Author Topic: Risk- Assessment (Read 7709 times)

Painter · « **on:** March 08, 2005, 13:52:30 »

Has the fear of the local councils being sued replaced common sense?. Andrew Pitman from Yatton, Bristol, has received a 3 page risk assessment form from the council on the dangers of having an Allotment. He has now been instructed to fit a lid on his water butt to prevent drowning, this is only one of the measures the council advise him to undertake. Do the council assume that Allotment holders are in some way stupid and need to be monitered to ensure they do not do harm to themselves.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2005, 16:19:04 »

Sorry, just couldn't help laughing at the mention of drowning in your waterbutt. What a shame that coucillors think us so mad!

Dirkdigger · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2005, 18:59:43 »

Had quite an alarming incident at the allotment Sunday. My wife stepped on some land at the end of the plot and fell down a hole. On coming home she said she twisted her knee when she fell down the hole. I asked her how deep was the hole, the reply was about 1ft deep. So on returning to the allotment yesterday, I checked the hole, sure enough there was a hole but only about 6inches deep. So as a temporary measure I decided to put some sticks in to stop anyone falling down this hole. As I pushed the first stick in the ground I realised the hole was a little deeper than first anticipated, the stick was 6ft long, and disappeared all the way into the ground. I contacted the main committee member for the site as he walked through. He immediately contacted the council, cordonned off the area with cones. He seems to think there is a old ditch or something running along the perimeter fence, about 8 ft down.
Still awaiting for news as of today, will keep you informed as to the findings.
Wonder if it could be an old burial site ? the odd hand coming out of the ground as you try and pick some vegetables ? ( been watching to much TV I think)

wardy · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2005, 09:50:45 »

Flipping eck DD :o Hope your wife is ok. You never know what dangers are lurking on the plots.

Our society's allotment shed had a water butt but they don't use it as the council won't allow it (in case someone falls in) how would they do that? It has a lid. Whot rot ;D

Sarah-b · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2005, 11:54:32 »

You can all laugh away, but my 2 yr old fell into our water butt (not a tall cylinder one, but one of those trough types under the tap. Obviously I fully accept that it was entirely my fault. Maybe they should risk assess people before they become parents!
Our council is undergoing a similar risk assessment thing at the moment - I think it is accoss all council activities - but someone has put together a couple of allotment-specific pages. Mentions Weils disease and chemicals amongst other things. Basically, I could see a time when 'the' decide that allotments are far too dangerous - and ban them. Just like in schools, where teachers are now too scared to take kids on trips.
What this really means is that we are heading towards some US-style litigation culture - oh dear this is turning into a rant, will sign off now...

sarah

Deleted · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2005, 12:40:10 »

Scary stuff DD

Saving us from ourselves, eh? Well I did nearly set fire to mysel on Sunday at the lottie - just a bit singed at the edges in the end. Also nearly poked myself in the eye with a cane - have fetching graze on cheek. But then I can do all this stuff quite happily at home - last fell off ladder when cleaning conservatory guttering and tried to be clever.

I'm quite happy to take responsibility for myself - can't see why i'd want to sue the council for me nearly breaking my own neck. Maybe they should just add a clasue in our agreements saying they're not responsible for our own stupidity.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2005, 14:03:38 »

Wow DD! Let us know the outcome.

And Sarah-B, I didn't think of those sort of waterbutts, when you think of waterbutts, you think of those big green jobs. Me being a little on the short side would have to get up a step ladder to fall into one of those! :-\

wardy · « **Reply #7 on:** March 09, 2005, 15:30:13 »

I hope this doesn't mean the council will get wind of our planned lotty open day or they'll have a field day with their risk assessments. We'd best not tell em. Second thoughts the 20' banner might be a dead give away ;D

gavin · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2005, 21:06:37 »

I really do think the comments deriding risk assessments on water butts are very out of place. I have to say that the local council's position is absolutely spot on - water butts are extremely dangerous

---- but only for any local councillor daft enough to come near mine! Oooooh, the temptation ;D ;D ;D

All best, Gavin

ACE · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2005, 21:21:29 »

Last year a council banned hanging baskets, because they might fall on somebodys head.

I looked after the hanging baskets here for years but I cannot remember one falling on somebodys head. can you?

Dirkdigger · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2005, 22:21:05 »

Wonder if I can get them to stand on the hole at the bottom of my allotment and see how deep it is for me ? Put my foot on it earlier went down about 18 inches( cant be bothered with that Latin metric). Bit of luck they wont stop!!!
As per usual to busy to make it to the allotment to investigate, you wait if someone really hurts thereself, it'll be swarming with them.

Bionic Wellies · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2005, 15:13:42 »

Unfortunately we seem to be in a litigation-driven society - not quite a bad as the states, but moving steadily in that direction.

I have stabbed myself with knives and chisels, cut the end off my thumb with a Stanley knife, drilled a hole in the palm of my hand (that really hurt) and driven a garden fork through my foot (that smarted too) - even so, I don't consider myself particularly clumsy - but in every one of these cases (and there are many more too) it was MY fault - no written text on the implements of my torture would have stopped me from maiming myself, no printed warning or cautionary note would have prevented me from inflicting these wounds upon myself SO WHY WOULD I PROSECUTE OTHERS FOR MY INCOMPETENCE it would just bring unwanted attention upon myself! (Headline in local press: DIYer STABS HIMSELF IN EAR WITH PENSIL - I could do without that). But apparently, there are a growing number of dimwits out there who sit in judgement in the courts and award damages to plonkers who inflict these injuries upon themselves with readily available implements. There are also police officials who apparently can't actually catch criminals but can bring charges against 'soft' targets with predictable outcomes - fines or custodial sentences. ( 'suppose it get their figures looking better).

As a consequence we are all paying the price - in many cases quite literally, through our increased insurance premiums, but certainly in the wholly unreasonable restriction that are being imposed upon us (house arrest for anyone who an MP dislikes is the latest).

We cannot perform many of what our parents would have considered "normal activities" because we can't afford the insurance and can't risk the police charging us. (fireworks evening have been cancelled at our local junior school because they can't afford the insurance - it simply isn't worth the grief any more).

When I was a kid in S. Wales we used to go to the slag heaps and get a bit of corrugated iron sheet and use it as a sledge to toboggan down the side of the heap (100+ feet high) - was loads of fun (went pretty fast too :o) - kinda dangerous - but loads of fun (said that before - but it was loads of fun). If I had hurt myself and then gone home crying to my mum I would have most likely been given a thump, bathed and then sent to bed (not necessarily in that order) - now, it seems, the first action considered is to sue anyone who can't move away quickly enough. Why aren't kids allowed to kill themselves anymore - natural selection has got the human race to where it is today, who needs kids who cant survive the 100' slag heap toboggan run! - why try to stop it - we reduce the risk and make daily life a drag!

Sorry about the rant but I think it is about time that the general 'normal' people amongst us stopped paying for the idiots and took our lives back again.

We should do something - not sure what - but we should definitely do something - this is getting daft.

-- Ahhhh ... that's much better.

Deleted · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2005, 15:23:02 »

Well ranted. Hear hear!!

johcharly · « **Reply #13 on:** March 11, 2005, 15:52:03 »

here here couldn't have put it better meself

wardy · « **Reply #14 on:** March 11, 2005, 16:57:45 »

Hoo hahahahahha hee hee. I think we should we should make a new section for accidents we have had whilst in pursuit of our lottie hobby, oh and we could post pictures. I'll go first. You know I said yesterday I got a frozen a r s e. ... Well wait a bit, I'll just get me kecks off ......

only kidding ;D ;D

wardy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 11, 2005, 16:58:50 »

Oops, sorry - it's before the watershed :o

kenkew · « **Reply #16 on:** March 11, 2005, 17:13:18 »

I'm not against advice but let's hope it remains just that and not become legislation. A million things can happen on the plot from poking your eye out to falling off the shed roof.
Lids on water butts are really nothing less than common sense, especially if kids visit. I keep lids on to stop the mossies breeding and to keep the muck out.
This topic might instigate one purely on plot safety...why not? Even us oldies will take heed of sound advice.

Reckon I'll start one in 'Basics' anyway.

busy_lizzie · « **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2005, 17:18:30 »

Oh Oh!! Now that you have brought risk assessment up can just see all of my plans for our Open Day going down the plug hole. Can just hear the other Committee Members saying "we haven't got insurance to let strangers on to the plots. They might have an accident".
"
Had a bit of a laugh over some of the postings but things have got so ridiculous. When my little boy was five (he's 30 now), I got a call from school one day to say he had got a pencil stuck in his ear. Fortunately it came out no trouble with no after effects and did cause a lot of mirth in our family, but imagine what would have happened today. Just think I could have sued for injury as well as psychological trauma. ::)

Have things gone too far ??? Yes they have. Even heard on the news this morning that in one school, children had been stopped from taking pencil cases
into the class room in case it harboured a deadly weapon. Where will it end? ::) busy_lizzie

Dirkdigger · « **Reply #18 on:** March 13, 2005, 13:00:38 »

But surely, that's against their European human rights not to have something to carry a blunt pencil in?( cant be sharp, who knows what might happen with a sharp pencil, might actually draw or write something with it) Got to be against some rights somewhere, everything in life seems to be if someone else complains.
My rant is all these so called detainees, have had there human rights crossed, what about mine or a member of my family should anything happen, by these people who seem hellbent on hurting innocent people. Who can we got to and say what about my dead persons human rights ?
Its to late just a sorry it happened, new legislation......................
Sorry about my rant but makes me really mad.

Derek · « **Reply #19 on:** March 13, 2005, 16:14:54 »

Most sensible people would agree with you whole heartedly unfortunately as individuals we are ignored.

The PC brigade have won...after all they are a minority group therefore the law is on their side ;)

This is why I love the lottie so much... everyone is the same, dressed in old clothes (no one upmanship), such a great leveller and what does that do... changes attitudes.
Allotmenteers seem to be much more tollerant when on site...a far cry possibly from their everyday lives when we all join the rat race again...uugghh

Derek

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Author Topic: Risk- Assessment (Read 7709 times)