Mud-club

Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: beast5680 on February 26, 2009, 19:12:44

Title: work health and safety
Post by: beast5680 on February 26, 2009, 19:12:44
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
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: tack43 on February 26, 2009, 19:32:17
We get steel toed boots or shoes in the ambulance service as our PPE.

Rich
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: crazymac on February 26, 2009, 20:14:25
In the Coastguard we are supplied with out steel toe cap boots.

Its as the name says PPE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT!!
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: boss on February 26, 2009, 20:19:40
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
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: beast5680 on February 26, 2009, 21:08:29
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
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: freelanderpx54 on February 26, 2009, 21:32:35
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)
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: muddyjames on February 26, 2009, 22:07:59
agency guys at work wont get given steel toe capped boots from thier agency unless they pay the agency £30 for them.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: lee celtic on February 26, 2009, 22:17:40
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  ;)
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: Gordo on February 26, 2009, 22:23:44
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.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: lee celtic on February 26, 2009, 22:28:34
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:
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: waveydavey on February 27, 2009, 05:54:32
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.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: MudLifeCrisis on February 27, 2009, 08:45:36
Im supplied with safety shoes and I sell caravans. The company say there is a risk so they provide them.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: muddyoffroader on February 27, 2009, 09:19:11
have a look on this site. http://www.arco.co.uk/textsearch/General_Purpose_Safety_Wellingtons/?catid=-8268

safety wellies from 11.50.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: Bush Tucker Man on February 27, 2009, 12:45:09
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



Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: Andy 300tdi on February 27, 2009, 12:53:12
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.
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: winchman on February 27, 2009, 14:23:48
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
Title: Re: work health and safety
Post by: waveydavey on February 27, 2009, 16:40:13
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.
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