work health and safety

[beast5680]

where i work the company supply all our ppe (personal protective equipment) such as goggles,hard hat, gloves of various descriptions,welding protection, hi vis gear waterproofs and overalls but they say they do not have to supply safety boots [-X is this right? is a company not obliged to supply safety boots? seeing as we,re not allowed to work if not wearing them i find this odd :-k anyone with any experience of this?
what i find strange is that they say they have to supply hard hats but not boots??? so someting can fall on my head but not my feet

[tack43]

We get steel toed boots or shoes in the ambulance service as our PPE.

Rich

[crazymac]

In the Coastguard we are supplied with out steel toe cap boots.

Its as the name says PPE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT!!

[boss]

HSWA states that you must be provided ALL forms of PPE that is needed in your place of work. you are well within your right to take them to court over this.
i started my new job and for the first 2 weeks i was using my own boots becasue they had not provided any for me. first day of my third week i refused to where my own boots and low and behold some boots appeared! amazing that


i am fresh out of college and am still doing HS courses so any other questions ask away orrrrrr

contact graham heeley here
http://www.safetymen.co.uk/

just done 4 courses with him and he knows his stuff

hope that helps



boss

[beast5680]

what i need to know is if they are legally obliged to provide safety footwear that is fit for the job i do, they do provide a safety shoe for the car division which is fine for them as they work on a nice clean workshop floor, as i,m in the agricultural division i work mainly on site eg farms etc and my argument is the shoe is not fit for what i do, we often work in wet,mud,uneven ground etc where there is a risk of stuff falling on your foot or the risk of treading on something sharp

[freelanderpx54]

Your employer has to provide the correct footwear for you job. If you are out on farms, muddy areas then you could argue the case for a steel toecap boot and steel toecap wellingtons (yes you can get them)

[muddyjames]

agency guys at work wont get given steel toe capped boots from thier agency unless they pay the agency £30 for them.

[lee celtic]

We get overalls , gloves and defenders (eye and ear) but they give us £15 towards boots their reason is that you can buy a pair of very cheap very nasty steel toe cap shoes for £15 but no one would be seen dead in them (true) so we pay the rest ourselves so we can go as up market as we want ....

I pocket the £15 and wear cheap trainers £10 and last 2 years  (gelert clearance is just down the road) :lol: I work mostly it the office and have a doctors note saying the heavy steel boots are bad for my back  ;) and as we are allowed 2 pairs a year thats £30 for nothing  ;)

[Gordo]

We get overalls , gloves and defenders (eye and ear) but they give us £15 towards boots their reason is that you can buy a pair of very cheap very nasty steel toe cap shoes for £15 but no one would be seen dead in them (true) so we pay the rest ourselves so we can go as up market as we want ....

You really do get what you pay for. I had cheap boots for years, and finally decided to get a decent pair and they're miles more comfortable - in fact they're the most comfortable footwear I own (but you can't wear riggers all the time, especially in an office).

If you're on your feet all day then a good pair of boots or shoes can make a huge difference to your back and general comfort.

[lee celtic]

Best bit about being in charge ,,, If somthing is heavy enough to hurt my feet I just tell someone else to move it.. :lol: :lol:

[waveydavey]

This should cover it:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg174.pdf

That is from the people who enforce it; show that document to your employers and you will probably have boots the same day.

[MudLifeCrisis]

Im supplied with safety shoes and I sell caravans. The company say there is a risk so they provide them.

[muddyoffroader]

have a look on this site. http://www.arco.co.uk/textsearch/General_Purpose_Safety_Wellingtons/?catid=-8268

safety wellies from 11.50.

[Bush Tucker Man]

It's a slight 'hotch-potch' at our place too in the name of 'H&S' too, for example;

Two, 3, or ideally 4, staff to slide a patient into bed from a trolley.

Use a hoist (not always practical) to lift a patient off the floor, if they slip off an Ambulance crews wheelchair

Staff who have to walk around the grounds; Security, Porters, 'Works Yard engineering crew', really ought to have hi-viz jackets, as it can be as busy as a warehouse/transport yard situation, as we have;
Lost/distracted out-patients looking for parking
Relatives arriving hurriedly, & distracted by bad-news
Suppliers driving round in anything from a Transit Connect van, up to 24 ton trucks
Stopping traffic when the Air-Ambulance is landing.
Yet, all they seem to get black (or dark blue) jackets/fleeces :roll:

Etc, etc....

But..... come Friday/Saturday night, when you've got a drunken 6foot, 21year old rugby player who's intent on carrying on the fight that saw him brought to you.

Then it's; Carry on regardless, just try not to hurt his hands if he tries to punch you :doh:

Plus, it's not that long since a Nurse ended up with someones hands around her neck & him squeezing!
Thankfully, she had presence of mind to knee him in the 'nads :clap: :clap: :clap:

Don't see the 'H&S' management around at that point


Yes, we do have security staff, but only 2 at a time, they've also got all the ward patients to deal with, the grounds, & go out to check our clinics in local areas

[Andy 300tdi]

An employee is entitled,under H&S legislation to view any risk assessments relevent to their work, these should detail what, if any PPE , is required for a particular task.  If the risk assessment has identified the need for PPE then the employer is duly bound to provide that equipment free of charge.

[winchman]

This should cover it:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg174.pdf

That is from the people who enforce it; show that document to your employers and you will probably have boots the same day.

Well said Wavey. its nice to see some one quoting the chapter and verse.
As people have said if a company risk assesment finds PPE is required then they have to supply it free of charge but ...... if you use it for your own use IE walking to and from work not on company bussiness they are legally entitled to charge you a proportunate fee towards its purchase, but I have yet to see any one bothering.
The bottom line is,
If you need PPE the employer must ensure its adiquate for the job, fits the user and is provided and maintained free of
charge, you must look after it, wear it and inform your employer if its lost, damaged or needs replacing.
Think that about covers it.
I have heard of the agencys cherging for boots, its wrong but it happens

[waveydavey]

An interesting and often overlooked point is they supply PPE you are legally bound to use it.
That is if they provide boots and you don't put them on not only are you not protected but you are actually liable.