Can I be prosecuted from published pictures of my shop?

[OllyO]

Ive been approached by a journalist who wants to write an article about me with pictures for a national paper supplement.
Is it wise to let her photographer into my shop or could I theoretically be prosecuted if some meddling sod wanted to cause me grief?
I don't know if my shop conforms to any health and safety regs or not but I doubt it

 

[Pete.]

If it's a hobby shop you got nothing to worry about but if it's a place of work then gawd knows what might happen.

You could stipulate that you must vet the photos or only allow close-ups. Or you could say "guards removed for purpose of photographs" though that won't stop them springing a visit on you if they have a mind to.

 

[Parm]

Ive heard of prosecutions for breaches of working at height regs where members of the public have taken pictures.

Don't know anything about the article, paper or reasons behind it or what it is you do in your shop. My suggestion is that if you don't want the paper reading public all becoming experts and having an opinion then don't do it

 

[Pete.]

There have been several of those in the HSE bulletins in the past year or two. Scaffolders mostly.

 

[Wedg1e]

I had a pic of my (home) workshop on my website. A few years back I was contacted by a publishing company who said they were writing new course textbooks for use the new engineering diplomas that schools and colleges were introducing, and could they use my pic as an illustration for health and safety? I imagine a bit like those 'How many hazards can you spot?' posters that you used to see.
Anyway I said they could use it but despite repeated searches over the years I've never seen it referred anywhere.
It's not THAT bad... how many hazards can YOU see...?

 

[rikrobson]

at least there is a non conforming fire extinguisher there and at least its not green!!!!!
btw. what flammable liquids are there to warrant a foam extinguisher in the first place?

 

[PhillipM]

I just circled the whole picture and labelled it 'HAZARD', is that right?

 

[T0rnado69]

how many hazards can YOU see...?

well i could say.....

walking in to said workshop and being called.
that distraction could then lead me to trip over a rotary table laying on the floor.
making me fall into a milling machine and smashing my head.
i franticly screaming and holding my head and face due to the pain and possible blood loss.
i then fall into a W size bottle of argoshield. tipping it over along with expensive welder.
and crushing my arm under the bottle and passing out.


but HEY you know the rotary table is there so your be ok....... right.....

 

[Migmac]

Looks perfect to me, you should see my work place. It's easier for us tell the bosses what days we don't have slips, trips or falls!

 

[rtbcomp]

Ive been approached by a journalist who wants to write an article about me with pictures for a national paper supplement.
...

Are you sure it's a genuine request? Could be a scrote compiling a shopping list.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Ive been approached by a journalist who wants to write an article about me with pictures for a national paper supplement.
Is it wise to let her photographer into my shop or could I theoretically be prosecuted if some meddling sod wanted to cause me grief?
I don't know if my shop conforms to any health and safety regs or not but I doubt it

Surely you only have to comply with the H&S regs if you employ someone?

 

[OllyO]

Cheers folks, it's a genuine request. She's a customer that's also a journalist. I'll get a pick of my shop, but it's not got any safety equipment.

Will look into if I only need comply with h&s if I got an employ. I don't so that might be ok.

Don't want to open myself up to a world trouble but would be good pr

 

[OllyO]

Here's the main room in my workshop. It's not usually quite so bad as this but I've been flat out of late.

I have no employees and it's a genuine article.

I just don't want a load of suits to start showing up but then I'd quite like the pr

 

[WorkshopChris]

Nothing obviously scary jumps out at me.(personal thing wound up extension cable in use)

 

[AdrianH]

OllyO, Firstly I have great respect for anyone that can run their own business and make it pay, being employed for all my working life I can only guess as the hurdles you have to get over to keep going. So please take my comments with a pinch of salt and treat them as only my thoughts.

In the age of the internet and everyone having a web page pushing what they do looking as though they are a part of a bigger thing with glossy pictures, gleaming vans and premises I would tend to suggest you have a good tidy up and a few licks of paint around the place, to make it look a bit more sterile, and some better lighting, clear floor etc.

A clear floor I would do anyway before you have pictures taken, ideas of forge going and wooden pallets around the area, general cables under the bench area and across the floor etc.

But and this is a big but.

Looking at your workshop, with the anvil, forge, hammers and old fire fronts, I could take a guess at the type of work you do, and if this customer has a feeling for that type of work then dark moody pictures of forge work with a blazing hearth, sparks coming off hot metal when struck, sooty brow, dying art style pictures could be very good.

It depends on what the photographer is looking to produce as a style and what the article is aiming for?

Adrian

 

[eSCHEn]

I had a pic of my (home) workshop on my website. A few years back I was contacted by a publishing company who said they were writing new course textbooks for use the new engineering diplomas that schools and colleges were introducing, and could they use my pic as an illustration for health and safety? I imagine a bit like those 'How many hazards can you spot?' posters that you used to see.
Anyway I said they could use it but despite repeated searches over the years I've never seen it referred anywhere.
It's not THAT bad... how many hazards can YOU see...?


View attachment 92551

It is being used but I can only find it training vision experiments, pattern recognition stuff:

http://labelme.csail.mit.edu/Images/users/antonio/static_sun_database/w/workshop/ => sun_akeaqdqvuxqcdxqp.jpg
http://vision.princeton.edu/projects/2010/SUN/explore/SUN_128x128/w/workshop/

 

[Pete.]

Surely you only have to comply with the H&S regs if you employ someone?

Noooooo.....your duty is to take care of yourself and others. Last year a self employed guy was prosecuted for not working safely after breaking his own leg IIRC

 

[bump]

Looking at your workshop, with the anvil, forge, hammers and old fire fronts, I could take a guess at the type of work you do, and if this customer has a feeling for that type of work then dark moody pictures of forge work with a blazing hearth, sparks coming off hot metal when struck, sooty brow, dying art style pictures could be very good.

It depends on what the photographer is looking to produce as a style and what the article is aiming for?

You don't get that sort of shot with newspaper journalism these days. They got rid of all the decent snappers when digital came in.

Dark and moody doesn't work well with halftone reproduction either. Magazines, now that's a different story.

 

[lchris21]

If its going to benefit you without harming your reputation or business, then go for it......if the opposite is true then run a mile !!!!

It makes me so sad and frustrated that with today's namby pamby blame/claim culture that's infected us from across the pond, its one of the first things sensible people often ask themselves theses days when asked to do something for someone.....what if this? what if that?.......I turned down some work a few months back, as the what if? devils got the better of me...

Been in industry over 30 years, a lot less than some on here, so just a baby in the grand scheme of things. Some of the conditions I've worked in, would be unacceptable by today's standards, even though I'm still in one piece with all my bits and bobs.....Shudder to think of dirty engineering trades in 30 years time.....it will be a dying trade, and all that'll be left will be archive YouTube videos of John Doubleboost and thats your lot..........Rant over

Good luck with whatever you decide.....

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Call me a grumpy cynic [no...don't bother,I already know ] but I'd be asking myself "What's in it for me, and [perhaps more relevantly] what's in it for her"?

If that too personal a question to answer on an open forum, well fair play.