had to give up mountain-based surveys because of a gammy knee.

[mercenary]

quote:There have been a few posters who have moved to desk-jobs after less than 10 years in the field, because of physical problems caused by the job.

I wonder how many people have not had accidents but have health problems resulting from fieldwork? backs is the most common.

To be worn out after 10 years indicates that something is wrong with the training given.

No, no, no... you cannot train away physical wear and tear. You can only try and limit the worst effects, but time gets us all eventually.

I am currently in post-ex exile because of a general physical breakdown, hopefully not permanent. I made it to 10 years and fully intend to make it to 20, I'll just have to slow down. The point is that I accepted this likely effect many years ago.

There are plenty of things H&S related that are wrong in archaeology, but general wear and tear is not among them. Unless we are going to start excavating sites entirely by trowel while suspended in warm vats of comforting gel, then we are going to get worn down. The trouble is that we end up doing more physical labour than any other job I've ever seen. That includes the building industry. (We are constantly being offered labouring jobs because we graft more than builders)

The only other profession where I've seen similar physical labour was farming, admittedly not one that is overly familiar with H&S legislation.

The solution must be to stop limiting any segment of the workforce to site duties only. A healthy break doing post-ex allows me to heal up for the next campaign, but some of my colleagues don't have that luxury. If they did, they would be better excavators and more engaged with the whole process. Less likely to get disillusioned with the profession and leave as well, I reckon.