Safety question for excavator operators

[Pete.]

Doesn't have to be thieves, just mindless general public or someone looking for a short cut. A few years ago I was working on Oxford St demolishing the canopy aroong the outside of a very large department store. We set up our site using solid metal panel fencing. One end of the fencing was a panel with an access gate with a sliding bolt. It wasn't locked whilst we were working in there. One day this woman was walking down the pavement talking on her phone. She got to the fence, slid the bolt, opened the gate, stepped through, closed the gate then looked up at me and said "how did I get in here?"

 

[jsf55]

We banned all mobile phones other than in the office or workshop the main plant floor of a foundry was a no go area. if you were caught in it, you were off site, people wander around aimlessly when the talk on mobiles, no good when there's forklifts and front end loaders whizzing about. A German worker got killed under a truck whilst taking a call, the pictures were awful

 

[Parm]

Doesn't have to be thieves, just mindless general public or someone looking for a short cut. A few years ago I was working on Oxford St demolishing the canopy aroong the outside of a very large department store. We set up our site using solid metal panel fencing. One end of the fencing was a panel with an access gate with a sliding bolt. It wasn't locked whilst we were working in there. One day this woman was walking down the pavement talking on her phone. She got to the fence, slid the bolt, opened the gate, stepped through, closed the gate then looked up at me and said "how did I get in here?"

That’s just crazy

 

[Pete.]

A German worker got killed under a truck whilst taking a call, the pictures were awful

It wasn't Klaus was it? You would have though he had learned his lesson by now

 

[slim_boy_fat]

The M.D. himself even said to me that he doesn’t give a flying whatsit if we don’t wear them, but it’s our fault if we’re not and we get hurt...

But there'd be a degree of culpability on the part the Company for not ensuring you were following the site rules, or at least that's what a pal in the building industry told me. He once sent the company MD off his site for not being 'suitable attired'. You never know if someone's carrying out checks to see if policy is being properly implemented, do you?

 

[Parm]

But there'd be a degree of culpability on the part the Company for not ensuring you were following the site rules, or at least that's what a pal in the building industry told me. He once sent the company MD off his site for not being 'suitable attired'. You never know if someone's carrying out checks to see if policy is being properly implemented, do you?

There is a very high degree of culpability involved, particularly if management know that rules are being broken

When it goes wrong it usually (almost always) ends very badly

 

[andyclimax]

a builder friend of mine got crushed with a bobcat loading shovel he had a lad on it with no training and the bucket was up so my mate leaned in and was showing him the levers . lad pushed a lever and bucket went down crushing him between the arm and machine not nice

i know who that was . i am very good friends with his sons

 

[brightspark]

i know who that was . i am very good friends with his sons

yea a couple of good lads was talking to danny a couple of month ago . shame about steve

 

[jsf55]

It wasn't Klaus was it? You would have though he had learned his lesson by now

I remember it was many years ago when that came out, I sent it to our safety officer at the time, who decided to include it in his safety presentations .... our German counterparts didn't see the funny side

 

[jsf55]

But there'd be a degree of culpability on the part the Company for not ensuring you were following the site rules, or at least that's what a pal in the building industry told me. He once sent the company MD off his site for not being 'suitable attired'. You never know if someone's carrying out checks to see if policy is being properly implemented, do you?

Did the same to the works manager on a night shift, came in to spy on us working and I told he'd breached company policy, hadn't signed or contacted the supervisor to say he was on site, those forklifts don't half move on a night shift

 

[daleyd]

But most thief’s have one, probably nicked from another site

Some places with good CCTV now insist you have company logos on front and back to pick out idiots messing around

I was on site last week, the company supplied hi viz jackets with a unique number so everyone could be identified and you only got one if you’d completed the induction. Was actually not a bad idea to be honest, seemed to work quite well.

 

[Parm]

I was on site last week, the company supplied hi viz jackets with a unique number so everyone could be identified and you only got one if you’d completed the induction. Was actually not a bad idea to be honest, seemed to work quite well.

Never heard of that one before, really like it

 

[daleyd]

Never heard of that one before, really like it

Yeah first time I’d seen it too. The “main” company that are having the work done are a pharmaceutical company and a real stickler for rules and paperwork so I don’t know if came down from them?

 

[Parm]

Yeah first time I’d seen it too. The “main” company that are having the work done are a pharmaceutical company and a real stickler for rules and paperwork so I don’t know if came down from them?

Probably the principal contractor going all guns to impress the client?

 

[4String.]

Probably the principal contractor going all guns to impress the client?

Every time our lot have a visit from someone important, they ask me to keep out of the way .

 

[Migmac]

Every time our lot have a visit from someone important, they ask me to keep out of the way .

Why do you think they stuck me down at Campbeltown

 

[daleyd]

Probably the principal contractor going all guns to impress the client?

That’s quite likely too - the current job is a building extension (a very impressive one!) but they have planning for a brand new facility across the road so I’m sure they’ll be keen to shine

 

[Parm]

Every time our lot have a visit from someone important, they ask me to keep out of the way .

Just in case your too helpful?

Reminds me, few years ago I was looking at a very large flour mill in the middle of a residential area.

Walked around some of the automated unoccupied floors, all good. Then randomly I saw a cable disappearing through a door, made enquires, “oh it’s nothing, it’s always there” was the reply. So naturally I had a look. I was there till 8pm that day and it’s still going on now, soon to be concluded