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Health & Safety gone mad #

Posted by kelly clarke on January 22, 2011, 3:53 pm
Message modified by board administrator January 24, 2011, 3:47 pm

I have justbeen to my local supermarket to get some diesel, (cheap stuff for the works van)only to be turned away on health and safety grounds.

Parked well away to the side of all the pumps was the only car in sight. The guy stopping me from entering said the chap over there got a puncture while at the pump and has gone over there to change the wheel, becayse he is using ametal jck and a wrench to change the wheel there is a risk of a spark so we cannot sell any fuel until he has finished.

I have never heard such a load of squit in all my life health and safety gone mad.

Kelly

Re: health & safety gone mad

Posted by Tom Williams on January 24, 2011, 11:31 am, in reply to "health & safety gone mad"
Tom Williams

Health and Safety is fine. It's the idiots that have no common sense or idea of a proportionate response that are daft.
Simply put, we have bred a nation of risk averse morons.

Re: health & safety gone mad

Posted by Steve Nicholas on January 24, 2011, 7:58 pm, in reply to "Re: health & safety gone mad"
Stephen Nicholas

So have they also banned walking on the forecourt in case nails in shoes cause sparks, car keys made of metal, which could be dropped and cause a spark?

Actually, they ought to ban cars altogether because you can get a static discharge reaching for the door handle after paying for your fuel.

One thing there won't be a spark of is intelligence - so no danger there then!

Regards,

Steve

Re: health & safety gone mad

Posted by Paul Rose on January 28, 2011, 10:56 pm, in reply to "Re: health & safety gone mad"
Paul Rose Snap-on

Hi Kelly, that's bizarre, (even for North Walsham!) Seriously I hope you are well and business good.

It reminded me of a company we deal with. Somebody scalded themselves on a kettle and put it in the accident book. The whole company then had to go through 'Kettle training'. Its official - The worlds gone mad!!

Best regards

Paul

Re: Health & Safety gone mad #

Posted by Nigel McC on February 6, 2011, 5:08 pm, in reply to "Health & Safety gone mad #"

Tescos dont accept money for fuel from anyone under 16 either!!

I sent my 11yr old son in with £30 while i put the diesel in.

The assistant said sorry son i cant take money from you for fuel.

Wonder what would happen if i had just drove off and exclaimed to the judge that it wasnt me who was buying the fuel - it was my son and he did try to pay

Re: Health & Safety gone mad #

Posted by Tom Williams on February 7, 2011, 2:08 pm, in reply to "Re: Health & Safety gone mad #"
Tom Williams

To be fair, Tesco are definitely in the right in this instance.
It is against the law for an 11 yr old to purchase fuel in the UK and as he was the one with the money, it was him that was making the purchase.
No different really to a young lad in the restaurant of a pub being sent to the bar to purchase a pint for his dad.
This has always been the law, my father fell foul of it when we had a petrol forecourt back in the 1960s.

Re: Health & Safety gone mad #

Posted by Shaun Dale on February 16, 2011, 12:24 pm, in reply to "Re: Health & Safety gone mad #"

Unfortunately the law is a blunt instrument. In the context of this the "purchase" of fuel is intended to mean "buying fuel and taking it a way in a can for the purpose of setting light to the neighbours garden shed" whereas in this particular instance it was a case of "giving a cashier the money for the fuel my Dad has purchased". In the society in which we now live there is little or no differentiation between the "letter of the law" and the "spirit of the law" either by the person implementing it or the people enforcing it, i.e. the person on the forecourt cannot make a value judgement for fear of the authorities dropping on them like a ton(ne) of bricks if they are caught.
The authorities seem completely unable to apply a "common-sense filter" to borderline cases with the result that minor infringements are prosecuted to the full strength of the law whilst flagrant breaches seem to be ignored if it is felt it might be a bit of work to make it stick.
End of moan, I feel better now

.
Shaun

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